Reimbursement of transport costs by the Health Insurance

Verified 19 August 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)

Do you need transport for treatment, medical examinations or to return home after hospitalization? Health Insurance can cover your transport costs, under certain conditions and if your health condition justifies it. If the requirement concerns professional seated transport (VSL: titleContent, taxicab) and that your state of health allows, a shared transport is offered to you. We present you the regulations to know.

General scenario

The following persons may benefit from the coverage of transport costs:

  • You and your rights holders
  • A possible companion when the sick person is under 16 years old or needs the assistance of a third person. Reimbursement is then only for public transport costs.

Your transport costs can be covered as long as they are prescribed by your doctor. This prescription is valid for 1 year.

Your doctor prescribes the nearest healthcare facility, adapted to your health condition.

If you have a summons (from the medical service of the Health Insurance, an expert doctor, an equipment supplier...), the notice or notice of hearing takes the place of prescription.

FYI  

In case of emergency, the medical prescription can be established afterwards.

Transportation costs to get to a spa treatment (and back) are supported according to your resources.

Medical prescription

A medical prescription is sufficient for the corresponding transport in particular on the following grounds:

  • Hospitalization (hospital entry and/or discharge), regardless of duration (full, partial or outpatient)
  • Long-term condition (ALD) if your state of health does not allow you to move on your own
  • Condition warranting extended transport or constant monitoring (ambulance)
  • Regulatory control (convening of a medical check, an expert doctor, or an approved equipment supplier)
  • Care related to an accident at work or occupational disease.

A medical prescription is formalized by a form filled by the doctor. You then send it to your doctor's advice CPAM: titleContent.

Prior agreement

For some transports, the coverage of costs requires a medical prescription of transport with request of prior agreement.

The healthcare professional fills out a specific form and gives it to you for sending to your CPAM medical service (or MSA if you are dependent on the agricultural scheme).

These include:

  • Long distance, more than 150 km one way
  • Series, when you have to make at least 4 times a trip of more than 50 km one way, over a period of 2 months, for the same treatment
  • Children and adolescents received in early medical-social action centers (CAMSP) and medical-psycho-pedagogical centers (CMPP)
  • Plane or regular liner boat.

Failure to respond from your caisse 15 days after sending your request is deemed to be an agreement.

In case of refusal, you will receive a letter from the Health Insurance.

Your doctor indicates the following information:

  • Mode of transport most adapted to your health condition
  • Reason for transport
  • Shared transport if your health allows it.

The means of transport may be covered by the Health Insurance are as follows:

  • Ambulance (example: you must be lying down or monitored)
  • Professional seated transport, light medical vehicle (VSL) or taxi
  • Ground public transport (bus, metro train,...), plane or regular line boat
  • Individual means of transport (personal vehicle or that of a relative).

FYI  

To find a VSL or an ambulance, you can consult the website Ameli Health Directory.

For an agreed taxi, contact your caisse.

Who shall I contact

You must follow the instructions of your doctor who gives you the medical prescription of transport for your approach.

These formalities depend on your health insurance plan:

Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement

General scheme

You can do this online or by mail:

Online

Health insurance allows the reimbursement of individual transport costs online.

You access your account and then click on Steps.

Then you select Healthcare costs then Request reimbursement for personal transportation.

Ameli online

By post

You can fill out the S3140 form and send it to your health insurance fund.

Application for reimbursement of medical transportation costs by personal vehicle and/or public transportation

Agricultural scheme

You must complete Form S3140 and send it to your caisse.

Application for reimbursement of medical transportation costs by personal vehicle and/or public transportation

Who shall I contact

Reimbursement Rate

The reimbursement rate is 55% within the limits of Social Security fares, under different conditions depending on the mode of transport.

In some situations, your costs may be covered at 100% within the limits of Social Security rates.

Examples from care to 100% :

Ask your caisse for more information.

Who shall I contact

Franchise

Except in cases of emergency or exemption, you will have to pay a participation, called medical deductible, on transport by conventional taxi, VSL and ambulance. This participation is deducted from the refund.

This franchise is €4 by medical transport within the limit of €8 per day.

Its amount is capped at €50 per year and per person.

The exemption does not apply to transport by personal vehicle, public transport or emergency transport (Samu call, center 15).

Shared Transport

Condition linked to the nature of the care concerned

This measure concerns only transport linked to iterative care, i.e. scheduled and scheduled transport linked to

  • Systemic drug treatments for cancer
  • Radiation therapy sessions
  • Extrarenal cleansing sessions for chronic renal failure
  • Rehabilitation care
  • Care in the context of a day hospital.

Please note

Emergency transport (AMU) is excluded from shared transport.

In addition, 2 cumulative conditions are required.

Condition related to the detour

The organization of a shared transport must not cause a detour of more than 10 kilometers per patient transported from the 2thwithin 30 kilometers.

Condition related to waiting at the point of care

Shared transport must not increase the waiting time at the point of care, before the scheduled time of care and at the end of it, to more than 45 minutes in total.

If the healthcare professional or facility considers that your health condition is compatible with shared transport, they will offer you shared transport and inform you accordingly.

Then, the transport organizer:

  • Offers you this mode of transport
  • And explains the terms and consequences of a refusal on your part in terms of reimbursement.

Thus, if the medical prescription specifies that your state of health is not incompatible with shared transportation, you are offered such transportation:

  • Either to the place of care
  • Either from the place of care
  • Either for these 2 trips.

In case of refusal on your part, for certain transports and under certain conditions, you will not benefit from the advance waiver of the fees, that is to say the third-party payment.

In practice:

  • The carrier mentions your refusal on the invoice or the proof 
  • You must advance the costs of the entire transport. You will benefit from the refund after the fact.

You must follow the instructions of your doctor who gives you the medical prescription of transport for your approach.

These formalities depend on your health insurance plan:

Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement

General scheme

You can do this online or by mail:

Online

Health insurance allows the reimbursement of individual transport costs online.

You access your account and then click on Steps.

Then you select Healthcare costs then Request reimbursement for personal transportation.

Ameli online

By post

You can fill out the S3140 form and send it to your health insurance fund.

Application for reimbursement of medical transportation costs by personal vehicle and/or public transportation

Agricultural scheme

You must complete Form S3140 and send it to your caisse.

Application for reimbursement of medical transportation costs by personal vehicle and/or public transportation

Who shall I contact

Please note

For the costs of a conventional taxi, send the medical prescription and the invoice to the Health Insurance.

Reimbursement Rate

The reimbursement rate is 55% within the limits of Social Security fares, under different conditions depending on the mode of transport.

In some situations, your costs may be covered at 100% within the limits of Social Security rates.

Examples from care to 100% :

Ask your caisse for more information.

Who shall I contact

Franchise

Except in cases of emergency or exemption, you will have to pay a participation, called medical deductible, on transport by conventional taxi, VSL and ambulance. This participation is deducted from the refund.

This franchise is €4 by medical transport within the limit of €8 per day.

Its amount is capped at €50 per year and per person.

The exemption does not apply to transport by personal vehicle, public transport or emergency transport (Samu call, center 15).

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • Health Info Rights

    Telephone line created by a collective of user associations to provide legal or social information related to health

    By phone

    01 53 62 40 30

    Price of a normal communication

    Open service:

    • Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 2pm to 6pm
    • Tuesday and Thursday from 2pm to 8pm.

    By email

    https://www.france-assos-sante.org/sante-info-droits/

    The maximum response time by email is 15 days.