Introduction

Having a child in France as a foreigner is one of the most reassuring experiences the French system offers — and one of the most paper-heavy. Medical follow-up is free or nearly free, maternity is fully covered, the PMI accompanies you for the first six years, and the CAF pays a birth grant plus several allowances depending on your income. On the other side, the parallel administrative steps (city hall registration, home-country passport, birth certificate for relatives back home) demand careful organization in the first weeks.

This guide covers the full path, from pregnancy to the child's eighteen months, with country-specific notes. It speaks to foreign couples and to single parents, employed, students, on a residency permit, or in the middle of a regularization request.

Pregnancy follow-up: PMI, midwife, maternity ward

As soon as you know you are pregnant, schedule with a general practitioner, a private-practice midwife, or — for free — the PMI (Protection Maternelle et Infantile). The PMI is a public departmental service present in every arrondissement and every significant commune. It welcomes every pregnant woman regardless of paperwork, which is crucial if you are in the middle of regularization.

French medical follow-up includes:

• 7 prenatal consultations + 1 early prenatal interview (EPP) in the 4th month
• 3 mandatory ultrasounds (12, 22, 32 weeks)
• Birth preparation: 8 reimbursed sessions (private midwife or PMI)
• Free dental check-up in the 4th month

Everything is fully covered by Assurance Maladie from the 6th month of pregnancy (excluding fee overruns in private clinics). With a CPAM Carte Vitale, you pay nothing. Under AME (state medical aid), it is also covered.

Public vs private maternity: most foreigners deliver in public maternity wards (CHU, hospital). Cost for you: 0 € with CPAM or AME, except for an individual room (50 to 90 €/night). Private maternity wards may charge 800 to 2,500 € in non-reimbursed fee overruns. Top-up insurance (mutuelle) covers part of it depending on the contract.

Hoang, Vietnamese living in Nantes, gave birth in CHU with epidural, double room and zero out-of-pocket. Léa, Brazilian with corporate top-up insurance, chose private clinic in Neuilly and paid 1,800 € out-of-pocket. Karima, Moroccan, still in her residency request, gave birth at CHU Bichat in Paris through AME without advancing a single euro.

Birth registration: 5 days, not one more

At birth, the hospital gives you a medical birth certificate. You have 5 working days (Saturdays included, Sundays and bank holidays excluded) to register the birth at the city hall of the commune where the child was born.

Past that deadline, you must go through the judicial court (jugement supplétif procedure), which delays everything: passport, CAF benefits, daycare enrolment. Do not procrastinate.

Documents to bring:

• Medical birth certificate from the maternity
• Both parents' identity documents
• Livret de famille (family booklet) if you have one — otherwise it will be created
• Prenatal recognition act if parents are not married (ideally signed before the birth)
• Choice of child's family name (since 2005, you may choose: father's name, mother's name, or both joined in the order you choose — the decision is final for this child and all subsequent children of the couple)

You leave with three copies of the birth certificate (keep them safe — you will need them for CAF, social security, embassy, daycare). Also request a multilingual birth certificate (CIEC form) if your country is part of the Vienna Convention — it avoids translation costs for many steps.

Carte Vitale and CPAM for the baby

The city hall registration automatically triggers the creation of the baby's social-security file. The baby is attached to both parents on their Carte Vitale (only one parent reimburses care at any given time, your choice).

You receive a provisional social-security number within 1 to 3 weeks, then the permanent number (starting with 1 or 2 depending on sex, then year and month of birth) within 2 to 4 months. The baby's own Carte Vitale is not issued immediately — they use the parent's. A personal card becomes available at age 12.

If one parent is not on CPAM (e.g. residency request in progress, or AME), enrol the child under the affiliated parent — it is faster and more stable.

Baby's nationality: what France and your country say

One of the most important — and most misunderstood — questions. 2026 summary:

• France: a child born in France to two foreign parents is not automatically French at birth. They become French at 18 if they have lived in France 5 years since age 11 (article 21-7 of the civil code). Possible to apply for citizenship from age 13 with parental consent (article 21-11), or alone at 16.
• If one parent is French: the child is French by birth, automatically, anywhere in the world.
• Country of origin: most countries grant nationality by filiation (jus sanguinis) — the child is also automatically Chinese, Moroccan, Senegalese, Vietnamese, Brazilian, etc., based on your country.

Is dual citizenship possible? From France's side, yes (France does not require renunciation). From your home country it depends:

• China: does not recognize dual citizenship. You must choose, usually between 16 and 18. Many families practically keep both passports without declaring it.
• Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria: dual citizenship accepted
• Vietnam: dual citizenship tolerated
• Senegal, Brazil: dual citizenship accepted
• Portugal: dual citizenship accepted

Home-country passport for the baby: timing and cost

To travel with your baby outside the EU, a passport is required. Since the child is not French at birth (unless one parent is French), the embassy or consulate of your country issues it.

Typical documents: French birth certificate, country-format photos (often different from EU format), parents' passports, sometimes marriage certificate or livret de famille. Ask the consulate for the precise list — it changes.

Approximate 2026 timing and cost:

• China: 6 to 10 weeks, 110 €, consulates in Paris/Lyon/Marseille/Strasbourg
• Morocco: 4 to 8 weeks, 30 €, several consulates
• Vietnam: 4 to 6 weeks, 80 €, Paris embassy
• Senegal: 4 to 8 weeks, 60 €, Paris embassy

Anh, Vietnamese mum in Strasbourg, processed her son's passport in 5 weeks via the Paris embassy. Pierre and Maria, Brazilian parents in Lyon, used the Lyon consulate to skip Paris.

The CAF: what you are entitled to

The CAF (Caisse d'Allocations Familiales) pays several family benefits. You are eligible after at least 3 months of regular presence in France (residency permit needed for the birth grant — AME alone does not qualify). Sign up at caf.fr.

Birth and early-childhood benefits in 2026:

• Birth grant (PAJE): 1,019.43 € paid in the 7th month of pregnancy (means-tested, couple-with-2-children ceiling around 50,000 €/year)
• PAJE base allowance: 188 or 94 €/month until age 3 (income-based)

The calculation is based on the CAF quotient familial, combining income and household composition. Run a simulation on caf.fr before applying to avoid surprises.

Childcare modes: daycare, childminder, in-home care

From 2.5 months (end of maternity leave), you can entrust the baby. Three main options:

• Public daycare (crèche): 0.30 to 3 €/hour income-based. Very high demand, register during pregnancy at city hall. Long waitlist in Paris (15 to 30 % of applicants admitted).
• Private daycare: 1,200 to 1,800 €/month full-time, but the CAF CMG reimburses 230 to 880 €/month income-based.
• Registered childminder (assistante maternelle): 4 to 8 €/hour, at her place, contracted via Pajemploi. CMG also applies.
• In-home care: 12 to 18 €/hour gross at your place, the most expensive but most flexible.

Summary

• PMI free, no residency permit needed during and after pregnancy
• City hall registration within 5 days otherwise court procedure
• Baby not French at birth if two foreign parents (becomes French at 18 under conditions)
• : 3 to 10 weeks depending on country

On Pionra

On Pionra, the Chinese, Moroccan, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Senegalese and Brazilian communities share their tips on the warmest PMIs, country-language pediatricians, and consular passport procedures. Ask your questions on .

FAQ

My baby is born in France and we are still in a residency request. Can they have a Carte Vitale?

Yes. If one parent has been in France for more than three months and benefits from CPAM or AME, the child is attached without difficulty. A recently arrived parent benefits from AME for their child too. Maternity care is free in any case in public maternity wards.

Is maternity leave paid for foreign workers?

Yes, regardless of nationality, provided you have contributed at least 150 hours over the last 3 months (or 600 hours over 12 months). Duration: 16 weeks (6 before + 10 after) for a first or second child, 26 weeks from the third onward. Indemnity is 100 % of salary up to the social security ceiling (around 3,925 €/month in 2026).

Can my child go to school even if I do not have a valid residency permit?

Yes, schooling is mandatory and free from age 3 for all children present on French territory, regardless of parents' administrative status (International Convention on the Rights of the Child + Education Code). Register at city hall with the birth certificate and proof of residence.

How do I get the French birth certificate recognized in my home country?

Request a multilingual birth certificate (CIEC) or have the certificate translated and apostilled by a sworn translator. Send it to your country's civil registry via the embassy. For China, certified translation + consular authentication in Paris/Lyon (around 60 €).

Can I give birth in France on a tourist visa?

Yes, but without Carte Vitale or AME you pay the full delivery cost (3,000 to 7,000 € in public hospital, more in private). Plan a travel insurance that covers pregnancy — most exclude it, check the contract carefully. Better to give birth in your country unless emergency.