Visa-ready plans from $721 per adult, billed annually · see your exact price by age.
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:
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:
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
VLS-T and VLS-TS: what actually differs
Both are long-stay visitor visas. They differ in what happens after you land, not in the insurance they need.
- VLS-TS (valant titre de séjour) acts as a residence permit. You validate it online after you arrive.
- VLS-T (temporaire) is a temporary stay. It cannot be renewed from inside France; you leave and reapply.
People mix up the codes on the visa sticker. Check the 'type de visa' line before you buy cover.
The insurance rule is identical for both
Whichever code you hold, the visa file needs a private health plan valid in France for the whole stay. Travel and short-stay Schengen cover are refused — see the requirement below.
The certificate has to state the cover is private, name France as the territory, and show inpatient and outpatient cover for your visa dates. We show you that wording before you buy.
Which one are you renewing?
A VLS-TS can lead to a residence permit, so your cover often needs to continue past year one while public cover is arranged. A VLS-T ends when you leave, so cover matches the shorter term.
We arrange policies that renew for the residence-permit route and shorter terms for a temporary stay. Benefits are set by the plan; premiums are quote-based.
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.