Applying for a Carte Vitale

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by Jill Rees

er yeah you do need a social security number for this and this means you should be working. Get PACsed

Just to clarify - if you aren't working and aren't otherwise eligible for a carte vitale on your own, make sure your partner (spouse or PACS'd partner) puts you on his or her card as a beneficiary. That allows you to receive health care on your partner's account. If you have children, the children need to be declared as beneficiaries on the parent's card or along with their parent on the partner's card.
Cheers,
Bev

[MataMata]

Lizbeth, your doctor has no way of knowing whether you are entitled to apply for a CV or not but whatever he/she has given you will have been predicated on an assumption that you are however from what you have told us so far it seems clear that you are not.

A further note regarding EHIC's:

Once you have left the UK with the intention of becoming resident elsewhere, without an E form your EHIC (assuming you have one) becomes invalid. In other words if you needed treatment in France then you would have to pay for it yourself in full and UK will not reimburse you as would normally happen.

[Liisa]

Trying to send a msg to bevdeforges hoping she will read this & be able to offer some advice:

We have read your posts with great interest and are reaching out to you in hope that you may offer us some insight. My wife and I are really confused by the whole health care establishment and seem to get different answers depending on who we ask, even within the same organization. Our questions relate to two concepts: either her getting on the system or me:

1) Is my wife eligible for social security and benefits as an EU citizen once resident in France for 3 months?

2) If not, but I am as a non EU person with a carte de sejour, is it means tested? and if so, is the means testing determined by prior salary levels?

Background:

My wife is a dual Australian/Finnish citizen here on her Finnish passport, and I am a dual Australian/American, here on my Australian passport.

We relocated from Australia to France 6 weeks ago. En route via a 2 month visit to my family in the US, we learned that my wife is pregnant. She is now in her 5th month of pregnancy. We do not have health insurance as Australia has a medical social security system also. I am not working but looking for work actively. My wife is not working.

For question 1: Is my wife eligible for social security and benefits as an EU citizen once resident in France for 3 months?

The CPAM in Grasse told us that she was not eligible at all as EU citizen if she is not working, but if she had a carte de sejour, she could be regardless of work status.

The CPAM English speaking help line told us that she is eligible after three months resident regardless of work status, but that she would need to get a carte de sejour first, and that the carte de sejour must be applied for under her Australian passport, not her EU.

This is where question #1 applies. As an EU citizen in France not working, is my wife eligible for social security and benefits after three months of residence? Also, does she need to have a carte de sejour along with the 3 months residency? What difference does the EU versus Australian citizenship for the carte de sejour make? We are not even sure how she would go about getting the carte de sejour under he Australian passport anyway, especially considering the possible impacts to my current application and situation (I will now to explain Q 2).

For question 2: If not, but I am as a non EU person with a carte de sejour, is it means tested? and if so, is the means testing determined by prior salary levels?

I have applied for and am awaiting receipt of my carte de sejour formal notification letter. I have the 'recepisse' from the application request. I am not working but looking for work actively without formal receipt of my carte de sejour yet (which is another story I will leave for now about getting different carte de sejour and work permit instructions from the French consulate in Australia versus the authorities in France).

We were advised at the CPAM office that they would sign me up for the social security/carte vital, and put my wife on under my account, since I have my ‘recepisse’, and to complete the application , I need to provide CPAM with documentation of my last year’s salary in Australia. We have no issue with providing that documentation, but what concerns us is the ‘use’ of this salary figure. My salary in Australia last year was quite high, especially relative to French salaries.

Will CPAM use this salary figure as a ‘means test’ leveling to determine any payments into the system (i.e. once I am working in France). Also, will they use the Australian salary to determine social security:benefits allowance and claim amounts?

At this point, we are more than happy to put in the request under my name and carte de sejour, and put my wife onto it, but the implications from my prior salary are worrisome.

Any advice you can provide is greatly appreciated, as this is the last thing we need to worry about while my wife is pregnant!

[MataMata]

A couple of basic points whilst you wait for bevdeforges.

1) Is my wife eligible for social security and benefits as an EU citizen once resident in France for 3 months?

I know of no circumstances whereby any EU citizen is automatically accepted into the French health system by the simple expedient of being resident in France for 3 months. I don't know here you have got this information from. Are there any reciprocal health arrangements between Finland and France she could benefit from ?

2) If not, but I am as a non EU person with a carte de sejour, is it means tested? and if so, is the means testing determined by prior salary levels?

A Carte de Sejour is nothing to do with entry to the health system and AFAIK as a non EU citizen the only route for you into the French health system is via employment.

[Bevdeforges]

Whoo boy, Liisa, you are definitely in an "interesting" and potentially pretty complicated situation.

1) Is my wife eligible for social security and benefits as an EU citizen once resident in France for 3 months?

Technically, no - but that's a qualified no. It depends a bit on the Finnish system of health care. If she is eligible for the Finnish health care system merely by being a Finnish national, she should contact them to get an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) which will allow her reciprocal benefits while in France. Normally (and I know nothing about the Finnish health care system), eligibility for your home country system is based on having contributed to the system, usually by having worked there, for some minimum period of time over the last few years.

2) If not, but I am as a non EU person with a carte de sejour, is it means tested? and if so, is the means testing determined by prior salary levels?

This is one area where I think I am way out of my depth. Technically speaking, your carte de séjour is based on the visa with which you entered the country. If it was a work visa, they you have the right to work and as soon as you start working, you're covered by the national health care system, thanks to your contributions.

But to answer your actual question, no, eligibility for the health care system isn't means tested. Depending on what sort of carte de séjour you're up for, however, you may be eligible for CMU, which is a coverage based on your not having the means to get coverage any other way. The French are (rightfully) proud of their excellent maternity care, and they aren't likely to let a pregnant woman go without coverage.

Things vary by departement, but where I live, the prefecture won't give a carte de séjour to an EU national, since she already has the right to live in France. To get a carte de séjour with her Australian passport, she should have to return to Australia to apply for a visa and then re-enter France. (Though this IS France, and anything is possible.)

But it sounds as though the CPAM is working on getting your qualified under the CMU coverage, at least until you and/or your wife can find a job and thus establish regular coverage through contributions.
Cheers,
Bev

[Liisa]

Thanks for your speedy response & we think you are probably spot on with your prediction that CPAM will submit under CMU for now so we will visit them tomorrow with all appropriate paperwork to hopefully get it all underway. We just got back from Grasse hospital & were quoted 1000 euros per day just for stay to give birth so we really don't have any time to waste on this! My husband just got his residence permit today (without authority to work unless I am first, yep the rules changed when we were en route to France on this one) so hopefully this will speed up the process a little.

Thanks to MataMata as well for your insights.

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

Whoo boy, Liisa, you are definitely in an "interesting" and potentially pretty complicated situation.



Technically, no - but that's a qualified no. It depends a bit on the Finnish system of health care. If she is eligible for the Finnish health care system merely by being a Finnish national, she should contact them to get an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) which will allow her reciprocal benefits while in France. Normally (and I know nothing about the Finnish health care system), eligibility for your home country system is based on having contributed to the system, usually by having worked there, for some minimum period of time over the last few years.



This is one area where I think I am way out of my depth. Technically speaking, your carte de séjour is based on the visa with which you entered the country. If it was a work visa, they you have the right to work and as soon as you start working, you're covered by the national health care system, thanks to your contributions.

But to answer your actual question, no, eligibility for the health care system isn't means tested. Depending on what sort of carte de séjour you're up for, however, you may be eligible for CMU, which is a coverage based on your not having the means to get coverage any other way. The French are (rightfully) proud of their excellent maternity care, and they aren't likely to let a pregnant woman go without coverage.

Things vary by departement, but where I live, the prefecture won't give a carte de séjour to an EU national, since she already has the right to live in France. To get a carte de séjour with her Australian passport, she should have to return to Australia to apply for a visa and then re-enter France. (Though this IS France, and anything is possible.)

But it sounds as though the CPAM is working on getting your qualified under the CMU coverage, at least until you and/or your wife can find a job and thus establish regular coverage through contributions.
Cheers,
Bev

[Liisa]

Just FYI Nice Prefecture have advised my husband to submit a letter requesting exception to the new ruling with me being so far along in my pregnancy already the likelihood of me securing a job before him would not be as easy.

Thanks again.

Originally Posted by Bevdeforges

Whoo boy, Liisa, you are definitely in an "interesting" and potentially pretty complicated situation.



Technically, no - but that's a qualified no. It depends a bit on the Finnish system of health care. If she is eligible for the Finnish health care system merely by being a Finnish national, she should contact them to get an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) which will allow her reciprocal benefits while in France. Normally (and I know nothing about the Finnish health care system), eligibility for your home country system is based on having contributed to the system, usually by having worked there, for some minimum period of time over the last few years.



This is one area where I think I am way out of my depth. Technically speaking, your carte de séjour is based on the visa with which you entered the country. If it was a work visa, they you have the right to work and as soon as you start working, you're covered by the national health care system, thanks to your contributions.

But to answer your actual question, no, eligibility for the health care system isn't means tested. Depending on what sort of carte de séjour you're up for, however, you may be eligible for CMU, which is a coverage based on your not having the means to get coverage any other way. The French are (rightfully) proud of their excellent maternity care, and they aren't likely to let a pregnant woman go without coverage.

Things vary by departement, but where I live, the prefecture won't give a carte de séjour to an EU national, since she already has the right to live in France. To get a carte de séjour with her Australian passport, she should have to return to Australia to apply for a visa and then re-enter France. (Though this IS France, and anything is possible.)

But it sounds as though the CPAM is working on getting your qualified under the CMU coverage, at least until you and/or your wife can find a job and thus establish regular coverage through contributions.
Cheers,
Bev