Why your carte Vitale health card may have stopped working in France

Several Connexion readers are reporting issues with their French carte Vitale health cards and ask if this is linked to concerns raised by minister Elisabeth Borne over the lack of a social security budget in December.

The minister said that if no budget law was voted, cartes Vitale health cards may stop working, however this has been widely reported to have been an exaggeration and there are no national reports of this happening.

The social security system continues to function as before, despite the failure of the 2025 social security budget law.

The Connexion contacted the national body for the Cpam state healthcare network which stated it had not heard of any specific widespread issue with cards or people’s healthcare rights. Here we look at what other factors could be causing problems.

Readers can contact us via news@connexionfrance to advise of any ongoing difficulties. Please describe the exact problem and state which area/Cpam is concerned as well as your nationality and residency situation (French national, visa, carte de séjour etc).

Watch out for scams

Firstly, if you have received an email or other online message that appears to come from your caisse primaire d’assurance maladie (Cpam) or the ameli.fr website, ensure that it is genuine.

There are reports of people receiving scam messages saying they must update their healthcare rights, but which are in fact phishing scams attempting to get people to click on links or call numbers so scammers can obtain money and/or personal or banking information.

These alerts often come by text message or email, or even, reportedly, social media messaging, and usually have a tone of urgency saying the person must act fast to maintain their rights.

Read more: Watch out for this end-of-year carte Vitale scam in France 

Update your card 

Another reason why some users may have problems using their carte Vitale card at medical appointments is if it has not been ‘updated’ for over a year. This can be done by inserting it in a machine at pharmacies.

A temporary IT bug

It is possible, though not confirmed, there is a technical bug at certain Cpams, which could be linked to such changes as the rollout of the ‘digital’ carte Vitale system. 

If so, remember that even if your carte Vitale is rejected when you try to use it, there is always the fallback of a feuille de soins (printed reimbursement form). In this case you pay upfront at the doctor’s or pharmacy and then ask for these forms which you can send to your Cpam for reimbursement to your bank account.

Malfunctions of a carte Vitale do not stop your healthcare rights which can also be proved, if necessary, by printing an attestation de droits from your ameli.fr account under Mes démarches.

Residency issues

We have in the past heard cases of people’s healthcare rights being temporarily suspended due to confusion over residency rights. This happened, notably, in early 2021, for many British people in France after the end of the Brexit transition period.

Read more: British retirees’ health rights valid, says France 

A national spokeswoman for the Cpam network said at the time : “I am not aware of cases of this happening but effectively I think that the Cpams concerned did not receive the instructions early enough to update their databases”.

She said it may have been linked to the fact that details of the EU’s future relationship deal with the UK were only known late in 2020 – Cpams were sent updated information about Britons in France following this.

In some cases, problems in 2025 could be linked to the fact that the first five-year Brexit Withdrawal Agreement residency cards will be approaching the time for renewal for a 10-year card. In the case of other foreign residents in France it could be linked, for example, to the upcoming expiry of a visa.

Read more: Brexit withdrawal agreement cards up for renewal

The key point with regard to residency is that as long as you remain a legal, stable resident of France, you retain French healthcare rights.

However, if your card/visa is nearing the time for renewal, remember to renew it promptly and obtain a proof of applying that you can show the Cpam. In most cases this is done via the Anef website but for WA cards you need to contact your prefecture.

What can be done?

If you have ruled out a scam or an update issue we suggest speaking to your Cpam. You can call them on 3646 or use the national English-speaking line on 09 74 75 36 46. It is also possible to book a phone meeting via your account at ameli.fr in the Mon agenda section. Alternatively, go to your Cpam’s offices in person.

The France Services network of local admin help centres can also assist with healthcare matters.