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France · visa health insurance

How much is health insurance in France?

By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026

Private health insurance for a France move starts from $392 a year at age 18 on the Essential plan, billed annually, on Regency's 2026 EU-region rate card. Your real price depends on age and plan tier, and every family member is priced by their own age. The visa file adds one wrinkle: the policy must carry no disqualifying deductible.

Visa-ready plans from $721 per adult, billed annually · see your exact price by age.

The rule in writing

“The policy must provide medical and hospitalisation cover valid in France for the whole visa period (up to one year), stating inpatient and outpatient cover and the territory.”

Official source: France-Visas long-stay visa requirements — Last verified:

The rule in writing

“Consulates commonly refuse policies with a deductible (excess) on the core cover. Applicants report rejections over deductible clauses; the certificate should show cover without a disqualifying deductible.”

Official source: Consulate application guidance & documented applicant reports — Last verified:

Will your certificate pass?

What a consulate officer actually looks for on the page.

Passes when it shows

  • Private health cover — not travel or Schengen
  • Medical + hospitalisation cover valid in France
  • Covers your full visa period (up to a year)
  • No disqualifying deductible on the core cover

Refused when it’s

  • A travel or Schengen “trip” policy
  • A deductible / excess on core cover
  • Cover that ends before your visa does
Check your policy in 2 minutes

The honest from-price answer

Regency prices by rate region, and all eight destinations we cover, France included, sit in the same EU region, so these are the real rates for a France move. At age 18, annual-billing from-prices run $392 for Essential, $721 for Major Medical, $1,133 for Standard, $1,525 for Comprehensive, and $1,906 for Fully Comprehensive.

Very few movers are 18 and buying the entry tier. Age moves the number more than anything else, so the examples below show the real cells at three common relocation ages. For your exact household figure, the pricing calculator prices each family member by their own age.

Real 2026 examples at ages 40, 55, and 65

Annual-billing prices per person, with the insurer's real monthly-billing installment beside them.

PlanAge 40Age 55Age 65
Essential$589/yr ($57/mo)$926/yr ($90/mo)$1,731/yr ($167/mo)
Major Medical$1,081/yr ($104/mo)$1,701/yr ($164/mo)$3,180/yr ($307/mo)
Standard$1,804/yr ($174/mo)$3,199/yr ($309/mo)$5,367/yr ($519/mo)
Comprehensive$2,475/yr ($239/mo)$4,334/yr ($419/mo)$6,917/yr ($669/mo)
Fully Comprehensive$3,094/yr ($299/mo)$5,418/yr ($524/mo)$8,646/yr ($836/mo)

Essential accepts new applicants to age 80; every other plan to age 70. There is no medical exam at any tier, and cover can start the same day.

Family pricing: flat child rates

Children aged 0 to 17 pay one flat rate per plan, whatever their age in that range: $308 a year on Essential, $566 on Major Medical, $853 on Standard, $1,151 on Comprehensive, and $1,439 on Fully Comprehensive. Each adult is priced by their own age, and the calculator adds the household together and applies the household rules automatically.

For visitor-visa families the deductible line matters as much as the price line: consulates commonly refuse policies with an excess on core cover, which is exactly where many cheap family policies fail. The visitor visa page walks through that trap.

What the visa file checks, and one budget note

France's long-stay visa file wants private health insurance valid in France for the full stay, with inpatient and outpatient cover stated, and no disqualifying deductible on core cover. The cheapest policy that fails those lines costs more than any premium, because you pay again in lost time when the file bounces. The full rules are cited and dated on our France long-stay visa page.

One budget note for planning: a December 2025 French law added a healthcare participation charge for some non-working residents, with the implementing decree still pending, so private cover also hedges how that lands. Details on the France visitor visa page.

Annual billing is the cheapest way to pay; the monthly figures above are the insurer's real monthly-billing installments with loading included, not the annual price divided by twelve. Next step: run your household through the pricing calculator, then request a quote and a person confirms the certificate wording your consulate expects before you buy.

Honest limits: Cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States. Pre-existing conditions are excluded, including conditions you did not know about. We disclose this before you request a quote. Consulates keep discretion, and requirements can change. We show the published rule and its source; the final decision is the consulate’s.

Cover levels that meet the rule

Benefits are public, and so are the 2026 prices: your exact rate depends on age.

Standard

From $1,133/yearabout $94/mo billed annuallyChildren 0–17: flat $853/yr

Adds everyday outpatient care — GP and specialist visits, prescriptions, and tests — to hospital cover.

  • US$1,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • GP, specialist, medication & lab tests (US$750 each)
  • Outpatient surgical to US$25,000
  • Semi-private hospital room & board
  • Pre- & post-hospitalisation cover

New applicants up to age 70.

+ everything included — hover to expand

Scope: No dental or wellbeing benefits at this level.

Choose StandardSee your price by age →

Fully Comprehensive

From $1,906/yearabout $159/mo billed annuallyChildren 0–17: flat $1,439/yr

The highest level: full-cover room, uncapped surgeon fees, routine dental, and the largest limits.

  • US$2,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • Full-cover private room & board
  • Full surgeon, professional & outpatient cover
  • Routine & major dental (after 6-month wait)
  • Wellbeing check-ups & vaccinations to US$500

New applicants up to age 70.

+ everything included — hover to expand

Choose Fully ComprehensiveSee your price by age →

See your exact price by age →

Budget options — limited cover

Essential Health

From $392/yearabout $33/mo billed annually

A budget plan for accident and emergency care in state hospitals only. Not full private health cover.

  • US$100,000 maximum plan limit per year
  • Unforeseen accident & emergency care only

Scope: State hospitals only, accident/emergency only. No outpatient, dental, or wellbeing cover. Not a substitute for full private health insurance on a visa application.

Choose Essential Health →

Major Medical

From $721/yearabout $60/mo billed annually

Hospital-focused cover: inpatient treatment, surgery, and emergencies, worldwide outside the US.

  • US$1,000,000 overall plan limit per year
  • Semi-private hospital room & board
  • Theatre, ICU, and emergency-room cover (full)

Scope: No outpatient, dental, or wellbeing benefits at this level.

Choose Major Medical →
  • Treatment is covered worldwide, excluding the United States.
  • Pre-existing conditions are excluded — including conditions you did not know about.
  • Evacuation & repatriation is an optional benefit that costs an additional premium.
  • Prices are Regency’s 2026 rates for the EU region: per person, per year, billed annually, starting at adult age 18 — your exact price depends on age. Children 0–17 pay a flat rate on every plan.
  • Plans run in 12-month terms and renew at the anniversary; the age limits shown apply to new applicants.

Common questions

How much does health insurance cost in France for expats?

On Regency's 2026 EU-region rate card, prices start from $392 a year at age 18 on Essential, billed annually. A more typical example is a 40 year old on the recommended Comprehensive plan at $2,475 a year, or $239 a month if billed monthly. Age and plan tier set your real price, and each family member is priced by their own age.

Why does the deductible matter for a France visa?

Consulates commonly refuse long-stay visa files where the policy carries a disqualifying deductible on core cover. That is why the cheapest policy on the market is often the most expensive mistake: the premium saved is lost when the visa file bounces.

Is it cheaper to pay annually or monthly?

Annually. The monthly figures we quote are the insurer's real monthly-billing installments with loading included, not the annual price divided by twelve, so monthly billing costs more across the year.

How much does insurance cost for children moving to France?

Children aged 0 to 17 pay one flat annual rate per plan regardless of exact age: $308 on Essential up to $1,439 on Fully Comprehensive. The flat rate is added to each adult's age-based price for the household total.

Get a certificate that meets the published rule

Tell us your destination, visa, and who’s moving. Our team reviews it against the current requirement and calls you with a quote — no obligation.

Cover underwritten by Regency Assurance · every rule on this site cited and dated · a person calls back within one business day.

Before you request a quote: cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States, and pre-existing conditions are not covered — including conditions you did not know about. We say this up front so a quote is worth your time.

Keep reading

Guides for this move