What is a social security number?
A NIR (national membership registry number), commonly referred to as a social security number, is a unique 15-digit identification number. INSEE (France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies) automatically assigns one to each person born in metropolitan France and in France’s overseas departments (DOM).
This number appears on the French health insurance card (“Carte Vitale”) and expedites the holder’s access to Social Security and medical services.
How do I get a French social security number?
If you come to France to work for the first time, your employer will register you for membership in the French social security system. Your registration must be complete before you are assigned a number.
How do I know what my social security number is?
If you have previously worked in France, your social security number will appear on your employment history statement (“relevé de carrière”), which you can request from the last old-age insurance fund (CNAV, MSA, etc.) to which you paid contributions in France. It might also appear on your pay slips ("bulletins de salaire").
N.B.: Cleiss is not authorized to give you your social security number.
What does registration for membership entail?
Registration for membership is the administrative process that consists of assigning a person a single identification number national membership registry of insured persons (the “NIR”): this is commonly referred to as a “social security number.”
Registration for membership for individuals born in France
Individuals born in France are registered for membership at birth. INSEE (France’s National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies) assigns them a social security number based on the birth registration information it receives from France’s town halls (“mairies”). However, individuals born in France only learn their social security number at age 16, when they receive their own French health insurance card (“carte Vitale”).
Registration for membership for individuals not born in France
The membership registration process can be completed either by the person him/herself or, where applicable, by their employer (see questions 5 and 6).
You are an employer hiring a foreign worker in France. What is their registration process for membership in the French social security system?
All individuals with legal residency and employment in France are required to join the French social security system.
If your employee is not a citizen of another EU or EEA state or Switzerland, check that s/he has authorization to live and work in France (a residency permit (“titre de séjour” or a current work permit (“autorisation de travail”)).
Within the 8 days before your employee begins the job, you will need to submit a Declaration Prior to Hiring (DPAE), which is a single form that serves all of the following purposes:
The Declaration Prior to Hiring (DPAE) must be submitted to your company’s Urssaf office.
You can complete a DPAE:
You can also register your foreign employee for membership online on https://immatriculation-travailleurs-etrangers.ameli.fr/login, if one of the following applies:
S/he:
You were born abroad and are coming to France for salaried employment. How do you register for membership in the French social security system?
Your employer will register you for membership by submitting a Declaration Prior to Hiring (“Déclaration préalable à l’embauche”/ DPAE) [see question 5].
You will have to submit your own application for membership if one of the following situations applies:
If one of the above applies, you will need to submit your application for membership to one of the following, as determined by your line of work:
You will need to submit the following documentary evidence: