The limits of the CFE

The CFE is the French social security system for expatriates. Like other social security funds, its rules are defined by public authority. The level of contributions, the type of benefits, the conditions for enrollment or termination of membership and eligibility for benefits are all set by the French social security code.

The CFE is a private body responsible for public service and is financially independent thanks to member contributions. The CFE is placed under the supervision of the ministries in charge of social security and budget. It is therefore subject to account balancing and does not receive any financial help or subsidy.

The CFE is managed by a Board of Directors composed of 21 members. 18 of them are appointed by the Assemblée des Français de l’Étranger (Assembly of French Citizens Abroad) - all globally-mobile citizens with personal expatriation experience. Two of them represent the employers and one member is appointed by the Fédération Nationale de la Mutualité Française (National Federation of French Mutual Insurance Companies).

The CFE has 3 key missions:
- Insure and protect health of French people abroad.
- Provide a minimum level of social coverage to French people abroad.
- Attend to difficulties faced by the expatriate community.

The CFE covers and protects over 200,000 people around the world and over 5,000 companies are members. In 2016, over 148,7 million euros were paid out in benefits.

If you are a French citizen enrolled with the CFE (Caisse des Français de l’Etranger) while living or working abroad, you will benefit from the same level of coverage as that provided by the French Social Security system - from healthcare to work-related accidents.  You will also continue to contribute to the national pension plan and be able to validate quarters for pension calculations. 

When you return to France after spending some time abroad, your rights will be maintained: you will benefit from French Social Security coverage and will remain covered during the entire time of your expatriation. You can also decide to pay contributions to be covered against one or more risks and adapt your benefit plan to your professional and family status, while benefiting from competitive rates that are lower than those of the standard local scheme. 

For further information, get in touch here:
Caisse des Français de l'Étranger (CFE) 
BP 100 - 77950 Rubelles - France 
Tel.: 0810 11 77 77 (from abroad) and + 33 1 64 14 62 62 (from France) 
Fax: + 33 (0)1 60 68 95 74 
www.cfe.fr

Your health is a priority while you're abroad and MSH is here to help you take care of it. If you're a French expatriate, you will no longer be covered by the French Social Security plan - but you may choose to contribute to the Caisse des Français de l’Etranger to maintain the same level of coverage while you're away. However, as healthcare costs vary greatly from one country to another and can often be much higher than those found in your home country, your CFE coverage may not be enough to cover all your medical expenses.  Our healthcare insurance solutions allow you to maintain the same level of insurance coverage abroad as you're accustomed to at home. Thanks to our partnership with the CFE , all your requests will be handled by one centralized office and one contact and  you will only have one mailing address for all your claims.                                   

MSH has been designing and creating health insurance solutions for globally mobile citizens for over 40 years and we have been the CFE's N°1 partner for over 20 years. We understand your concerns and anticipate your needs. We adapt to your new challenges with tailor-made solutions and innovative products and services. Thanks to our international expertise and presence all over the world, we give you confidence wherever life takes you.

Find out more about our CFE complementary coverage solutions here