Expat insurance and health insurance in the Seychelles

The Seychellois health system relies on a public sector free for citizens and residents for primary care, structured around the Seychelles Hospital (formerly Victoria Hospital) in Mont Fleuri, in the Victoria urban area on Mahé island — the country's only national reference hospital, supplemented by around fifteen health centres spread across Mahé, Praslin, La Digue and Silhouette. This network nonetheless remains limited in specialties and heavy technical facilities: according to the specialised sources consulted, patients needing tertiary care (specialised surgery, certain cancers, interventional cardiology) are most often referred to Kenya or South Africa, at their own expense when they are not residents covered by the local scheme. France Diplomatie, for its part, mentions medical evacuation 'abroad or to Réunion' (translated) for serious accidents or care requiring technical facilities not available locally — a sign that the evacuation destination mainly depends on the availability and nature of the assistance contract taken out. A few private clinics exist on Mahé, but none could be confirmed by a reliable source as a reference facility comparable to those in Mauritius.

• Visa-free entry for all nationalities, but an online travel authorisation (a paid formality) is mandatory before boarding: valid passport, hotel booking or proof of accommodation, return or onward ticket, and proof of sufficient means. It grants, on arrival, a short-stay visa issued by Mahé airport police, extendable up to three months.
• Beyond three months, a simple residency permit must be requested (a paid formality) from Seychellois immigration services.
• France Diplomatie does not mention health insurance among the documents required for the travel authorisation, but notes that 'it is essential to check that you are properly insured' (translated) before departure. The Seychelles consulate in Switzerland's website, for its part, mentions valid proof of travel/health insurance (a covering bank card, health insurance or otherwise) among the travel authorisation file's documents — a requirement not confirmed on the official French pages consulted, to check directly when applying online on the seychelles.govtas.com portal.
• No vaccination is required to enter, other than yellow fever for travellers coming from an endemic area (the Seychelles are not a yellow-fever-risk country). Recommended vaccinations depending on profile: keeping standard French vaccinations up to date, hepatitis A and typhoid fever depending on the conditions of stay, hepatitis B for frequent or extended stays, chikungunya/dengue/mpox during an outbreak.
• In the absence of a social security agreement, the French state directs applicants towards voluntary affiliation to the CFE or private insurance — no CFE pricing zone specific to the Seychelles could be confirmed by an official source to date.

The Seychelles appear in no official CLEISS list: neither among countries and territories with an agreement in force, nor among agreements signed but not yet in force. CLEISS also publishes no dedicated country page for the Seychelles.

In practice, no coordination of social security regimes links France and the Seychelles: no temporary maintenance of rights, no cross-cover of work accidents or family benefits. A French national in the Seychelles must rely entirely on private insurance or voluntary CFE affiliation.

• Before departure: apply for the travel authorisation online on seychelles.govtas.com, checking whether proof of travel/health insurance is required when applying (a point not confirmed consistently across the official sources consulted).
• Before departure: check that the insurance policy covers medical evacuation, a frequent recourse for any specialised care given limited local hospital capacity, in addition to medical costs and hospitalisation.
• Before departure: a medical/vaccination centre consultation to assess vaccination needs (hepatitis A/B, typhoid fever depending on the stay); yellow fever vaccination only if coming from an endemic area.
• For a stay longer than three months: request a simple residency permit from Seychellois immigration services.
• Registration with the roll of French nationals living abroad recommended.
• Voluntary CFE affiliation or taking out private insurance recommended in the absence of any social security agreement.