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Social security number in France – how to get one, validate your VLS-TS and prove your address

Last updated 25 September 2026Rules checked every MondayOfficial sourcesSources & methodology →

In France, a social security number unlocks your carte Vitale, online public services and full health refunds, but getting one when you were born abroad takes paperwork and patience. Here is how to request it, keep your stay legal after VLS-TS validation and prove where you live.

Smiling woman handing her passport across a counter
Photo: Moon Safari/Adobe Stock

Your French social security number, the NIR, follows you through health insurance, work and many online services. Three things changed recently: a carte Vitale (health card) app has been available nationwide since November 2025; since 1 May 2026, validating a VLS-TS long-stay visa costs €300 (€100 at the reduced rate); and a contribution for some inactive residents has been voted but is not in force.

If you came with a VLS-TS, that visa is your residence permit for its 4 to 12 months – but only once you have validated it on ANEF, the Interior Ministry's portal, and paid the tax, within 3 months of arriving. It also counts as proof of legal stay for health insurance once it has been through the OFII procedure.

To stay on, apply online no earlier than 4 months and no later than 2 months before it expires. Several papers turn up along the way, and they are not equal:

DocumentWhat it provesValid for
Validated VLS-TSYour right to stay – it serves as your titre de séjour (residence permit)4 to 12 months
Attestation de dépôt from ANEFOnly that you applied – it is not proof of legal stay–
Attestation de prolongation d'instructionProvisional right to stay while a complete, on-time online application is processedUp to 3 months, renewable
Récépissé (receipt) from the préfecture (prefecture)Provisional right to stay for an application filed at the prefecture4 or 6 months for a first application; 3 months for a renewal
Residence cardYour titre de séjourA first "salarié" card 1 year; a multi-year card usually 4 years; a resident card 10 years

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

The prefecture or sub-prefecture where you live hands over the card, usually by appointment. In Paris, the Préfecture de police answers residence-permit questions on 34 30, weekdays 8:30–16:00; progress on an ANEF file shows in your ANEF personal space.

How do you get a social security number in France?

The number has 13 digits plus a 2-digit control key. Born in France, you get it automatically; born abroad, you must request it, and the two digits for your département of birth become 99, followed by an Insee code for your country of birth. For most employees, self-employed people and students, the CPAM (local health insurance office) where you usually live is in charge; farm workers go to the MSA.

Employees start with their employer, who handles the formalities; until you have a number, you give the employer a provisional one from the CPAM. Most others send form S1106 to the CPAM. Bring an identity or residence document and a civil-status document, such as a full copy of your birth certificate, translated into French unless it comes from the EEA or Switzerland or a treaty exempts you. Non-EU nationals must also prove legal stay; EEA and Swiss nationals do not.

Your situationWhere to goWhat to know
EmployeeYour employer, then the CPAM where you liveCovered from your first hour of work
Talent passport – salarié visa, au pair or language assistantThe CPAM in Paris (local rule)It handles all your health insurance formalities
Non-EU studentThe Assurance Maladie's website for foreign studentsFree; register as soon as you have enrolled
EU, EEA or Swiss student with a valid EHICNo registration neededYour EHIC covers you
Not working, living in FranceThe CPAM, with form S1106Rights open after 3 months' residence
Returning French national in workThe CPAM, with form S1106 and a contract or payslipCovered from your first hour of work

Source: Service-Public and the Assurance Maladie, read 23 September 2026.

Expect a wait. The provisional number, the NIA, is valid for 9 months and covers refunds, but gives no ameli account or carte Vitale; the Assurance Maladie gives a processing time of 9 months for the definitive one. If a document is missing, you get 3 months to supply it, then a formal notice with 3 more, after which benefits are suspended.

On the new contribution: the 2026 social security financing law of 30 December 2025 provides for a payment from some inactive residents covered by PUMa, the universal health protection, who pay no CSG or CRDS. A decree must set the amount; none had appeared at Service-Public's last check in May 2026, so current rules still apply.

Carte Vitale and ameli: what the number unlocks

With the definitive number you can open your ameli account, the Assurance Maladie's online space, and order the carte Vitale. It is free and takes about 2 weeks through ameli, about 3 weeks by post. The smartphone version is ordered in the Compte ameli app with a selfie and a photo of your ID. The card also shows your declared médecin traitant (regular GP).

FranceConnect, the State's single sign-on for more than 1,500 online services, requires a definitive social security number – a temporary one is not enough. The France Identité app needs the new French ID card, so it is not open to foreign nationals. The Assurance Maladie answers on 3646, or +33 1 84 90 36 46 from abroad; hours vary by département.

Proof of address in France: what counts as a justificatif de domicile?

Almost every office asks for a justificatif de domicile (proof of address), but each accepts slightly different papers, and the age of the document matters:

What it is forMaximum ageAccepted documents
Residence card application6 monthsElectricity, gas, water, landline or internet bill; lease; rent receipt. A document with a 2D-Doc barcode cannot be refused
Residence card, living in a hotel6 monthsHotel certificate plus last month's invoice
Residence card, staying with someone6 monthsTheir dated, signed attestation d'hébergement, a copy of their ID or residence card and their proof of address
Bank account–Tax notice, rent receipt, water or electricity bill; a certificate of élection de domicile if you have no stable address
Family reunification file3 monthsLast electricity, gas, water or landline bill, or a home insurance certificate if you moved in recently
Electoral roll (EU citizens)3 months, in your nameUtility bill, home insurance certificate, typed rent receipt, payslip or pension statement

Source: Service-Public, read 23 September 2026.

If you rent, home insurance covering at least fire, water damage and explosion is compulsory. EU citizens applying for the optional residence card can show their address by any means.

Moving house: who must you tell?

If your residence card is valid for more than a year, report every move – even within the same town – on ANEF within 3 months. The declaration is free; a new card with the new address is optional and costs €50 in tax stamps (free for EU, EEA and Swiss nationals, their families and Withdrawal Agreement card holders).

A free online change-of-address service then updates the CPAM, the CAF (family allowance fund), the tax office, France Travail, energy suppliers and vehicle registration at once. It works whatever your nationality but is only in French.

EU citizens can vote in municipal and European elections by registering on the supplementary lists of the mairie (town hall) where they live. From 1 July 2026, the deadline is the 6th Friday before the election, whether you register in person or online.

What to do now

StepWhatWhen
1Validate your VLS-TS on ANEF and pay the taxWithin 3 months; ideally in week one
2Gather ID, a translated birth certificate and proof of address under 6 months oldBefore your first appointments
3Give your employer your number, or send form S1106 to the CPAMWhen you start work, or after 3 months if you do not work
4Open your ameli account and order the carte VitaleOnce the definitive number arrives
5Apply for your next card onlineBetween 4 and 2 months before your document expires
6Report a move on ANEF (cards valid for more than a year)Within 3 months of moving

Source: Service-Public and the Assurance Maladie, read 23 September 2026.

Official sources

The official pages this guide is based on, read 23 September 2026. Links open the authority’s own website.

Relocate in Europe provides general information, not legal or financial advice for your individual situation. Check with the authority named above before you act – rules change, and your case may differ.