Expat insurance and health insurance in Afghanistan

France Diplomatie states that hygiene is a concern, given the partial destruction of sanitation networks, that sanitary conditions are precarious and that the hospital system is devastated. The same source advises against buying medicine on the street because of the risk of counterfeits, and recommends bringing any necessary medication in its original packaging, together with the prescription. A rise in measles cases has also been reported (published 13/03/2026). No local emergency number nor any list of reference public hospitals is made publicly available by France Diplomatie or CLEISS for Afghanistan: this information remains not publicly disclosed. France Diplomatie specifies that it is essential to have insurance covering medical costs and medical repatriation, since these costs can in no way be covered by the French embassy, itself relocated to Paris.

Care provision relies in part on humanitarian organisations. According to Médecins Sans Frontières, the organisation operates notably at Boost provincial hospital in Lashkar Gah (Helmand), at the Khost maternity hospital (since 2012), in a drug-resistant tuberculosis programme in Kandahar, at the Kunduz trauma centre (since 2021), at the Herat regional hospital and nutrition centre, at the Abu Ali Sina regional hospital in Mazar-i-Sharif (Balkh, since August 2023), in eight community health centres in Bamyan province (since December 2022), and in post-earthquake emergency clinics in Kunar province (since August 2025). Médecins Sans Frontières reports that more than 400 health facilities are believed to have closed nationwide in 2025 following cuts in funding from traditional international donors, which has increased the pressure on its own facilities, particularly maternal and child health services. Given the fragility of the system, the absence of French diplomatic representation on the ground and the 10 September 2026 alert urging French nationals present to leave the country, a medical evacuation must be anticipated for any serious condition, with no certainty that it could be organised from Afghan territory.

• Visa mandatory for all French nationals. A single-entry short-stay visa, valid for a maximum of 30 days, is issued by the Afghan embassy in France (fees vary by visa type); a multiple-entry business visa may be issued for up to 3 years, with the possibility of extension locally with the Afghan authorities.
• Alcohol, drugs and pork: possession, transport (import and export), sale and use are strictly prohibited under local law.
• Antiques: purchasing and exporting them without a receipt from an authorised seller is prohibited; on leaving the country, the absence of proof of purchase exposes travellers to a fine or a prison sentence, according to France Diplomatie.
• No specifically named legal health insurance requirement for entry was identified in the sources consulted, but France Diplomatie states that comprehensive health insurance, including repatriation cover, is essential before departure.
• Vaccinations to consider depending on profile and length of stay, according to France Diplomatie: standard French vaccinations up to date, hepatitis A and B, typhoid fever, meningitis ACWY, rabies and tuberculosis (children under 15 on an extended stay).
• CFE recommended, as no Franco-Afghan agreement coordinates the health branch.

Security context, covered here only from the angle of access to care and assistance: France Diplomatie formally advises against the whole of Afghan territory, without exception, and rates the risk of kidnapping as very high, with Westerners being prime targets. Improvised-explosive-device attacks on roads or roadsides remain very numerous, and road travel is absolutely prohibited according to the same source, which recommends travelling by air instead (international airports of Kabul, Mazar-e Sharif, Herat and Kandahar). The French embassy in Afghanistan has been relocated to Paris (37 quai d'Orsay, 75007 Paris, 01 43 17 53 53) since August 2021 and provides no consular presence on Afghan territory. An alert of 10 September 2026 reports a serious escalation of tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with air strikes targeting Kabul, and urges French nationals still present to leave the country as soon as possible on commercial flights from Kabul airport. The sources consulted mention no evacuation arrangement organised by the French authorities from Afghan territory.

No bilateral social security agreement exists between France and Afghanistan: the country is absent from the list of bilateral social security agreements published by CLEISS, both among those in force and those signed but not yet applied.

• No coordination of rights between the two systems, in any branch (health-maternity, old age, workplace accidents, family benefits).
• No totalisation of insurance periods, no export of rights.
• No form equivalent to the SE 401/350/351 used with other countries.
• A French resident in Afghanistan has no access to any public health cover scheme by right identified in the sources consulted: only the Caisse des Français de l’Étranger (CFE) or private international health insurance provide effective cover, including medical evacuation.

1. Before any travel: check France Diplomatie's travel advice, updated regularly, as the whole of Afghan territory has been formally advised against since August 2021, a situation worsened by the alert of 10 September 2026.
2. Before departure: apply for a visa with the Afghan embassy in France (short stay, maximum 30 days, or multiple-entry business visa for up to 3 years), and check health cover including hospitalisation and medical evacuation / repatriation, since the French embassy, relocated to Paris, cannot provide assistance on the ground.
3. Before departure: consult a travel doctor about recommended vaccinations (standard French vaccinations up to date, hepatitis A and B, typhoid fever, meningitis ACWY, rabies, tuberculosis depending on profile and length of stay).
4. For French nationals still present despite the formal advisory: avoid any road travel outside cities, as road travel is absolutely prohibited according to France Diplomatie, and travel by air instead (international airports of Kabul, Mazar-e Sharif, Herat and Kandahar).
5. Given the alert of 10 September 2026 on the escalation of tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan: leave the country as soon as possible on commercial flights from Kabul airport, as recommended by France Diplomatie.
6. Voluntary CFE affiliation recommended, as no Franco-Afghan agreement coordinates the health branch.