Visa-ready plans from $721 per adult, billed annually · see your exact price by age.
The rule in writing
“US and UK domestic health plans are generally not structured to cover treatment abroad for residents and are not accepted for long-stay visa applications in France or Italy.”
Official source: Consulate guidance & documented applicant reports — Last verified:
The rule in writing
“For a long-stay visa (VLS-TS), you must hold private health insurance covering your full stay in France. Travel insurance and short-stay Schengen policies are not accepted.”
Official source: France-Visas (france-visas.gouv.fr) & FrenchEntrée long-stay guide — 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
GHIC and EHIC are for trips, not residence
A GHIC (or older EHIC) covers necessary care during temporary visits. It is not residence cover, and it does not satisfy the French long-stay visa.
Once France is your home, the card no longer applies the way it did on holiday. The consulate wants private health insurance in the file, valid in France for the stay.
NHS cover ends when you move
NHS treatment is based on living in the UK. When you move to France, that entitlement ends — you cannot rely on flying back for routine care.
This is why a UK domestic plan is not accepted for the visa — it is not structured to cover you as a resident of France. See the requirement below.
The S1 form: only some pensioners, and it comes later
Some UK state pensioners can register an S1 form that shifts certain healthcare costs to the UK once they are resident in France. Eligibility varies by your pension and circumstances, and it is arranged after you settle in — not at the visa stage.
Check your position on the official UK and French portals (gov.uk and ameli.fr). For the visa application itself, you still show private health insurance.
What the visa actually needs
For the long-stay visa, the file needs private health insurance valid in France for the whole stay, stating inpatient and outpatient cover and the territory. Travel and Schengen policies are refused.
You can apply and get cover the same day with no medical exam. Cover is worldwide but excludes treatment in the United States.
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.