CFE top-up insurance in Nepal: zone 2, half of every hospital bill left to you

Nepal is in CFE zone 2, which puts it one step below India, Sri Lanka and Bhutan, all in zone 1. For care given in Nepal since 1 January 2026, the CFE reimburses 50% of the real cost of a hospital stay, 40% of imaging and a flat 21 € per consultation, and it has no hospital direct billing there. Half of every hospital bill, with no ceiling, and the whole advance are therefore yours, which is the main reason to look at a top-up in Nepal.

What does the CFE pay in Nepal, compared with India?

The CFE sets its rates by the zone of the country where you are treated, as a percentage of the real cost without a reimbursement ceiling, or as a fixed amount (the system is described in what is the CFE). Nepal's zone 2 and India's zone 1 differ on most lines:

The zones come from the annex of a French ministerial order (arrêté), and the CFE does not publish the reasons behind each country's zone.

Source: CFE guarantees 2026 (arrêté of 17 December 2025), CFE list of countries by zone and arrêté of 25 June 2019 (annex), read 4 Nov 2026.

What do hospitals in Kathmandu charge?

None of the hospitals we checked prints its fees. CIWEC Hospital lists the contents of a basic health package but no price, Grande International Hospital lists health packages without prices, and the Norvic page we opened was empty. Figures do appear in Nepalese news and on forums, but none is published by a provider, so this page uses none of them.

The ECB has no reference rate for the Nepalese rupee, so no euro figure is possible either. A percentage still works in any currency: on an illustrative hospital bill of 10,000 NPR, the CFE reimburses 5,000 NPR and you keep 5,000 NPR. The same bill for treatment in India would be reimbursed 6,700, in rupees of that country. These are illustrations, not prices. When you ask a Kathmandu hospital for an estimate, ask it to separate the stay from what happens before and after: the CFE reimburses the stay as one bill at 50%, while tests, scans and medicines outside the admission are outpatient care, reimbursed line by line at 40% to 65%.

Source: CIWEC Hospital, Grande International Hospital and Norvic pages, read 4 Nov 2026; CFE guarantees 2026. The examples are our arithmetic.

What does no CFE direct billing mean for you in Nepal?

The CFE offers hospital direct billing in 33 countries, and Nepal is not one of them. You pay the hospital in full, then send the CFE the hospital claim form completed by the hospital with the paid invoice, through your online space. Reimbursement is made in euros by bank transfer, at the zone 2 rate. This applies to every member in Nepal, whether you joined alone or through an employer. To avoid paying a large bill upfront, you need a private insurer that pays or guarantees the hospital itself.

Source: CFE membership guide 2026 (pages 14, 15, 32 to 35), CFE list of countries by zone, read 4 Nov 2026.

What if you are treated outside Nepal?

The CFE rate follows the country of care. A planned stay in India would be reimbursed at India's zone 1 rate, 67%; a stay in Thailand at 42% (zone 3); one in Singapore at 19% (zone 5). The CFE requires a prior agreement before air transport and before land transport over 150 km, and pays transport at set amounts, such as 2.44 € per km by ambulance or 0.30 € per km for other seated transport. It does not provide organised medical evacuation; that is an insurer's guarantee. Consultations are the exception to the zone rule in practice: a GP or specialist visit is reimbursed 21 € in every zone, so a visit in Delhi or Bangkok is paid exactly like one in Kathmandu.

Source: CFE membership guide 2026 (page 10), CFE guarantees 2026 (page 3, transport), CFE prior agreement form, read 4 Nov 2026.

What should a top-up cover in Nepal?

For the general mechanics, see what a CFE top-up is. In Nepal, the zone 2 rates and the absence of direct billing put these checks first:

• Half of each stay. The top-up should pay the remaining 50% on the real cost, with an annual limit that matches a serious admission.

• The hospital payment. Ask how it pays hospitals in Kathmandu or Pokhara: direct billing or a payment guarantee, or reimbursement after you pay.

• Treatment abroad. If you might be treated in India, Thailand or further, check its geographic cover and whether organised evacuation is included.

• Imaging and visits. 40% of a scan and 21 € per visit: check the outpatient limit.

If two contracts look heavy, compare with first-euro insurance.

Source: CFE guarantees 2026 and membership guide 2026, read 4 Nov 2026.

How Alea helps

Alea, a Hong Kong-based broker and the official CFE representative for Hong Kong, China and Singapore, also helps French expats in Nepal: when to join the CFE, what it pays there, and a comparison of top-ups and first-euro formulas from more than 50 insurers for your city, age and health. Start with our CFE page, or talk to an advisor for a free quote with no commitment.