Health insurance for VLS visiteur visa

Yes. France doesn't publish a fixed coverage amount for the long-stay visitor visa. Consulates expect comprehensive medical coverage for the full visa period, commonly benchmarked at the €30,000 Schengen standard, with hospitalization and repatriation included. Our policy provides unlimited coverage for new conditions, includes both, and is valid throughout the Schengen Area.

Usually not. Travel policies are designed for trips, and consulates and préfectures regularly push back on them for a year-long residence visa. Feather is health insurance built for living abroad, which is what the visiteur route calls for.

If your visa is denied, this will happen before your planned arrival in France, and therefore before your policy start date. You can cancel the policy in one click from your Feather account, and you'll be fully refunded automatically.

Just before your consulate appointment is usually best. You can set the coverage start date for any future date, so it lines up with your planned arrival in France.

Yes. The préfecture asks for proof of health coverage at every annual renewal, and your Feather certificate works there just as it does at the consulate.

Yes, eventually. After three months of stable residence with a validated visa, you can apply for PUMa, France's universal health coverage. Processing takes months in practice, and public coverage reimburses around 70% of standard costs. Many visiteur holders keep private coverage for the gap, the renewals, and the difference.

No. You can sign up before you arrive in France. No French address, bank account, or social security number required.

Pre-existing conditions are not covered. Any illness, symptoms, or treatments that existed before your policy start date won't be reimbursed. This is standard across expat health insurance policies and has no impact on your visa eligibility: the insurance is still fully accepted for visiteur applications. If you have a significant pre-existing condition, talk to our team before signing up so we can walk through your situation.

France clarified in 2026 that working remotely for an employer outside France, paid and taxed abroad, is treated as compatible with visitor status. Working for a French employer or French clients is not allowed. Consulates still assess each file individually, so if remote work is central to your plans, mention it in your application and get advice for your specific case.

This Feather policy is valid for your first five years in France and renews each year alongside your carte de séjour. If you plan to stay beyond five years, get in touch before the end of year five and we'll help you transition to a policy designed for long-term residents.

Each family member needs their own individual policy, but you can manage them all from a single Feather account by using the same email address during signup. This makes renewals and claims easier to track for couples applying together.

Yes. Even with monthly payment, your certificate clearly shows continuous coverage for the full period.