Health guide: carte Vitale, médecin traitant, Doctolib, mutuelle
How to get your carte Vitale, the difference between a general practitioner and a médecin traitant, how to book on Doctolib and how to understand the
Edited by EMA
Checked on: · Source : ameli.fr, Doctolib, complementaire-sante-solidaire.gouv.fr
First pointers: the health system in 4 points
| Good to know | In brief |
|---|---|
| Social security number and carte Vitale | Register with the Assurance Maladie, then order the carte Vitale when your definitive number arrives. |
| The médecin traitant | You choose one and declare it to the Assurance Maladie. Without a declaration, your reimbursements go down. |
| Appointments via Doctolib, etc. | You book on Doctolib or by phone. You generally start with a general practitioner. |
| The mutuelle (top-up health insurance) | Private insurance that tops up the Assurance Maladie reimbursements. It is up to you to decide whether to take one out. |
How to request your carte Vitale
The carte Vitale is the card of people insured by the Assurance Maladie. You show it at the doctor’s or the pharmacy to be reimbursed. It is issued free of charge; a site or message asking for money is a scam.
- Conditions: have rights open with the Assurance Maladie and a definitive social security number. If you arrive in France, order the card once this definitive number is obtained.
- Online order (5 steps, according to ameli): 1) log in to your ameli account and choose the carte Vitale ordering service under Démarches; 2) select the insured person; 3) check civil status, address and email; 4) upload a scanned ID photo and ID document; 5) check and confirm. The Compte ameli app can also be used to order.
- Order by post: sign the form you received, stick on an ID photo, attach a photocopy of a photo ID, and send everything back in the envelope provided, with no other document.
- Indicative times: about 2 weeks online, about 3 weeks by post.
- In the meantime: show a certificate of rights, to download from your ameli account (Documents section). Without an account: call 36 46 or go to a reception point of your fund.
- The Carte Vitale app is optional and free, but its use is not yet widespread: keep the physical card too.
- Order tracking: ameli account, Démarches, “Vos cartes”.
The general practitioner
The “médecin généraliste” (general practitioner) is the first-contact doctor: you see them for an everyday health problem or a health question. They refer you to a specialist if needed.
- Most practices work by appointment; a same-day consultation may be refused.
- In principle you start with the general practitioner before seeing a specialist (linked to the médecin traitant declaration, see below).
- In an emergency: call 15 (SAMU) or 112.
Choosing and declaring your médecin traitant
The “médecin traitant” is the doctor you choose and declare to your fund (CPAM). From age 16, every insured person must have one. The doctor you choose must accept the role.
- Choice: free, with no geographical constraint; a general practitioner or a specialist. The doctor must accept. Some no longer take new patients: a refusal is possible.
- Declaration (1): during a consultation, the doctor sends the declaration to the CPAM with your carte Vitale. No form is needed.
- Declaration (2): fill in form S3704, have the doctor sign it, then hand it to your fund or send it by post.
- Without a declaration: your reimbursements are reduced. According to ameli, going through the médecin traitant gives “the highest level of reimbursement”; the page gives no percentage. Other sources cite 70% within the care pathway and 30% outside it: check the current rate on ameli.fr.
- Under 16: a parent chooses and declares; having no declaration does not reduce reimbursement.
- Changing: unconditional, a new declaration is enough. A new declaration is also needed if your doctor stops practising or moves.
- Not concerned: notably foreigners passing through France.
Booking with Doctolib
Doctolib lets you find a health professional and book online, free of charge for the patient. There is a website and an app.
- Example of the process: 1) open doctolib.fr or the app, enter the speciality (e.g. general practitioner) and the place; 2) choose a slot; 3) create an account or log in to confirm; 4) you receive a confirmation. The display may change: see Doctolib’s help.
- Cancelling or moving: the deadline depends on the practitioner; with a general practitioner it can be up to one hour before. After that, call the practice.
- To be notified earlier: turn on the cancellation alert.
- Useful phrases: “Je voudrais prendre rendez-vous.” (I would like to make an appointment.); “C’est pour une première consultation.” (It is for a first consultation.)
The mutuelle (top-up health insurance)
In everyday language, “mutuelle” means top-up health insurance: it complements the Assurance Maladie reimbursements. Gaps are common for glasses, dental care or a single room in hospital.
- Who offers them: mutuelles, insurance companies, provident institutions.
- Employees: in principle, a company group contract, to which the employer in principle contributes at least half. Ask human resources.
- Individual contract: compare optical, dental, hospitalisation and extra-fee coverage according to your needs.
- “Contrat responsable”: a contract that follows rules set by the State; ask for it explicitly for an individual contract.
- Low income: the Complémentaire santé solidaire (CSS) is free or costs less than €1 a day per person depending on resources (ameli).
- Third-party payment (tiers payant): with the carte Vitale and the mutuelle card, you can sometimes avoid advancing all the costs; it depends on the contract and the professional.
Useful vocabulary (health)
| In French | In English |
|---|---|
| médecin généraliste | general practitioner (GP) |
| médecin traitant | your registered family doctor |
| spécialiste | specialist |
| ordonnance | prescription |
| pharmacie | pharmacy |
| carte Vitale | health insurance card |
| attestation de droits | certificate of coverage |
| mutuelle | top-up health insurance |
| urgences | emergency (15 · 112) |
Sources and checks
Checked on 17 October 2026. Summarised by JAPANITIES from ameli.fr (carte Vitale and médecin traitant pages), complementaire-sante-solidaire.gouv.fr and the Doctolib help. Rates, prices and conditions may change: check the official sites before any procedure. This guide does not replace medical advice.