Under French law, a person who is not compulsorily covered by French Social Security may, under certain circumstances, elect to make voluntary contributions. In some cases, the person must have earned prior French coverage to be eligible to make voluntary contributions.

The agreement gives U.S. nationals who reside in France the right to make voluntary contributions to the French system on the same basis as French nationals. It also permits both U.S. and French nationals to have their prior U.S. coverage counted, if necessary, to establish the right to make voluntary contributions.