Travel insurance in France
Don’t leave home without your travel insurance! Travel insurance is still stuck in the dark ages, or for us, more commonly known as pre-Common Market! During these dark and forlorn days we had to travel with a visa in other parts of Europe, but since the creation of the European Community we can travel visa-free throughout the member states for up to a period of three months. Since then we have the new regulations concerning Europe, called the Schengen Law. This allows us to travel throughout Europe for any period. Therefore all the Insurance policies that were designed to cover this period of three months are still in place. If you wished to be away for longer than 3 months you actually had to renew the policy each time! Simple eh! Even with the new Schengen Law a lot of countries (like France) are still stuck in the old 3 month time-scale and have not adapted.
With the British Commonwealth being the size it was, and being British, many of us travelled extensively so we already have insurance cover for up to one year available, but in France we are stuck with the maximum of 3 months period of cover for travel. For example: Car insurance for Europe from the U.K. Now, hopefully, you understand why the famous “green card” is for three months! (or do you?) This has not changed! You have to buy a “European green Card” for the period of… yes, 3 months! And then you need to keep renewing it every 3 months, but not so if you are from any of the other E.C. countries. Then it is valid for 1 year because it is much more common, and easy, to drive from one country to the next. The Green Card is only proof of liability insurance (and automatically includes bail bond) while abroad, which is required by law in the E.C. countries, as it is of a format that each police body in all the countries automatically recognise. This is the same here in France but we’re still stuck with this 3 month mentality for travel insurance (not Green Card) and a typical Travel Insurance will only cover you for that length of time and it will vary depending on region and time of travel and the type of policy you take out, but here are the typical areas that we cover.
Our Policies include:
- Repatriation (to France, of course)
- Health Costs
- Cancellation expenses
- Luggage
- Accident
- Assistance
- Compensation
Short-term health insurance for new arrivals to France
We have flexible health insurance policies available for those who have just arrived in France and have yet to gain entry to the French health system. (This is different from travel insurance.)
Much more information is available on our health insurance for new arrivals to France page.