Travel insurance for Paris: what you need to know

If you are flying from Ontario to Paris, arrange emergency medical travel insurance before you leave home. France has one of the best healthcare systems in the world, but to a visiting Canadian its hospitals bill privately, and OHIP will do almost nothing to help with the cost.

Why OHIP leaves a gap in France

A provincial health card does not meaningfully protect you abroad. OHIP reimburses only a small fraction of foreign emergency costs, pays it weeks or months after you return, and never settles with a French hospital at the time of treatment. Most out-of-country OHIP coverage ended in 2020. If you are admitted to a Paris hospital or treated in an emergency department, the facility expects payment from you or your insurer directly. For anything serious, the sums can be large — which is exactly the risk emergency medical insurance covers.

The European health card is not for Canadians

Travellers often assume the famously accessible French system is open to everyone. The European Health Insurance Card, and the UK’s GHIC, are only for residents of EU and UK countries. A Canadian cannot use either. Every clinic visit, scan, ambulance ride or hospital stay in Paris is billed to you privately. Emergency medical travel insurance restores the safety net you rely on at home.

Paris-specific risks

Paris is a walking city with a sprawling metro, and both carry small risks. The metro’s older stations have steep stairs and few lifts, and crowded platforms and carriages are where most pickpocketing happens — especially around the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, Montmartre and the major interchanges. Pickpocketing is a property matter rather than a medical one, but your insurer’s assistance line can help you deal with lost documents while coordinating any care. Long days on your feet across the arrondissements raise the odds of a stumble or a twisted ankle, and summer heat waves — in a city where air conditioning is not universal — can cause dehydration and heat exhaustion, particularly for older travellers. Occasional transport strikes can also disrupt plans, which is one reason some travellers add trip protection.

What your policy should include

For Paris, focus on:

• A high emergency medical limit. Serious treatment or a medical flight home from France can be very expensive, so a limit in the millions is the sensible baseline.
• 24/7 multilingual assistance. A round-the-clock line that can direct you to the right Paris hospital and handle billing removes a lot of stress; our assistance operates around the clock.
• Coverage matched to your exact dates. Include the day you fly out of Ontario and the day you return.
• Trip cancellation and interruption, if you want it. This protects pre-paid, non-refundable flights and accommodation when a covered reason — including some travel disruptions — affects your trip.

Age, health and the questionnaire

These plans have no upper age limit. Travellers under 60 generally answer no health questions, while those 60 and over complete a medical questionnaire that sets the premium rather than deciding eligibility. If you have a pre-existing condition, read the stability period — the time your condition must have been stable to be covered — before you buy.

What it will cost

The price of insuring a Paris trip depends on your age, the length of your stay, the coverage limit, your itinerary and, for those 60 and up, your health answers. A short break for a healthy traveller sits at the lower end; a longer stay, an older traveller or a higher limit raises it. A personalized quote is the only accurate figure.

The bottom line

Paris is a dream destination, but France’s excellent hospitals will treat an uninsured Canadian as a full-paying private patient while OHIP offers almost nothing. Buy emergency medical coverage before you leave Ontario, choose a high limit with strong assistance, match the dates to your trip, and check the stability period if you have a pre-existing condition. Compare your options and see your price before you go.