Schengen visa insurance to France: requirements, coverage & cost (2025 guide)

Every year, millions of travellers from non-EU countries apply for a short-stay Schengen visa with France as their main destination, making it the most requested Schengen country worldwide. For many applicants — whether they come from Asia, Africa, the Middle East or Latin America — the process can quickly become stressful: limited appointment availability at VFS Global or TLScontact, strict checks on bank statements, uncertainty around supporting documents, and the constant fear of refusal.

On top of this, Schengen visa insurance requirements for France often feel technical, especially when travellers plan a multi-country itinerary across the Schengen Area or apply for their first European visa.

The good news is that your Schengen travel insurance is one of the few elements of the file you can make perfectly correct from day one. As long as your policy clearly shows at least €30,000 emergency medical cover, explicit repatriation, Schengen-wide validity and dates that match your itinerary day by day, French consulates and visa centres will treat this part of your application as “clean”. This guide explains how Schengen visa insurance to France works, how to avoid the most common mistakes, and how to get an instant, consulate-ready certificate whatever your nationality or country of residence.

Is Schengen visa insurance mandatory to travel to France?

Yes — anyone applying for a short-stay French Schengen visa (type C) must provide travel medical insurance. Visa centres such as VFS Global, TLScontact, BLS or CAPAGO will not accept a file without it. Since France receives millions of visa applications each year from countries such as Indonesia, India, Morocco, Algeria, Nigeria and the Philippines, insurance is one of the first documents checked for completeness.

All non-EU/non-Schengen nationals who require a visa must purchase Schengen-compliant insurance covering medical emergencies, hospitalisation and repatriation for the full duration of their stay. Visa-exempt travellers (US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, etc.) do not need insurance for entry but often buy it for added medical protection during their trip.

This requirement is defined by the EU Visa Code and confirmed on France-Visas. If the insurance certificate is missing or unclear, the application is considered incomplete. Border checks may also include verification of insurance, particularly for first-time travellers or multi-country itineraries.

Some travellers — including those from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Bangladesh or Afghanistan — may need an Airport Transit Visa (ATV) for Paris-CDG or Orly. Even without entering France, Schengen-compliant insurance is often expected due to the risk of delays, rerouting or medical incidents during long transits.

If you need a visa for France, HelloSafe lets you obtain a fully Schengen-compliant certificate in just a few minutes: instant PDF, correct Schengen wording, and optional visa-refusal refund, making this one of the simplest and safest steps of your application.

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What are the best Schengen visa insurance options for France (AXA, Europ Assistance, Allianz and more)?

Travellers preparing a French Schengen visa often start by looking at local insurance providers—for example Indonesian bancassurance products, Indian or Moroccan travel insurance bundles, or regional brands suggested on forums. While these options can work, their certificates sometimes fail to meet strict Schengen requirements (coverage not written in euros, no explicit repatriation, vague “Europe” wording, or incorrect dates).
French consulates, VFS Global and TLScontact do not prioritise the nationality of the insurer.
What matters is full compliance with the Schengen Visa Code and a clean, readable PDF.
This is why many applicants ultimately turn to international insurers specialised in Schengen travel, which consistently issue embassy-ready certificates accepted worldwide.
Below is a comparison of the most reliable Schengen insurance providers for applications to France.

HelloSafe works exclusively with insurers recognised by French consulates and visa centres, ensuring that every policy displayed is:

• fully Schengen-compliant,
• accepted by VFS Global, TLScontact and French embassies,
• delivered as an instant, clean PDF,
• often available with a visa-refusal refund option,
• and offered at negotiated prices thanks to high-volume partnerships.

In short: HelloSafe lets you avoid non-compliant local certificates and compare only embassy-ready plans from trusted international insurers.

What must Schengen visa insurance to France cover?

French consulates follow the EU Visa Code, which sets strict minimum requirements for any policy used in a Schengen visa application. If one element is missing or unclear, VFS/TLS may request a correction — which is why getting a fully compliant plan from the start is essential.

Mandatory minimum coverage for a French Schengen visa 💶

To be accepted for a French Schengen visa (type C), your insurance must include:

• At least €30,000 emergency medical coverage, written clearly in euros
• Hospitalisation costs (urgent care, surgery, overnight stays)
• Medical repatriation to your home country
• Validity across all Schengen countries, not only France
• Coverage for the entire duration of your planned stay

France offers one of Europe’s best healthcare systems — but non-EU visitors are not covered by French Social Security.

Without insurance, travellers typically face:

• €400–€900 for an emergency room visit
• €2,000–€5,000+ for a short hospital stay
• Tens of thousands of euros for medical evacuation or repatriation

Hospitals often require immediate payment or proof of insurance before treatment. Schengen insurance is therefore not just a visa formality — it is essential financial protection.

These are the minimum legal standards. Many travellers — especially older applicants, first-time visitors, or those planning multi-country itineraries — choose plans with higher limits (e.g., €50,000 or €100,000+) for extra protection during their trip.

What your insurance certificate must say for the French consulate 🪪

French consulates and visa centres check the certificate line by line, which makes wording extremely important. If you’re wondering “what must the certificate cover?” or “what should the Schengen insurance certificate include?”, here is the exact list of elements required:

Your certificate must display:

A concise, well-formatted certificate helps avoid delays, especially in high-volume centres processing French visas.
The certificate does not need to be in French — a clear English-language PDF is fully accepted by French consulates and visa centres.

Schengen insurance benefits for France 🇫🇷

In summary:

• Only medical expenses, hospitalisation, and repatriation are mandatory for a French Schengen visa.
• All other benefits are optional but can greatly improve your protection — especially for first-time travellers, multi-country itineraries, or trips involving winter sports and long connections.

What is not covered by Schengen visa insurance to France?

Schengen insurance focuses on unexpected medical emergencies, not every situation that may arise during your trip to France. Knowing what is not covered helps avoid unpleasant surprises — especially for travellers planning skiing trips, road journeys or multi-country tours across Europe.

Typical exclusions you should know before applying ⚠️

Many travellers believe Schengen insurance works like full travel insurance, but several scenarios fall outside its scope. Here is a clear overview of the most common exclusions, with examples that apply specifically to France.

These exclusions apply to most Schengen insurers: they cover unexpected emergencies only, not planned or avoidable situations.

Visa rejection, appointment issues and other non-medical risks 🚫

Schengen insurance is not designed to cover administrative or logistical problems related to the visa process. Therefore, most policies do not reimburse:

• visa rejection fees,
• the insurance premium (unless the insurer offers a visa refusal refund),
• VFS/TLS/BLS appointment fees,
• travel costs to the visa centre,
• courier services or SMS updates,
• costs linked to rescheduled appointments.

However, several insurers available through HelloSafe do include a premium refund if the French consulate rejects your visa.

This protects applicants from losing money in regions where refusal rates are high.

How much does Schengen visa insurance to France cost?

Schengen insurance for France is generally inexpensive, especially compared with the cost of flights, accommodation, visa fees and potential medical expenses in France. Prices vary mainly by trip duration, age, and the level of coverage.

Typical price range by duration and age 💸

Below is a clear overview of realistic price brackets for fully Schengen-compliant plans (including €30,000+ medical cover and repatriation):

🔢 Price ranges for Schengen insurance to France

Even for older travellers, insurance remains modest compared with:

• a single emergency room visit in France (€400–€900),
• short hospitalisation (often several thousand euros).

This makes insurance one of the best-value protections in a French visa file.

How insurance cost compares to French visa fees and travel budget 💼

When looking at the overall expense of a trip to France, the insurance premium is small compared with visa fees, daily budget expectations and travel costs.

Key points to remember:

• Visa fee for adults (12+): €90
• Visa fee for children 6–11: €45
• Children under 6: free
• Visa fees are non-refundable, even if the visa is denied.

French authorities also assess whether travellers can afford their stay. Daily means of subsistence usually range from €32.50 to €120 per day, depending on the accommodation.

In this context, a €20–€70 insurance plan represents a tiny fraction of the total travel budget — but it is critical for both consular compliance and personal safety.

Travellers buying through HelloSafe benefit from negotiated tariffs with major Schengen insurers. Because plans are purchased in high volume, prices often fall at the lowest end of the typical range, while still including features like instant PDF certificates and visa-refusal refunds. It’s one of the simplest ways to secure compliant, affordable Schengen insurance for France.

Who needs Schengen visa insurance to France? Profiles of applicants

Schengen visa insurance is required for millions of travellers heading to France each year. Whether the purpose is tourism, family visits, studies or business, every non-EU national applying for a short-stay visa (type C) must show a compliant insurance certificate. France remains the most requested Schengen destination in the world, which means consular checks are strict and technical details — including insurance — are examined closely.

Typical traveller profiles going to France 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

Visa applicants travelling to France come from very diverse backgrounds, but several recurring profiles appear in consular statistics and traveller behaviour:

Regardless of nationality, reason for travel, or financial background, every applicant must provide Schengen-compliant insurance with €30,000+ medical cover, hospitalisation and repatriation.

Examples of Schengen visa applicants to France 🧳

French Schengen visa statistics: how strict are the consulates?

France is the most requested Schengen country in the world, which naturally leads to strict and detailed document checks. Understanding approval patterns helps applicants prepare stronger files — especially regarding technical documents like insurance.

Number of applications and refusal rate for France 📊

France processes more Schengen visa requests than any other member state, and the numbers are significant:

• 2.6+ million Schengen visa applications in 2023
• 2.17 million visas issued
• Around 436,000 not issued or refused → ≈16.7% refusal rate
• In 2024, all French visa categories combined reached 3.48 million applications, with a 16.6% refusal rate

Despite the volume, France grants many multi-entry visas (1-year, 2-year or 5-year), especially to applicants with a strong travel history.

But because the numbers are so high, consular officers examine every technical detail — including the wording and formatting of your Schengen insurance.

Differences by region and passport 🌍

Refusal rates are not uniform across all nationalities.
Trends observed in recent years:

• Applicants from North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia) often face 20–30% refusal rates depending on the consulate.
• Some West African nationalities (Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal) frequently face 30–40%+ refusal rates.
• For certain regions, refusal rates can exceed 50% in specific consulates or during peak periods.
• Applicants from India, China, the Philippines, Indonesia see more moderate refusal rates but still face strict documentation requirements.

This variation illustrates how important it is to ensure every document — including insurance, proof of funds, accommodation evidence, flight plan — meets the exact Schengen criteria.

For higher-risk profiles, a clean and fully compliant insurance certificate helps minimise avoidable technical issues.

What these numbers mean for your visa file 🧠

With roughly 1 out of 6 applications refused, the margin for error is small. Most refusals are linked to:

• incomplete or inconsistent documents,
• unclear financial proof,
• weak justification of travel purpose,
• technical issues like missing insurance details or incorrect dates.

The good news?

➡️ Insurance is the easiest part of the file to get right.

A proper Schengen policy is:

• inexpensive,
• instantly available as a PDF,
• fully standardised,
• one of the few documents you can make 100% compliant before your appointment.

In strict consulates, where every line is checked, having a flawless insurance certificate is a quick-win that strengthens your overall application.

How to get your Schengen visa insurance certificate for France (step-by-step)

This section follows the same structure and tone used in previous HelloSafe guides, adapted for a multi-national audience applying for a French Schengen visa.

Getting a compliant insurance certificate is one of the easiest parts of the visa process — as long as the policy includes the required wording, coverage and dates. With HelloSafe, the process takes only a few minutes and avoids the most common errors flagged by VFS Global, TLScontact, BLS and French consulates.

🧭 Step 1: enter your details and see only Schengen-compliant options

Start by entering:

• your country of residence,
• your travel dates,
• and the traveller’s age.

HelloSafe automatically filters plans that can issue a certificate meeting 100% of French Schengen visa rules.

This is especially helpful for applicants from Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Turkey and other countries where refusal rates are higher and document checks are strict.

You won’t see non-compliant “Europe travel insurance” — only policies already formatted for Schengen visa use.

📄 Step 2: compare guarantees that consulates check line by line

HelloSafe shows only insurers whose certificates include:

• €30,000 medical coverage in euros,
• hospitalisation + emergency care,
• medical repatriation,
• validity in all Schengen States,
• zero deductible,
• your full name exactly as in the passport,
• dates that match your itinerary.

You can compare the benefits side by side and select optional protections such as baggage, cancellation or higher medical ceilings.

All payments are made through a secure checkout, in local or international currencies depending on the traveller’s location.

⚡ Step 3: get your visa-ready PDF instantly

Once purchased, your certificate is generated within seconds and sent by email as a clean, printable PDF accepted by:

• VFS Global
• TLScontact
• BLS International
• French embassies and consulates worldwide

Travellers appreciate being able to:

• buy for themselves or for a parent/relative abroad,
• receive the certificate instantly,
• request corrections to dates or spelling if needed,
• download multiple copies for their file.

This helps avoid one of the most common delay factors: an insurance certificate that does not match the travel plan.

💸 Refund if your Schengen visa is refused

Several insurers available through HelloSafe offer a full refund of the insurance premium if your French Schengen visa is rejected.

How it works:

1. You send the official refusal letter to [hellotravel@hellosafe.fr](mailto:hellotravel@hellosafe.fr) or through the HelloSafe chat.
2. The team verifies the document.
3. The refund is processed to the original payment method, usually within 2–3 working days.

This protects travellers from losing both the visa fee and the insurance cost — a valuable benefit for applicants from regions with higher refusal rates.

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