Expat insurance and health insurance in Western Sahara

No official French source consulted separately describes the organisation of the health system of Western Sahara, and no World Bank data is published for it. For this reason, this page presents no hospital capacity, no number of doctors and no health indicator specific to the territory. The only indications from France Diplomatie read appear in its health advice relating to Morocco and do not mention Western Sahara as such; they are reproduced below as a point of reference, without asserting that they apply to the territory.

According to this advice, it is essential to have an assistance policy or insurance covering medical costs, hospitalisation and medical repatriation; the French embassy cannot cover these costs; hospitals may ask for payment of all costs before the patient is discharged, and you should check that the policy is valid in the country concerned. France Diplomatie also recommends seeing a doctor or an international vaccination centre well before departure, bringing the vaccines of the French vaccination schedule up to date, and reminds that the six consulates general of France in Morocco publish an annual list of French-speaking health facilities and doctors on their websites. Effective access to care, rates and payment terms on the spot fall under local authorities and facilities: no official source consulted makes it possible to put a figure on them.

• Travel or assistance insurance: considered essential by France Diplomatie in its health advice relating to Morocco, with cover of medical costs, hospitalisation and medical repatriation. No legal insurance requirement specific to Western Sahara was identified in the official sources consulted.
• Routes off the paved coastal road: France Diplomatie states that, when crossing Western Sahara, any route departing from the paved coastal road must be agreed in advance with the Royal Gendarmerie or the Royal Armed Forces.
• Night travel: France Diplomatie specifies that the coastal road towards Mauritania must not be used at night.
• Entry and stay formalities: the entry and stay page of the advice relating to Morocco requires a valid passport covering the whole stay and specifies that an identity card alone no longer allows entry; this page does not deal specifically with Western Sahara, and the formalities applicable to this territory must be confirmed with the French embassy in Rabat before departure.
• Local affiliation: no official source consulted describes a mandatory health insurance scheme specific to the territory; the situation of each profile (employee, self-employed, retiree) is to be confirmed with CLEISS and the competent authorities.
• Student: the student cover must be checked with the French health insurance fund before departure; in the absence of official clarification, comprehensive travel insurance remains the recommended precaution.
• Seconded employee : continuation on the French scheme depends on the applicable agreement and on the forms issued by the fund; to be confirmed with CLEISS before departure.
• Expat or retiree: the Caisse des Français de l'Étranger (CFE) offers, according to its website, worldwide health cover for expatriates (main plan, under-30 plan, retiree plan); the conditions of membership are to be checked with the CFE.

No individual penalty linked to the lack of health insurance was identified in the official sources consulted. The risk is above all financial: France Diplomatie reminds that the embassy does not cover medical costs and that hospitals may require full payment before discharge.

This page asserts neither the existence nor the non-existence of social security agreement cover applicable to the territory: the CLEISS pages on the scheme and the agreement concerning Morocco could not be consulted at the date of verification, and no CLEISS page devoted specifically to Western Sahara was identified. The question of the territorial application of an agreement falls to CLEISS, the official contact to approach before any departure.

• For a temporary stay, cover of care on the spot by French health insurance is not established by the sources consulted: travel insurance with assistance is therefore the precaution indicated by France Diplomatie.
• For a seconded employee, an expatriate or a retiree, the forms and any entitlements depend on the applicable agreement: to be requested from CLEISS and your French fund before departure.
• In all cases, declare your departure abroad to your primary health insurance fund and check whether your rights are maintained.

1. Before departure: notify French agencies of your departure (primary health insurance fund, CAF, France Travail, pension funds).
2. Contact CLEISS to find out the agreement cover applicable to your profile and to the exact destination.
3. Take out an assistance policy or insurance covering medical costs, hospitalisation and medical repatriation, essential according to France Diplomatie; check that the policy is valid in the territory.
4. See a doctor or an international vaccination centre well before departure.
5. Enquire with the French embassy in Rabat about the applicable entry formalities and the consulate responsible for the area of your stay.
6. For travel off the paved coastal road, obtain the prior agreement of the Royal Gendarmerie or the Royal Armed Forces, as France Diplomatie states.
7. Long-term move: approach the CFE to study worldwide health cover, and enquire with the embassy about registration with the roll of French nationals living abroad.