# French Residence Visa Application and Travel Insurance



## Tunsta (12 mo ago)

I am an American living in Portugal and will be applying for a French residence visa. I was told I must purchase travel insurance for one year in order for my visa application to be accepted by the French consulate. However, I will not be traveling to France until my visa is approved. Must I purchase travel insurance now even though I won't be traveling to France immediately, and if so, for how long?


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## Bevdeforges (Nov 16, 2007)

If you are applying for a long-stay visa, one of the requirements is to show that you have health insurance for the period of your initial stay in France - so a one year policy. It depends a bit on the type of visa you're applying for - but in most cases, you'll need to have the policy by the time you submit your visa application.


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## mem1476 (Aug 27, 2021)

I am an American living in France and had this same question when first applying. I went with Geoblue insurance, and they allow you (for most plans) to change your start date free of charge/fees prior to traveling there. So, you can just book for a random date and put that date as the start of your intended stay on your visa app, then if your arrival date changes, just change the start date with Geoblue before the policy begins. The rep I work with is super quick to respond by email and helpful. I recommend! His direct contact below.

*Steven A. Furst | Individual Direct Sales Agent

GeoBlue* | 933 First Avenue, King of Prussia, PA 19406

484-212-5229| [email protected] | www.geobluetravelinsurance.com


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## Crabtree (Aug 18, 2014)

As Bev says it is HEALTH insurance that you need not "travel" insurance and it should be broadly equivalent to the cover provided by the French state system You can then apply to the French system once you have lived here for 3 months but it can take a while for the application to be accepted so having a policy with flexibility is quite a good idea


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