French Government Implements New Measure to Combat Visa Fraud
The French government has introduced a new control measure in the examination of visa applications, allowing diplomatic and consular services to access the centralized database of the State Medical Assistance (AME) for the first time.
Background
This reform, officially announced in early February 2026 through the publication of two decrees in the Official Journal, aims to better detect risks of fraud and abuse while maintaining the health objective of the system.
How it Works
Concretely, consular agents responsible for analyzing visa applications (whether for short-stay Schengen visas or long-stay national visas) can now, before making a decision, consult in real-time whether an applicant has already benefited from the AME during a previous stay in France. This consultation is part of a broader approach to modernizing the state's information systems and combating fraud in social and migratory benefits.
Who is Affected
The new control procedure does not limit itself to specific nationalities: it applies to all non-European nationals who submit a visa application for France, including Tunisians, Algerians, Moroccans, and other non-EU countries. French consulates around the world, including those in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, are concerned by access to this new data link.
Implementation Timeline
This verification mechanism is expected to be fully operational by October 2026, although some pilot connections have already been activated in key diplomatic posts such as Algiers, Casablanca, and Dakar.
What is the AME
The AME is a system that allows certain foreign individuals in an irregular situation and with limited resources, residing in France for at least three months, to access medical care without advance payment.
Government Perspective
According to the government, the access of consular services to the AME database constitutes a tool in the fight against system abuses. Until now, French social data (notably those related to the AME) were not systematically cross-checked with visa applications submitted abroad, creating an informational void exploitable by certain applicants.
Sanitary Considerations
The authorities, however, insist that the AME remains a system deemed indispensable from a health perspective, particularly to avoid epidemiological risks or unmanaged health situations. The recently adopted decrees do not call into question the "basket of care" currently covered by the AME, even if a revision of the latter could be considered later.
Modernization of Information Systems
In parallel, a second text published on the same day modernizes the state's computer systems, allowing all agents (notably consular ones) to access relevant files as part of their mission to examine applications.
Implications for Visa Applicants
For candidates for a visa to France, having been a beneficiary of the AME in the past does not automatically translate to a refusal. It is additional data that consular services can consult and take into account in the overall analysis of the file, alongside proofs of resources, the project of stay, family or professional ties, and guarantees of return.
Need for Transparency and Completeness
However, this new verification accentuates the need to present a complete, transparent, and compliant dossier with French and European requirements, as any element that can be perceived as contradictory or fraudulent could now be more easily detected.
Broader Context
This measure is also part of a more general movement towards the digitalization and securing of procedures related to visas and borders. Since October 2025, the European Union has progressively deployed the Entry/Exit System (EES), which electronically records the entries and exits of non-European travelers in the Schengen area.
Global Objective
The overall objective displayed by the French authorities is to reinforce security, reduce fraud, and improve trust in migratory and social systems, without questioning access to care for the most vulnerable or creating discrimination between nationals of different countries.
Read also: Schengen Visa in Tunisia: Why are appointments so difficult to obtain?
