Carte Vitale questions

[Zoe]

I would very much appreciate it if someone could help me with this question:

I am half-French/half-American. When I was 18 I recieved French citizenship and hold a valid French passport and citizenship papers. However, I have never lived in France (I have lived in London for the last 6 years, I am 24 now). I am moving there in May and I am concerned about applying for the Carte Vitale as I don't have a history of living in the country.

Could someone please tell me if this will cause any problems. My boyfriend, who is French, has had a Carte Vitale his entire life and so he doesn't know if I will have any problems applying.

Thanks!

[XLeblanc]

Hi Zoe,

Have you been working in the Uk and paying National Insurance contributions? I think the criteria is that you have to have paid full National Insurance for the last two years. If so then you would be entitled to an E106 which should allow you to get your Carte Vitale.

Good Luck

[cooperlola]

As XLeblanc says, if you have a National Insurance contributions record in the UK, you may well be entitled to cover via an E106 - this can last up to 30 months, depending upon how long you have worked and when you leave your UK job.

You should ask the DWP what the situation re E forms is for French citizens:

The Pension Service:- Department for Work and Pensions International Pension Centre Tyneview Park Newcastle-upon-Tyne NE98  1BA Tel: 0191 225 8604

If you and your boyfriend enter into a civil partnership agreement (or get married!) you can also get health cover (and hence a Carte Vitale - which by the way, is just a convenient payment method) as "ayant droit" via him.

(If and) when you get a job in France, you will get health cover via your own job.

As a French citizen, should you be unable to get health cover any other way (if you have no E106 or are unemployed etc), then you can - and in fact, it is my belief that you  must - join CMU (and you'll be issued your Carte Vitale via that).

[Zoe]

Well, I am currently a student, and before that I was financial director of a company, but I was not paying NI contributions because I wasn't earning enough.

Is it the case, then, that I don't have an automatic right to the state health care system in France even though I am a French citizen? Could you also please tell me what the CMU is?

Thanks for your help!

[cooperlola]

As you obviously speak good French, then you should have no trouble finding your way around the website, which reveals all:

http://www.ameli.fr/

I'm off for a couple of days or I'd take a bit more time on this!  Our website is more geared towards those from the UK, but there is plenty of explanation about the health service here, if you care to take a look :

 

www.frenchhealthissues.eu