The French government has moved ahead with the first major overhaul of Aide médicale d’État (AME) since 2019, publishing two companion decrees in the Journal officiel and announcing them publicly on 8 February 2026.
Under Decree 2026-66, consular and diplomatic posts worldwide will, for the first time, gain secure access to the central AME database. This change is designed to let visa officers and fraud-investigation teams verify in real time whether a foreign national has already made a claim for free healthcare once inside France, closing a loophole that previously prevented cross-checking between social-security files and visa files. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the upgrade will be fully rolled out by October 2026, with pilot connections already live in Algiers, Casablanca and Dakar.
If you or your organisation need help navigating the tighter documentation rules that flow from these changes, VisaHQ can provide end-to-end support. The company’s France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) tracks regulatory updates as they happen and assists applicants in assembling compliant visa files, booking biometric appointments and dispatching hard-copy documents, minimising the risk of rejection as consular officers begin to consult the AME database.
![France Tightens State Medical Aid for Undocumented Migrants and Launches New Consular-Data Link]()
Decree 2026-67 focuses on domestic fraud control. It updates the list of supporting documents required when filing an AME application at a caisse primaire d’assurance-maladie (local health-insurance fund). Applicants must now provide proof of uninterrupted residency for three months, a tax-identity number (if one exists), and a facial-biometric photo that will be compared with the new Entry/Exit System (EES) records at external Schengen borders. The Health Ministry estimates potential savings of €180 million a year—money it says will be reinvested in prevention programmes for migrant communities.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu defended the reform in an interview with regional newspapers, stressing that AME “remains indispensable from a public-health perspective” but must be better protected against abuse. He also confirmed that the government is not—at least for now—cutting the AME “basket of care”, meaning that undocumented migrants will continue to receive the same coverage for hospital, maternity and infectious-disease treatment. However, a broader parliamentary debate on the scope of benefits is expected later this spring.
For global-mobility managers the message is clear: undocumented employees (or family members) who qualify for AME will face stricter documentation checks, and companies planning to sponsor foreign hires should anticipate tougher scrutiny of previous stays in France. Meanwhile, HR teams that help staff obtain long-stay visas should brief applicants that consular officials will have a new verification tool on their screens. In practice, well-prepared files and accurate travel histories will become even more critical to avoid refusals or lengthy administrative reviews.
Under Decree 2026-66, consular and diplomatic posts worldwide will, for the first time, gain secure access to the central AME database. This change is designed to let visa officers and fraud-investigation teams verify in real time whether a foreign national has already made a claim for free healthcare once inside France, closing a loophole that previously prevented cross-checking between social-security files and visa files. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the upgrade will be fully rolled out by October 2026, with pilot connections already live in Algiers, Casablanca and Dakar.
If you or your organisation need help navigating the tighter documentation rules that flow from these changes, VisaHQ can provide end-to-end support. The company’s France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) tracks regulatory updates as they happen and assists applicants in assembling compliant visa files, booking biometric appointments and dispatching hard-copy documents, minimising the risk of rejection as consular officers begin to consult the AME database.
Decree 2026-67 focuses on domestic fraud control. It updates the list of supporting documents required when filing an AME application at a caisse primaire d’assurance-maladie (local health-insurance fund). Applicants must now provide proof of uninterrupted residency for three months, a tax-identity number (if one exists), and a facial-biometric photo that will be compared with the new Entry/Exit System (EES) records at external Schengen borders. The Health Ministry estimates potential savings of €180 million a year—money it says will be reinvested in prevention programmes for migrant communities.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu defended the reform in an interview with regional newspapers, stressing that AME “remains indispensable from a public-health perspective” but must be better protected against abuse. He also confirmed that the government is not—at least for now—cutting the AME “basket of care”, meaning that undocumented migrants will continue to receive the same coverage for hospital, maternity and infectious-disease treatment. However, a broader parliamentary debate on the scope of benefits is expected later this spring.
For global-mobility managers the message is clear: undocumented employees (or family members) who qualify for AME will face stricter documentation checks, and companies planning to sponsor foreign hires should anticipate tougher scrutiny of previous stays in France. Meanwhile, HR teams that help staff obtain long-stay visas should brief applicants that consular officials will have a new verification tool on their screens. In practice, well-prepared files and accurate travel histories will become even more critical to avoid refusals or lengthy administrative reviews.
