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Private medical insurance can be a confusing topic, and yet for the France WHV, it is an unavoidable one. In this chapter, we’re going to answer some of the most common and important questions about insurance. By the end, you will have a much better idea of what it is, and how to find one that suits your needs.
Travel medical insurance is a type of insurance policy that individuals can buy when they travel abroad. It typically covers medical expenses incurred abroad resulting from illnesses or injuries. It is an important consideration because in most cases, the health insurance that you have in your home country or province does not cover medical expenses incurred abroad. And conversely when you are in France or elsewhere as a visitor (including as a working holiday maker), the local public health insurance doesn’t cover you either.
Yes. Canadians heading to France on a WHV must have private medical insurance, even residents of Quebec who have a RAMQ attestation. This is stipulated in the Franco-Canadian accord.
French authorities require you to present proof of insurance as a part of your visa application. So yes, you must purchase insurance for the intended duration of your stay even before obtaining your visa.
In case of visa denial, you can try to request a refund from your insurance provider. Refund policies vary from insurer to insurer. Globe WHV is an insurance that can reimburse you in case of visa denial.
According to French authorities, the insurance should cover medical expenses, hospitalization, and repatriation. Globe WHV meets the requirements set forth by France.
Refund policies for early returns also vary from insurer to insurer. For the greatest flexibility, choose one that offers this kind of refund. Globe WHV is an insurer that can reimburse you for unused months of coverage, as long as there are at least 2 months left (minus €20 administrative fee).
The answer can only be fully answered by reading your policy handbook in detail. But in general, travel insurance is intended for injuries, illnesses, and medical emergencies, not routine or elective expenses. This means that things like annual checkups, vision exams, and teeth cleanings must be paid for out of pocket.
It depends on what your needs, finances, and risk tolerance are. If you opt for the cheapest insurance, it is possible that the coverage is more limited. But this is certainly not to say that more expensive policies are always better. Read the following questions to learn what to look for when choosing insurance.
How do I choose the right insurance? This is a complicated question requiring a nuanced answer. There are many insurers out there for working holiday makers, but we (as working holiday makers ourselves) recommend that you check at least the following important things:
In case of injury or illness, the excess or deductible (interchangeable terms) is the amount that you have to pay out of pocket before your insurance starts covering for you. For example, if your policy has an excess of $90 but your qualifying medical claim totals $500, the insurance would only reimburse you $410. The excess threshold applies on every claim you file, not just the first one of the year. As you can see, insurance policies with zero excess like Globe WHV provide the highest level of protection.
Policies can have a coverage limit of anywhere from a couple hundred thousand dollars to several million dollars. There are also policies that don’t have a limit. It goes without saying that the ones without a limit provide the greatest level of protection. These numbers might all seem very high, but don’t underestimate the true cost of medical care in serious accidents or long periods of hospitalisation. Globe WHV covers true costs up to €150,000.
If you plan to visit other countries than France during your working holiday, make sure that your policy offers coverage outside of your main destination. Globe WHV covers you worldwide (including visits to Canada) on trips less than 30 days, up to €15,000.
Injuries sustained in these higher risk activities are not covered by all insurance policies and their coverage may require you to pay extra for add-ons. However, these activities are covered by default in the Globe WHV insurance.
Finally, assess the premium. In the insurance world, the premium refers just to the price of the insurance policy (i.e. how much you need to pay per month or year). Is the premium reasonable for the level of coverage it provides? Is it within your budget? Also don’t blindly assume the premium is a perfect indicator of level of coverage; a higher premium can but doesn’t always mean better coverage.
(55) Comments
Hi Jackson! When renewing my WHV do I need the criminal record check and medical certification? My appointment is in Vancouver this week and I cannot remember if I had those in my application the first time. Kind regards!
Hey it wasn’t required the first time, so it shouldn’t be the second time. Good luck 🙂
Hello would it be possible to apply for 24 months long stay visa upfront on arrival to France? also do you offer one on one consultancy on whv in France, i need tips on settling in , opening bank accounts etc
Hi Tosin.
1) You can only get a WHV for 12 months. But Canadians can extend their stay for another 12 months at the end.
2) See chapter 7 for tips on settling, housing, bank account, phone number etc
3) If you still have questions, you can sign up for one of our free online Q&A workshops https://pvtistes.net/en/bonsplans/workshops/
Hi Jackson! Thanks for your website, it is very helpful! From your personal experience or from what you are noticing currently, do you happen to have a delay estimation from the time the application is sent to the consulate by vfs to when vfs advises that the passeport and visa are ready for pick up? My flight is in a couple of days and I am stressing really hard because I have no clue what I will Do if I do not receive it on time (either delay or cancel my trip). I applied for à long term visa because I will be in France for 11 months. I Wonder if there is any way to aplply for the visa from Europe within the 90 day time limit. Do you happen to know ? Thank you so much. You are my last hope at obtaining some sort of useful info now..
Hello Li, you’re very welcome. I have applied for two different France visas through VFS and in both cases, my passport was mailed back to me within 7-8 days of my appointment. It’s hard to say if that is standard for most people or not. And generally it is not possible to apply for a France visa as a visitor on French soil (certainly not the first WHV). What type of visa are you applying for?
Thank you so much for your Quick response, that gives me some hope 🙂 i am applying for a long term visa (tourist). And actually I was wonderijg whether it was also possible to do it abroad (for exemple in the French Embassy in England which is outside the Schengen zone). Thank you so much Jackson 🙂
I am not sure about that, it is best to confirm with the embassy directly. My understanding is that in general, you should be at least a resident of the country in which you are submitting an application (if not your country of citizenship). Though there could be exceptions.
I’m not sure if this is applicable to you, but Canadians who have gotten a WHV to France can apply for a 12 month extension via the APS. And this can fully be done on French soil. https://pvtistes.net/en/extend-working-holiday-france/
Thanks again for all tha precious info :)!!
Hi Jackson,
I hope you’re well! I am about to finalize a renting lease agreement and the landlord is asking for “Assurance Habitation” (home insurance). This would amount to a monthly fee that I’d get from a company of my choice. However, I already have the ACS insurance purchased as part of my Working Holiday Visa application, and from what I see in the certificate, there is also a “Civil Liability” section which includes damage to property. Doesn’t this count as the Assurance Habitation?
Thank you as always for your help!
All the best,
Niloo
Congrats on finding housing! These are separate protections. I am certainly not a lawyer, but civil liability protects you from legal recourse when you cause injury or damages to another individual. Housing insurance is to protect yourself as resident and the landlord, from potential damages. For example if your apartment gets robbed and you lose valuables, that would not be a claim to bring to your medical insurer nor your landlord. Rather it would be the housing insurance. Hope that helps
Hello,
Is anyone familiar with the medical insurance (repatriation) for residents of Quebec as well as the attestation de séjour de la RAMQ? With the letter from RAMQ is it still necessary to purchase medical insurance?
On a side note, is it possible to work in Monaco on this visa?
Hi there. To respond to your questions:
1) Yes, private medical insurance is still required for the WHV application, even for residents of Quebec.
2) No. Monaco has its own WHV program, and at the moment it is only available to citizens of the UK.
This article is available in French too, in case your are francophone https://pvtistes.net/dossiers/demande-du-pvt-france-pour-canadiens/
Hi Jackson,
I’ve landed in Marseille and it’s so beautiful! However, I tried opening a simple everyday chequing account at a bank, and was told that I would not be able to do so until I have a job/salary. I have money that I need to pour into an account and I thought the WHV allowed its holders to open a bank account even without a job (I do plan on finding a job, but that’s not the point). I spoke with a few people and am getting contradictory info regarding this, some say I need to try out other banks or perhaps the person I spoke with doesn’t know what WHV is. Could you please give me some information on how to proceed?
Thank you!
Niloo
Hello Niloo. It’s true that the information you get will vary from bank to bank, branch to branch, and even employee to employee (just because the WHV is not very common). But the bottom line is that as a WHV holder, yes it is possible to open a checking account in France, even without a job. I was able to do so at Credit Agricole without problem. All I had to provide was my passport, visa, and local address. I used my Wise account to fund it with some euros (though I don’t think they required me to). If you’re having trouble, try a few different banks and eventually you will find someone that can help. And if you need a Wise account, pvtistes has a special deal https://pvtistes.net/en/bonsplans/wise-free-transfer/
A thousand thanks, Jackson! I went to LCL Banque this morning (Credit Agricole is affiliated to it), and they gave me an appointment next week to open up an account. 🙂 Thank goodness. I appreciate all of your help, as well as the promptness of your responses!
what bank stated you had to have a job before they can open an account for you ?
Hi Jackson,
I am confused as to whether Canadians need to provide a Medical Certificate of ¨good health¨. After filling out the online application on the france-visa.gouv.fr a supporting documents page shows up and states that we do… but on different blogs I have read that we don’t. Can anyone please clearify ?
Thanks !
Giselle
Hello. As stated in chapter 4, Canadians are exempt from providing a medical certificate and background check.
Hi Jackson,
Thanks for your answer, do you have any official source of information that can confirm this? What I can see stated on official document checklists is ¨Medical certificate (if bilateral agreement provides for this)¨ however I cannot find any official information regarding the specifics of the France- Canada bilateral agreement that excepts medical certificates other than word of mouth. How do I know this hasn’t changed since you applied?
Also, in case of no return ticket, must we write a ¨letter of commitment¨ that is seperate from the letter of motivation/cover letter? even if funds on bank statement meet the requirements?
Thanks for the help, it is greatly appreaciated !
1. You can contact the French embassy or consulate to ask if you’d like. We don’t have any other source to provide.
2. You don’t need a separate letter. Just make your commitment clear in your letter of motivation.
Hi again romar. To add to my first answer, at the time of writing you won’t find any official sources that explicitly tell you that a medical certificate and background check are not necessary. The reason the official checklist says “if the bilateral agreement provides for this” is because some other nationalities are required to provide these documents and it is specified in their respective bilateral agreements with France. If you look up and read in full the Franco-Canadian bilateral agreement, you won’t see any mention of a medical certificate or background check. It is by omission of these mentions that we are meant to understand they are not needed. Indeed, I and other recent applicants have never been asked to provide these. Hope that helps.
Hi again Jackson, hope you’re doing well.
Regarding the VFS Global Centre in Toronto, I absolutely cannot seem to find an appointment for the “Long Stay – Working Holiday” Visa category. I managed to get a slot fairly quickly by clicking on “Long Stay – Any other visa category.” I’m hesitating to move forward with this, though. Would they accept my appointment if I went ahead and booked it with this category, if they do in other cities like Montreal?
Many thanks!
Niloo
Hi again Jackson, I just got an appointment! Nevermind regarding my previous question. 🙂 Thanks again for this helpful and reassuring blog!
Niloo
Glad to hear that. How did you end up getting the appointment? It may be helpful info for other readers. Feel free to read our other resources about the WHV in France. https://pvtistes.net/en/useful-tips-and-advice/?filter-type=any&filter-country=france-en&filter-cat=any
Thanks for the additional info/link, Jackson!
Sure, I just had my appointment today and it went very well! For anyone wondering if they can simply opt for “Long Stay – Any Other Visa Category” in the VFS Global Centre website, please rest assured that it DOES work as a substitute for the more specific “Long Stay – Working Holiday Visa.” You will find an open slot a lot more quickly/easily, too. I tried the “Working Holiday” one multiple times a day for a few days with no luck, but I got an opening on my first try with “Any Other Visa Category.” I had many slots, in fact, to choose from.
My reasoning when making this choice was that, if on the France Visa application form I have to choose “Other” under Visa type, and then specify as “Working Holiday,” then that means that “Long Stay – Any Other Visa Category” can effectively be used as an umbrella category including Working Holiday visas.
I had absolutely no problems today during my appointment, so I know it works. 🙂
I hope this clarifies things for anyone wondering.
Thank you again Jackson!
Niloo
Tried everyday, multiple times a day for over a month to get an appointment for ‘Long Stay – Working Holiday Visa’… I Decided to try my luck with booking a ‘Long Stay – Any Other Visa Category’ since there was availability in this category. Had my appointment today and I wasn’t even questioned about the category. Therefore, I second that the ’Any Other Visa’ category can effectively be used for ‘Working Holiday’.
Hello again! Just some questions on the health insurance certificate that needs to be submitted during the in-person appointment:
1. Does the insurance need to cover all EU countries or just France?
2. The online visa application just says the supporting document needs to show “proof of subscription or promise to subscribe to an insurance policy covering the medial costs”—are there more specific details on what this policy needs to include (ie. minimum EURO coverage amount, pregnancy, dental, 0 deductible, etc)?
It’s very vague in the online application so just want to make sure I’m meeting all the requirements!
Many thanks 🙂
(sorry meant to also add “civil liability”, as I’ve seen that mentioned in the youth mobility agreement but not sure it’s actually enforced?)
1. It needs to cover France. But many will cover all of Europe anyway.
2. It needs to cover all medical expenses, plus hospitalization and repatriation. There’s no specific guidance on deductible amount, that depends on each person’s budget and risk tolerance.
I personally got Globe WHV for my working holiday in France. I didn’t know it at the time, but they cover civil liability as well. But it’s not a requirement. https://pvtistes.net/en/whv-insurance/
Hi Jackson,
First of all, thank you so much for this helpful blog!
I have a question regarding the (non)-availability of VFS Global Centre appointment slots. I started my Visa application today and need to make an appointment at the VFS Global Centre – Toronto. No slots available for now, but my departure is in mid-May (although I need to get my Visa stuff in order by April 30 at the latest). Do I just need to keep refreshing/checking for slot-openings? I’ve looked up information online and have read posts from people who were stressed with this part of the process, but it seems like there is some “method to the madness” because they eventually got an appointment after a couple of weeks of trying. Does the VFS Global Centre provide slots in batches, say at the beginning of every week and month? Do I just keep trying, and will I get an appointment on time? Or should I take other measures?
Any reassurance or advice on this matter would be much appreciated.
Thank you!
Hello there. We don’t have visibility into VFS release schedules, so I recommend checking in the morning over the next few days. If you still see no new appointments, consider contacting VFS directly to ask them. Their contact information can be found on their website (click the Toronto link in chapter 5 of this guide). You still have lots of time so don’t worry too much. Best of luck!
Whew, glad to know I have time. Alright, will do! Thanks again for the help!
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