Carte vitale: what do i do if i lose my french health insurance card?

WE LOOK AT WHAT YOU SHOULD DO IF YOU LOSE YOUR CARTE VITALE READER QUESTION: I CANNOT FIND MY CARTE VITALE. HOW CAN I CANCEL IT AND GET A NEW ONE? It is advisable to always have your carte

Vitale with you in France as it proves your right to state healthcare. So if it is stolen or you lose it, you should inform your local Cpam (_caisse primaire d'assurance maladie_)

immediately. This is important for two reasons. Firstly, if you have healthcare costs and do not have it to hand you will have to pay for everything upfront and apply for reimbursement with_

feuilles de soins_ afterwards, which is less convenient and can involve significant out of pocket costs before you get money back into your account. Secondly, someone could be using it to

pay for medicine or treatment. You can report it lost or stolen online by logging into the _Assurance Maladie_WEBSITE ameli.fr, via the Ameli app or by going directly to your local Cpam

office. Once you have logged into Ameli, click _Mes Démarches _and then the _Déclarer la perte ou le vol de carte Vitale_. You will then have to confirm if the card has been lost or stolen.

You can also send a letter to your local Cpam office to say the card is lost (which has to include a _declaration sur l’honneur_ sworn statement) or telephone it on 36 46. This will cancel

the card meaning it cannot be used to pay for any treatment. Even if it is found again you cannot reactivate an old card. You will have to obtain a new one. HOW DO I GET A NEW CARTE VITALE?

It is possible to order a new card online, through the Ameli website or app. When declaring your carte Vitale lost or stolen, you will be prompted to order a new one at the same time. You

will need to attach two documents to your request. These are: * a photo or scan of an identity document (passport, residency permit etc) * a digital version of a passport-style photo If you

do not order a new card at the same time as declaring your current one lost or stolen, you will have to wait two days before asking for a replacement. This can be done by pressing _Commander

une carte Vitale _under the _Mes Démarches _section. If you send your local Cpam a letter to inform it that the card was lost or stolen, it will send you a ‘_Ma nouvelle carte Vitale_’

form. Before sending the form back (to the same address), check that the details are correct, and then glue a passport-style photo in the space provided, and add a copy of an identity

document to the letter. It takes just over two weeks to receive a new carte Vitale if the request was made online, or three weeks if made by post. If you are in a situation where you would

have needed your carte Vitale to cover medical costs in the meantime, you can download an _ATTESTATION DE DROITS_ form, which you can use as proof of being in the French system in the

meantime, if asked for this. READ MORE: ONLINE HEALTH ACCOUNT IN FRANCE: SIX USEFUL THINGS YOU CAN DO WHAT IF I FIND SOMEONE ELSE’S CARD? If you find someone else’s carte Vitale, you should

send it to, or drop it off at, the local Cpam office. If you do not want to pay for a stamp, or the office is far away, you can drop the card into a La Poste letterbox, and it will be

delivered free of charge. RELATED ARTICLES HOW TO GET A SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER AND CARTE VITALE IN FRANCE FRANCE MULLS MERGING ID AND HEALTH CARDS: HOW COULD NEW PLAN WORK?