Hospitals in Paris: Emergency Care Guide for Expats (2026)

Knowing which of the hospitals in Paris to head for, and which number to dial before you get there, is exactly the kind of thing you want settled before you actually need it. Whether you landed last week or have called the city home for years, this honest guide covers the public and private options, the emergency numbers that actually work, how Assurance Maladie fits into a hospital bill, and where to find a pharmacy at 2am. Save this page now, because five calm minutes today beats a panicked search later.

In a Real Emergency, Call 15, 18 or 112 First

If someone is unconscious, having chest pain, bleeding heavily or in any life-threatening situation, do not drive around looking for one of the hospitals in Paris yourself. Dial 15 for SAMU, the French medical emergency dispatch, or 112, the EU-wide number that also works from a mobile with no SIM or credit. Call 18 for the fire brigade (sapeurs-pompiers), who also respond to many medical emergencies and are often fastest to arrive in central Paris. Operators can usually find English-speaking help, so do not hesitate because your French is limited.

The 15 or 18 operator will locate you and dispatch an ambulance, which by default takes you to the nearest public hospital with capacity, not necessarily the one you would have chosen. If you hold private insurance and want a specific private hospital instead, say so when you call, but in a genuine emergency the priority is the closest capable emergency department. The deaf and hard-of-hearing emergency line is 114, reachable by SMS, chat or video call around the clock. Teach every family member to dial 15 or 112 and to state your home address clearly.

Public Hospitals in Paris: AP-HP Emergency Departments

Most of the public hospitals in Paris that run a 24-hour emergency department belong to Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP-HP), the network that operates the city’s teaching hospitals. Care through the public system is heavily subsidised once you are registered with Assurance Maladie, though co-payments can still apply. Expect waiting times at busy central sites, since genuinely urgent cases are triaged ahead of minor complaints.

These three sit centrally, though they are not the only hospitals in Paris with public A&E care. AP-HP publishes the complete, current list of every emergency department, with address and phone number, on its own official site, so check aphp.fr/nos-hopitaux for the one nearest you.

Private Hospitals in Paris for English-Speaking Care

Many expats keep private cover for shorter waits, English-speaking staff and a calmer emergency room. The best known of the private hospitals in Paris for English speakers is the American Hospital of Paris, a full general private hospital in Neuilly-sur-Seine with its own 24/7 emergency department. The Institut Hospitalier Franco-Britannique in Levallois-Perret traces its roots to a 19th-century British charitable hospital and still treats English-speaking patients, though it now runs more than one site, so confirm the current address on its own official website before relying on it in an emergency.

Private care is billed directly or through insurance, and an emergency room visit at a private hospital can run into several hundred euros before any reimbursement, so confirm what your policy covers before you need it.

Assurance Maladie and PUMA: How Hospital Care Is Paid For

France’s national health system, l’Assurance Maladie, is what makes the hospitals in Paris affordable, and getting registered is the single most useful thing you can do before an emergency happens. Under PUMA (Protection Universelle Maladie), anyone living in France is entitled to coverage, administered locally through your Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie (CPAM).

1. Register online at ameli.fr or call 36 46, with proof of identity, proof of address in Paris and, for non-EU citizens, your residence permit.
2. You are covered from your registration date, even before your Carte Vitale card arrives by post, which typically takes several weeks.
3. Declare a médecin traitant (a registered GP) through your ameli account, since this affects your reimbursement rate on future specialist visits.
4. Keep your Carte Vitale and ID on you; hospitals and pharmacies both need it to bill the system directly instead of you paying and reclaiming later.

Until your registration is active, private health or travel insurance is worth having. A dedicated expat policy from ektatraveling.com covers that gap and is worth comparing honestly against a French mutuelle once you are settled long-term.

Pharmacies and On-Duty Pharmacies at Night

Regular pharmacies in Paris, marked by a green cross, keep normal shop hours and many close on Sundays, but a rotating on-duty (garde) system means there is almost always one open nearby. To find tonight’s on-duty pharmacy, you have a few reliable, official options.

• Use Assurance Maladie’s own locator at pharmacie-de-garde.ameli.fr, which finds the nearest on-duty pharmacy from your address.
• Call 3237, the national on-duty pharmacy line, available 24/7 across France.
• In the Paris region, check monpharmacien-idf.fr for the current weekly and Sunday or holiday rota.
• Read the notice posted on any closed pharmacy’s door, which by law must display the current on-call pharmacy’s address.

For anything needed after the on-duty pharmacy closes, the emergency department at one of the hospitals in Paris listed above is your fallback. Bring your Carte Vitale and ID, and remember most medicines here genuinely need a prescription from a doctor.

Staying Reachable in an Emergency

None of these numbers help if your phone has no signal or credit the moment you land. A local SIM or a travel eSIM activated on arrival means you can dial 15 or 112 and actually reach the hospitals in Paris from day one. Services such as airalo.com and saily.com sell France and Europe eSIM data plans, though a data-only eSIM may not carry a phone number, so keep a voice-capable local SIM too. Most private clinics and pharmacies expect payment at the time of the visit, with Assurance Maladie reimbursing you afterward by bank transfer, so a multi-currency account from wise.com or revolut.com avoids a foreign card’s exchange markup. Save 15, 112, your insurer’s assistance line and your nearest hospital in your phone’s contacts now.

Frequently Asked Questions

What number do I call for an ambulance in Paris?

Dial 15 for SAMU, the French medical emergency dispatch, or 112, the EU-wide number that also works from a mobile with no SIM or credit. Call 18 for the fire brigade, who often respond to medical emergencies too and can be fastest to arrive in central Paris. Operators can bring in English-language help once help is on the way.

Which are the best hospitals in Paris for expats?

For emergencies, AP-HP hospitals such as Hôtel-Dieu, Lariboisière and Pitié-Salpêtrière run 24-hour public A&E departments across the city. For private care with English-speaking staff, the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine runs its own 24/7 emergency department. Which of the hospitals in Paris suits you best depends on whether you are relying on Assurance Maladie or private insurance.

Do I need insurance to use the hospitals in Paris?

In a genuinely life-threatening emergency you will be treated first and the paperwork sorted afterward. For everything else, register with Assurance Maladie as soon as you have a Paris address to unlock subsidised public care. Until then, or at a private hospital, insurance covers the bill.

How do I find a pharmacy open at night in Paris?

Use Assurance Maladie’s own locator at pharmacie-de-garde.ameli.fr, call the national on-duty line on 3237, or check monpharmacien-idf.fr for the current Paris-region rota. Closed pharmacies must also post the on-call pharmacy’s address on their door by law.

Is emergency care free at the hospitals in Paris?

Emergency care at public hospitals in Paris is heavily subsidised once you are registered with Assurance Maladie, though co-payments can still apply. Without registration, or at a private hospital, you pay out of pocket or through insurance, so register with CPAM and keep a backup policy early.

Expat Essentials for Paris

A few quick wins make settling into Paris easier while you work through this guide. An Airalo eSIM keeps you online from the moment you land, a pre-booked Welcome Pickups transfer takes the stress out of arrival day, and NordVPN protects your logins on public wifi. See our full list of trusted services below.

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Written by FinePassport team