France

If you are going to stay in France for more than 90 days and are 28 years or below, you are already eligible for free student health insurance in France. It will cover approximately 60 to 70% of your medical expenses, if incurred. Further, if you wish to be 100% insured then you can apply for a supplemental health plan which would cost you around EUR 50. You can also opt for a private health insurance if you have any pre-existing condition or you seek wide coverage.

To get your social security number, the process is completely online and free. All you need to do is visit the official website to create your Ameli account after you are done with your registration process in your university. You will have to provide your basic details on the website and upload the necessary documents, which will be already available with you. Once you have created your account and completed the registration process, you will be designated a social security number within three weeks. You will also have the facility to order your Carte Vitale using the same Ameli account.

As per the eligibility criteria, you need to be 28 years of age and below to be covered under student health insurance in France. Hence, you need to get a private health insurance to be able to apply for your France student visa. There are banks, insurance companies, and other entities offering affordable health insurance plans for international students. You can get it for around EUR 200 a year with wide coverage and tailored plans. A health insurance is mandatory for international students in France, and hence a private health insurance is a must for you when you are not eligible for free health insurance.

The student health insurance in France is free for international students, and you need to pay nothing to get your health insurance. Check if you meet the eligibility criteria and register yourself with the official website to get your social security number and Carte Vitale. This card should be present with you to avail the health services and get the due reimbursements on your medical bills. Your registration process will also be free of cost. Once you enter France as an international student on a study visa, you can enjoy the benefits of universal health coverage after registering yourself successfully.

Your VFS reference number is given on the receipt/invoice that you receive from your chosen VFS Global Visa Centre after submitting your visa application. Read the complete document provided to you, and for a safer side, take a scanned copy of the document to refer to, in case you lose the original one. You can also take a photograph of the document on your phone to save the reference number. 

The VFS reference number usually contains the first two letters of the city where you are applying, followed by “NL”, then the date and some other numbers.

No, whether you are applying for a short-stay visa in France or a long-stay visa in France, in any of these cases, you cannot apply 6 months before the day of your scheduled departure.

You must ideally apply for a long-stay student visa in France at least 1 month before your departure date. This will allow you the time to make adjustments if you face any delays in the decision, or your application gets rejected or waitlisted due to any missing documents.

There are several good universities in Paris that provide good student experience and some of these are highly ranked in the global world rankings. The Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL) is ranked in the #1 position in Paris and overall France by the QS World University Rankings 2025 and THE World University Rankings 2024. However, Sorbonne University, Ecole des Ponts ParisTech, Université Paris Cité, and Sciences Po are also on the list of the best universities in Paris.