The French healthcare system covers both public and private hospitals, doctors and other medical specialists who provide French healthcare to every resident in France regardless of age, income or status.This makes the French health caresystem highly accessible, even for foreigners.If you’re not eligible for PUMA, you may have to take out private health insurance from a local or expat health insurance company.Some of the largest international health insurers include Bupa Global, Cigna Global and Globality Health.Once you are registered with the French health system you will be issued with yours.This is a green, plastic health insurance card bearing your photo and embedded with a chip containing your name, address, social security details and details about any exemptions for payments, but no medical information.If your household income falls below a certain threshold (which depends on number of people in the household), you may also be eligible for free supplementary health insurance coverage (CMU-C) or for help in taking out a supplementary private heath insurance (' was abolished with PUMA and instead all eligible persons are granted their own right to healthcare, significantly improving the situation for economically inactive spouses.

In addition, starting at the end of 2017, doctors and certain medical personnel will have to waive upfront payments and be paid directly by the government or health insurer, unlike the system now where some patients pay upfront for their French healthcare services and make a claim later.

You'll also need to choose a primary and submit a declaration (’ (contributions) for access.

You will typically need to pay around 8 percent of your income if you earn above a certain threshold (EUR 9,654 in 2016), otherwise it will be free under the CMU-C scheme (read more in our guide to French health insurance) Everyone over the age of 16 resident in France needs to have a .

Additionally, the majority of French healthcare costs are covered by the state via a public French healthcare insurance scheme.

It is compulsory for residents in France to register with a French health insurer, as well as register with a doctor in France and go through this doctor for most treatments in order to be properly reimbursed by the French healthcare system.