Settling in French Polynesia: what are the steps with the Social Security system?

As I was seconded by my employer to French Polynesia for a few months, I naturally wondered about the health insurance I would be entitled to. Because even though in Tahiti we are on a little piece of France in the middle of the Pacific, Polynesia has its own Social Security system, completely independent from the one in mainland France.

This system is called CPS (Caisse de Prévoyance Sociale).

The only hospital in French Polynesia is in Papeete. If you are on another island, any slightly serious health issue will require a medical evacuation by plane, and the bill can quickly run into tens of thousands of euros. It is absolutely essential to be insured!

Good news: the metropolitan CPAM and the Polynesian CPS signed an agreement in 1994: Polynesians traveling to mainland France are covered 100% by CPAM, and conversely, mainlanders traveling to French Polynesia are covered by the CPS.

But for that, you need to complete a few preliminary steps, otherwise you risk having to pay upfront in case of a problem, which you definitely want to avoid.

Here are the steps I had to take.

Step 1: Declaration of secondment with URSSAF

This step was completed by my employer.

After this step, my employer gave me form 980-01 (Certificate of secondment) signed by URSSAF.

This step must be anticipated; it can take up to three months. In my case, it was faster: the process was started about 45 days before my departure, and I received the 980-01 a few days before leaving.

Step 2: Obtaining form 980-04

The second step is to obtain form 980-04 (“Certificate of entitlement to in-kind benefits under sickness-maternity insurance during a stay in the other territory” – bless you!) from CPAM.

To do this, I contacted CPAM by phone: 3646 if you call from mainland France, +33 1 84 90 36 46 if you are already in French Polynesia. Good news: it’s easy to get a human and rather competent person on the line.

During this call, I explained my situation and indicated my departure date, specifying that I was leaving with my wife. My contact told me that I would receive form 980-04 directly on my Ameli account.

In the end, it was a bit more complicated than that: I did receive a response on my Ameli account asking me to provide my form 980-01. What’s very convenient (not at all) is that you can’t reply directly from the Ameli account; you must reply by postal mail!

In 2026, it’s possible to receive a letter digitally, but you’re forced to reply by physical mail! That’s even less convenient when you’re already on the other side of the world. Fortunately, La Poste offers an online service that lets you provide a file that will be printed, put in an envelope, and sent on your behalf.

I received my form 980-04 fairly quickly (on my Ameli account!) but it took a bit longer for my wife.

Hearing nothing back, I had to call again, and my contact realized that my wife’s letter had been attached to my file. A few days later, she received a letter (on her Ameli account) asking her to specify whether she had an activity in French Polynesia or if she was my dependent. We replied (by physical mail!) and then I received (on my Ameli account) the 980-04 where she is mentioned as a “beneficiary”.

A lot of time wasted for nothing, which forced me to take out private insurance for a month to cover her in case of a problem.

Step 3: Contacting CPS

Once you have your precious 980-01 and 980-04, you need to send them to CPS via email at immatriculation[@]cps.pf, specifying that you are requesting an opening of rights.

I received a request for documents in less than 24 hours:

• Copies of passports
• Copy of the family record book (I was quite glad I had a digital copy since it stayed in mainland France!)
• Our RIBs (metropolitan and foreign RIBs are accepted)
• A personal information form

24 hours after my reply, I received our DN numbers (which is the CPS “social security number”) confirming that we are indeed “in the system”.

It took another week for CPS to validate the 980-01 and for our rights to be officially opened (retroactively).

Step 4: Registering with TATOU

This step is optional but highly recommended. TATOU is the equivalent of Ameli. It’s on this platform that you can, among other things, download your social security card.

To do this, you need to fill out a form and send it to inscriptiontatou[@]cps.pf, along with a copy of an ID document.

It required a bit more patience, as I received a temporary password by email and SMS after 15 days.