Procedures for living in France

If you have any questions about your visa or residence permit, your renewal application, or your work rights in France, you can consult the FAQ of the Students Welcome Desk and their technical sheet, or take an appointment with Lyon 2’s international students office.

I am looking for housing and would like some advice.

Our Housing guide lists a variety of sites and useful tips for your search, as well as information on student residences in Lyon and its surrounding area.

How can I get a guarantor as an international student ?

If you are under 30 years old, you can obtain the Visale guarantee.
Those over 30 can opt for the garantme guarantee.

I want to apply for housing assistance. How do I proceed?

To apply for social benefits, you must first have an account on the CAF website, which requires a social security number (obtained during the registration process with the primary health insurance fund). You will find tutorials tailored to each situation (CROUS university room, private university residence room, or private sector studio) on this page.

If you wish to communicate with the CAF, you can:

• Send them an email via your CAF account if you have one.
• Make an appointment either in person or by phone.
• If you don't have an account yet, you can speak to an advisor at 09 69 32 52 52 (student line, free service + call cost, Monday to Friday from 9 am to 7:30 pm).
• Find a walk-in service point without an appointment.

I would like assistance looking for an internship or student job.

Firstly, for your job search, you can use job search platforms such as jobteaser, indeed, hellowork, 1 jeune 1 solution, welcome to the jungle, studentjob or info jeunes.
If you still need advice on your job search process, feel free to contact the COSIE (Center for Orientation, Internships, and Student Professional Integration) at the university, which can offer personalized support and occasionally organizes job search workshops (help with creating a CV or cover letter for example).

I have questions about my current program and the possibility of changing course or taking a gap year.

Feel free to contact the COSIE, which can inform you about the programs offered at Lyon 2 and the possibilities for changing course, continuing your studies, or taking a gap year.

• CPAM number in French: 3646
• To call the CPAM from abroad: +33 1 84 90 36 46 (free service + call price).

How to register for health insurance ?

If you are European and have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you cannot register for French health insurance. You are still under the health insurance of your home country. If you need medical treatment, you pay the costs upfront, get the invoice, and to get reimbursed by your home country.
Your have two options: either send the invoice directly to the health insurance in your home country or have it sent by the Primary Health Insurance Fund (CPAM).

If you are European without an EHIC or a non-European, you can register via this website:  https://etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr/ following the two-step procedure. Once the social security affiliation is validated, and the social security number is received, it will be possible to create an account on the ameli.fr website when you receive (by post) the health insurance card.

If you are non-European and in France without a French residence permit, you are not allowed to register for health insurance. For example, if you are Vietnamese and have obtained an Italian residence permit, you have the right to travel within Europe, but that's all. A residence permit from another European country does not allow you to settle or work in France and therefore register for health insurance. Each country remains sovereign in the allocation of residence permits. After 3 months of residence, you may qualify for State Medical Aid (AME) based on income conditions. You can apply through the CPAM or the social worker at the CROUS.

If you have a problem creating my Ameli account 

You can call the CPAM at 3646. During the call, a voice mailbox will ask for your department (confirm Rhône). Then it asks for the reason for the call. Respond with "Creating an Ameli account." A representative will perform a procedure that will send you a code via SMS. This code will allow you to log in to Ameli for the first time using it as a password. Have the bank details (RIB) you provided during your affiliation request. In the absence of a health insurance card, it serves to prove your identity. Without this document, the representative cannot process your call.

How does health insurance work?

It is a contribution system that allows any person residing in France regularly (with a French residence permit) to be reimbursed for 70% of their healthcare costs. Therefore, 30% remains to be paid. Example: with a sector 1 doctor, the cost of a consultation is €26.50. 70% of €26.50 is €18.55. You will need to pay €7.95.

Registration for health insurance is mandatory. For the remaining 30%, you can take out a mutual insurance that will cover these costs to varying degrees. It is not mandatory, but is recommended.

If you have been residing in France for more than 3 months, are residing legally, and do not exceed the income ceiling of €13,724 earned over the last 12 months, you may be eligible for the Complementary Health Solidarity (C2S). This is a state aid that covers the mutual part and offers certain guarantees such as not having to pay the excess fees of sector 2 doctors.

What is mutual insurance or complementary health insurance (they mean the same thing)?

A complementary health insurance is a contract that aims to supplement the reimbursements of social security in cases of illness, accidents, and maternity. These contracts allow for partial or full coverage of these expenses.

What are sector 1, 2, and 3 contracted doctors?

Les différences entre médecin conventionné du secteur 1,2 et 3 (ag2rlamondiale.fr)

What is an excess fee?

Sector 2 doctors are entitled to charge these fees. These costs are added to those of sector 1, and are generally not reimbursed by mutual insurance companies. A general practitioner can charge up to €50, and a specialist up to €110. 
C2S and AME beneficiaries are protected by law, which prohibits healthcare professionals from charging extra fees. 

C'est quoi la Complémentarité Santé Solidaire (C2S) ? 

If you have been residing in France for more than 3 months, are residing legally, and do not exceed the income ceiling of €13,724 earned over the last 12 months, you may be eligible for the Complémentaire Santé Solidaire (C2S). This is state aid that covers the mutual part and offers certain guarantees such as not having to pay the excess fees of sector 2 doctors.

You can find more explanations via this link: La Complémentaire santé solidaire : qui peut en bénéficier et comment ? | ameli.fr | Assuré

If you have your latest tax notice, you can apply directly on your AMELI account under:

• My procedures
• Application for Complémentaire Santé Solidaire

If you don't have a tax notice yet, you can call the CPAM or go to the CPAM to apply, or contact the SSE health mediator for a paper application. Why this process? Because the tax notice is mandatory for an application, and the AMELI account does not recognize any document other than the tax notice. For a first application, an exception is possible by filling out a resource certificate. In this case, it is completed on paper.
If a right to the C2S is granted, it is valid for 1 year and can be renewed if you continue to meet the eligibility criteria.

I am a victim of sexual and sexist violence, or have experienced discrimination based on my gender, origin, religion; who can I contact?

Lyon 2 University has a discrimination, harassment, and sexual and sexist violence unit, whose purpose is to support and guide students who may be victims of these situations within the university or privately and to take the necessary administrative and legal measures (if requested by the concerned students). Psychological support is also available. You can find more information and the contact form to get an appointment within 15 days on this page.

• 17 rue Crépet, 69007 Lyon 

• Phone: 04 78 60 00 13 

• Email: infodroitsvictimes@mas-asso.fr

• Monday to Friday from 9 am to 12 pm and 1:30 pm to 5 pm

What healthcare can you access at the SSE ?

At the SSE, you have access to consultations reimbursed by health insurance: general medicine, gynecology, and nursing care. There are also free consultations with dietitians (learning to "eat well"), psychologists, and a health mediator (opening health rights, if encountering difficulties getting treatment, understanding the French healthcare system, etc.).

If you don't understand how the French healthcare system works, who can you contact?

The SSE health mediator's job is to help you understand how it all works. You can make an appointment with them by calling the SSE or meetthem during the walk-in sessions offered at the International Student Office. Keep an eye on your emails, as you will be informed of the walk-in session dates through this channel!

What is a primary care doctor? How to find one?

Your primary care doctor is your main doctor! They are the one you should contact first when you have a problem. They know your medical history and guide you through the "coordinated care pathway". Like in many parts of the world, France has a shortage of doctors. To prevent specialist doctors (who are the fewest) from being contacted unnecessarily, we have implemented this referral system through the primary care doctor. If you see a specialist without a referral (ordonnance) from your primary care doctor, you won't be reimbursed! There are some specialists you can see without going through the primary care doctor: psychiatrist, dentist, ophthalmologist, podiatrist (note, this one is minimally reimbursed), gynecologist, and midwife (if you have difficulty finding a gynecologist, you can see a midwife). The primary care doctor also receives your test results (blood tests, specialist reports, radiology, etc.) and centralizes all your health information. If you have a debilitating illness, they handle the administrative procedures with you and establish a care protocol.
To find one, during your appointment with a general practitioner, ask them they agree to becoming your primary care doctor. If they do, they will fill out a "Primary Care Doctor Declaration" which you can drop in a CPAM mailbox. It is not necessary to accompany this document with an explanatory letter.

What is a prescription (=ordonnance)?

It is a paper written by a doctor, physiotherapist, podiatrist, or midwife that allows you to access medications or another healthcare professional.

Which doctors/carers can I consult without a prescription?

It is possible to see a psychiatrist, dentist, ophthalmologist, podiatrist (note, this one is minimally reimbursed), gynecologist, or midwife (if you have difficulty seeing a gynecologist, you can see a midwife, they offer many of the same health-related services !) without having obtained a prescription beforehand.

What should you do if you need dental care that is not reimbursed and have little money?

Care that requires completely replacing a missing tooth is poorly or not reimbursed. You can submit a request for exceptional financial assistance to the Health and Social Action Commission (CASS) of the CPAM. To do this, you can call the CPAM to make an appointment or contact the SSE health mediator. These requests work for all types of care that are poorly or not reimbursed by health insurance. It is never 100% coverage but a supplement that can help.
Note, this assistance cannot be requested by AME beneficiaries. Financial aid requests can be made to the Secours Populaire Jean Macé through the SSE health mediator.

Useful numbers/contacts:

• CPAM number in French (3646). Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
• To call the CPAM from aboard (+33 1 84 90 36 46). Free service + call price.
• CPAM number in English (09 74 75 36 46). Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm.
• Welcome Desk multilingual hotline (+33 (0)4 37 37 43 00). Monday to Friday from 10am to 1:30pm and 3pm to 5pm.

What should you do if you are am experiencing financial difficulties?

The website mesaides.universite-lyon.fr lists various support services (food distribution, social dining, solidarity grocery stores, student housing offers) that you can benefit from as a Lyon 2 student. Feel free to register for all these services.

• If you wish to discuss your situation and see if you can obtain one-time financial assistance, you can make an appointment with the social service of the CROUS of Lyon and the university by sending an email to ssocial@crous-lyon2.fr (please specify your name, first name, contact details, your host institution and program, and the purpose of your request). 
• It is important to note that on the Porte des Alpes campus, there is the AGORAé social and solidarity grocery store, which offers students advantageous prices on all types of food and hygiene products (10% of the market price). If you want to access this grocery store, you will need to put together a file (which must include your certificate of enrollment). Feel free to visit their website for more information.

I do not have a computer, and I need one for my studies.
 

Under certain conditions, it is possible to request a long-term loan of a computer from the digital services desk (GSN). More information can be found here.