CPAM procedures testing your patienceThrough our News Flash, each month we will be highlighting important information regarding your relocation in France. This month the focus is on the registration process to the Social Security (CPAM). Many of you are having difficulties with birth certificates delivered outside the EU and requiring a legalization certificate, or in many cases an Apostille.
All birth certificates must have been issued within the last three months and, since May 20012, the authorities have tightened the application process by requiring that all non EU birth certificates must be certified by the relevant authorities.
The Apostille is an international certification comparable to a notarisation in domestic law and is in fact designed to simplify the former legalization process of public documents. The Apostille was born out of The Hague Convention of 5th October 1961 Abolishing the Requirement for Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents. It is also referred to as the Apostille convention, or the Apostille treaty.
A large number of countries now party to the Apostille Treaty designed to simplify this process throughout the world. Unfortunately not all countries are party to it and all public acts still need to go through the original legalisation process. You will need to ask you embassy, or your employer to find out whether the act was issued in a country party to the Apostille Treaty and how to proceed with the legalization of your birth certificates.
We understand this is causing stress and frustration, but unfortunately without this your application will not be processed and you will not be reimbursed your medical expenses.
Once you have acquired the certification of your birth certificate, RWS will accompany you and assist you in your registration process until you obtain you Carte Vitale.
The process is lengthy in the best case scenario but if a document or the legalization is missing, this process can take forever!!!