Digital carte Vitale begins in many areas: where and how will it work?

Residents in more than 20 departments can now access a digital version of the carte Vitale French healthcare card. 

Smartphone owners in these departments can download the 'carte Vitale' application, which provides a digital version of the card that can be used in place of the physical green plastic cards during medical appointments. 

The app will also allow you to access financial information such as the cost of the visit in the seven days following an appointment. 

It was formerly trialled in eight departments, and has been available since July 2023 in: 

Alpes-Maritimes

Rhône

Sarthe

Loire-Atlantique

Puy-de-Dôme

Bas-Rhin

Saône-et-Loire

Seine-Maritime

It has now been launched in the 15 below, bringing the total number up to 23:

Ain

Allier

Ardèche

Cantal

Drôme

Isère

Loire

Haute-Loire

Savoie

Haute-Savoie

Alpes-de-Haute-Provence

Hautes-Alpes

Bouches-du-Rhône

Var

Vaucluse

Read more: CONFIRMED: €30 fee to see a doctor in France from December 2024

App will not ‘replace’ physical card

To use the app, you must have a smartphone that is at least running Android version 7 or IOS (Apple) version 12, your own email address, be aged over 16 years old, and have a valid physical carte Vitale. 

In addition, you must be affiliated with the Assurance maladie, MSA or MGEN in one of the applicable departments (i.e, your main French address must be in one of the 23 departments and be the one linked to your healthcare account) and have a valid piece of ID. 

The application states that the accepted ID formats are a French identity card (carte d’identité française), French passport, or a French titre de séjour. 

Once you have downloaded the app, you will be prompted to enter your social security number and scan your ID and plastic version of your carte Vitale to download the digital version. 

The app is being rolled out as a response to the growing use of smartphones and digital tools in everyday life, states the Assurance Maladie. 

However, it is not set to replace the physical version of the card, that can still be scanned by doctors in all of the departments where the scheme is currently available, and there are no plans to fully digitalise the card. 

Note that whilst you will be able to use the digital version of the card as ID in some situations, not all institutions accept the carte Vitale as valid ID, including the SNCF, France’s national rail operator.

Read more: What documents must you carry on French train to avoid a fine?