Health care in France - paperwork
If you are intending to go to France for a holiday or a short stay, you should ask for form *E111 from any main post-office. This form can be filled in and stamped immediately by the post office (providing you have the information available + your social security number) and is valid immediately. This form covers you for medical emergencies only. In some cases, you may be required to pay on the spot but will be reimbursed up to 80%. Make sure you keep all paperwork involved, as you will need this to get a refund.
It is worthwhile taking a photocopy of your *E111 as hospitals need to keep a copy and often forget to return your original.
If you are intending to stay for a longer period of time (but do not plan to work) or are retiring to France, you should apply well in advance for form *E106 - this will give you reciprocal medical cover for up to 2 years but at the end of that period you will need to take out a private insurance if you have not been working. To apply for this form, contact your DSS overseas branch.
DSS - Overseas Branch
EU Office
Longbenton
Newcastle upon Tyne NE98 1YX
Tel: 0191 213 5000
*On 1st June 2004 a European Health Insurance card was introduced for the majority of countries in Europe, in order to simplify procedures for accessing health care in the EU. Check out the following site . Not all countries planned to introduce this card immediately.
Check
here for FAQ
*The European Health Insurance card
From the 1st June onwards, European citizens who are travelling within the European Economic Area, (i.e. the European Union, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein) and Switzerland, for private or professional reasons will be given a European Health Insurance Card, which will simplify the procedure when receiving medical assistance during their stay in a Member State.
The aim of the card is to facilitate access to healthcare within the EU, by replacing all the paper forms needed for health treatment during a temporary stay in another Member State.
Initially the card replaces only the existing E111 form for short stays like holidays. In a second phase it will substitute all other forms used for temporary stays, such as those for employees posted to another country (E128), job seekers (E119) and students (E128). In the long term it is intended to be issued with an electronic chip, which will greatly facilitate exchange of information between Member States and reduce the risk of error, fraud and abuse.
The card has already been introduced in Belgium, France, Luxembourg, Spain, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Estonia and Slovenia. Other countries, such as the UK, have decided to make use of a transition period for its introduction up to the end of 2005
The European Health Insurance Card replaces:
E111 and E111B used by tourists
E110 used by international road transporters
E128 used by students and people working in a Member State other than their own
E119 used by people registered as unemployed and seeking work in another Member State
It replaces temporary health care; those who are permenant residents of France should apply for the carte vitale
