Direct access to our
services :

  French insurance

House insurance

French law requires that anyone occupying a home in France be covered by property insurance. The landlord may assume that you have proof of this coverage, but he may also ask for confirmation of it. In any case, the policy should be presented when signing the lease contract.

Remember you are legally liable, so this must not be overlooked. More likely you will be asked to provide a photocopy of your policy each year to the owner or agent.

The relevant policy to take out is a contrat multirisque habitation which is an all risks household policy. It usually covers theft, fires, storms, floods, burst pipes, explosion, lightning, broken windows and natural disasters. These policies also usually give public liability cover (responsabilité civile), which is obligatory and covers the head of the household against damages caused to a third party by himself, his dependants, or his domestic pets. You need to take out cover in three areas :

A. The contents of your home : It is important to remember that it is the French value that should be used. Valuables may not be covered for their full value by your contrat multirisque habitation. Its is possible for valuable objects (objets de valeur or objets précieux) such as jewellery, antiques etc, to be included in your policy, but only up to a certain limit of the total insured value of your contents, often 30%. When taking out a policy, check what is covered and to what extent, and if necessary you should take out an additional policy to cover your valuables;

B. Damage you may cause to neighbors property or to a third party;

C. Liabilities towards your landlord : This cover is important because you are responsible for any damage you cause unless you can prove that it was due to circumstances which were beyond your control (the tenant's obligations as regards insurance are specified in the lease).

In the event of damage, contact your insurance agent immediately by phone and by registered letter. In the case of theft you will be obliged to prove what was stolen. Receipts, inventories, guarantees, and photos are very helpful.

A constat de dégât des eaux for water damage is a form you fill out with a neighbor if one's apartment has damaged the others. A copy is sent to both your insurance agent and to theirs. Full value reimbursement is a rare feature in French insurance practices. Normally it is assessed on a wear and tear basis.

Car insurance  

An unlimited third party liability insurance policy is compulsory for all automobiles entering France. As a proof of insurance, the owner must present an international motor insurance certificate (green if the policy is purchased in Europe, "Carte Verte") showing that the vehicle is insured in France.

If you want to benefit from a French insurer's bonus (discount) you must provide proof of your previous insurance record. Try to have your former insurance agent at home send you a letter confirming your insurance record. The further back you can go the better. In France, ask for a relevé d'informations (insurance record). Each year of insurance with no claim entitles you to an additional 5% bonus. This bonus is extremely important if you want to save on insurance premiums.

Policy renewal

In general, a French policy is renewed automatically from year to year. If you do not wish to renew the policy you must inform your insurance company. If you do not receive proper notice of cancellation between one and two months before the expiry date, your policy will continue in force for another year and you will be obliged to pay the premium.

Health insurance

France has a National Health Insurance program (Sécurité sociale) which is subsidized by the government and by contributions from employers, employees, and professionals. Foreign residents can also be covered. Your company is responsible for completing the necessary formalities, although you may also have to register yourself with the Sécurité sociale office of your place of residence (local offices are called Caisse primaire d'assurance-maladie). A Sécurité sociale card will be issued, bearing your social security number. Every time you need to apply for benefits, or to receive a social security reimbursement, you will require this number. Usually, only one card is given to the insured employee : this card will list all other beneficiaries such as spouse and children under 16.

Until recently the system worked as follows : When you saw your doctor, you paid him his consultation fee, then you went to a pharmacy to buy the prescribed medications. Your doctor had given you two copies of his prescription, together with a reimbursement sheet (feuille de soins) stating the price paid for the consultation. You gave this sheet to the pharmacist who stamped it, as well as the second copy of the prescription. On the box of each medication reimbursed (not all of them are), you found a small detachable sticker (vignette) that you or the pharmacist affixed to the feuille de soins, which you then mailed, with the second copy of the prescription, to your local Sécurité sociale office. The amount reimbursed (usually 70%) was paid to you a few days later by means of a bank transfer.

But things are now in the process of changing with the "Carte Sesame Vitale" coming gradually into effect.

However, Sécurité sociale reimburses only a part of your medical bills, calculated on the basis of "set prices", and doctors often charge more than these, which means you will end up paying a significant portion of the bill. The way to avoid these bills is to take out a complementary health insurance policy (mutuelle). It will cover you for the percentage not covered by social security and for areas such as dentistry and glasses. Executives working in France will usually be provided with full coverage by their company as part of their employment contract.