Expat insurance and health insurance in Niger

France Diplomatie describes limited medical infrastructure, including in Niamey. In the absence of a specifically named reference public hospital from this source, two private facilities in the capital are mentioned: the Gamkalley clinic and the Kaba clinic. No detailed range of facilities or list of reference public hospitals is publicly disclosed by France Diplomatie or CLEISS for Niger: this information remains not publicly disclosed. Health risks reported by France Diplomatie include malaria (year-round transmission), meningitis outbreaks in the dry season, cholera, typhoid fever, polio and rabies. Given the general fragility of the system, medical evacuation should be anticipated for any serious condition, as the French embassy, closed until further notice, cannot cover the cost.

• Mandatory visa, to be obtained before departure: no visa is issued on arrival at Niamey airport. The application includes a passport valid for at least 6 months, an application form, photos, a copy of the passport, as well as an invitation letter or hotel booking and proof of travel.
• Mandatory yellow fever vaccination, with presentation of an international vaccination certificate on entry.
• Vaccinations recommended depending on profile and length of stay, according to France Diplomatie: hepatitis A and B, typhoid fever, meningitis ACWY (Niger being located in the African meningitis belt, with possible outbreaks in the dry season), rabies, tuberculosis for children under 15, and mpox depending on exposure.
• Malaria with year-round transmission across the entire territory: chemoprophylaxis to be determined with a travel doctor before departure.
• No specifically named legal health insurance requirement for entry, but France Diplomatie considers comprehensive cover for medical expenses, hospitalisation and medical evacuation to be essential, as these costs are in no way covered by the French embassy.
• CFE recommended, as the France-Niger agreement does not coordinate the healthcare branch.

Context, covered here solely from the angle of access to care and assistance: France Diplomatie formally advises against all travel to the entire Nigerien territory. The French embassy in Niger is closed until further notice; its consular section remains reachable from France by phone (+33 1 82 88 09 05), with the consular address in Niamey (boulevard de la Jeunesse, YA 23, BP 10660) still listed by France Diplomatie. The sources reviewed do not specify the extent of services that can be provided in person in Niamey during this closure, nor any evacuation arrangement organised by the French authorities from Nigerien territory.

Niger is one of the sixteen African countries and territories with a social security agreement with France, in force since 1 November 1974 (Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mauritania, Mayotte, Niger, Senegal, Togo, Tunisia, according to CLEISS’s listing). It coordinates the maternity, disability, old age-survivors, occupational accidents/diseases and family benefits branches.

• The agreement contains no coordination provision for the healthcare branch or for death insurance. For maternity, it only provides for totalisation of insurance periods for establishing entitlement to benefits, with no mechanism for reimbursing care received in Niger.
• An annex protocol (protocol No. 1) provides for continuation of sickness benefits for a period limited to 6 months during an authorised transfer of residence, with no reimbursement of care received locally beyond that.
• Unemployment insurance is outside the scope of the agreement.
• An employee who suffers a workplace accident or occupational illness benefits from the export of corresponding benefits.
• A French resident in Niger has no access to any reimbursement of healthcare costs through this agreement: 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 entire Nigerien territory is formally advised against.
2. Before departure: apply for a visa (none issued on arrival), get yellow fever vaccination, and check health cover including hospitalisation and medical evacuation/repatriation, as the French embassy cannot cover any medical costs.
3. Before departure: consult a travel doctor for antimalarial chemoprophylaxis and recommended vaccinations (hepatitis A/B, typhoid fever, meningitis ACWY, rabies, tuberculosis, mpox depending on profile and exposure).
4. For any consular procedure, as the French embassy in Niger is closed until further notice: contact the consular section by phone from France (+33 1 82 88 09 05).
5. Voluntary enrolment with CFE recommended, as the France-Niger agreement does not coordinate the healthcare branch.