Are you a physiotherapist, healthcare assistant, or occupational therapist qualified in the EU, and does your profession fall under the general recognition system? Your single point of contact is DREETS (Direction régionale de l'économie, de l'emploi, du travail et des solidarités). Unlike nurses or midwives, there's no automatic recognition — here's the full procedure, step by step.
What is DREETS, and who needs to apply there?
DREETS reviews recognition applications for professions covered by the general system under Directive 2005/36/EC — professions whose training isn't harmonised at EU level. For Suxens, that means three professions: physiotherapist (as an alternative to the European Professional Card), healthcare assistant, and occupational therapist.
Conversely, if you're a nurse or midwife, do not apply to DREETS: your recognition goes through the relevant professional Order (automatic recognition — see our full profession-by-profession guide).
The DREETS procedure, step by step
Step 1: Identify the relevant DREETS office
Each French region has its own DREETS office. You apply to the one covering your region of residence, or the region where you intend to practise — not necessarily your exact future employer's location. The national portal dreets.gouv.fr links to every regional DREETS.
Step 2: Build your file
The exact documents vary slightly by profession (see table below), but all files include: a copy of your diploma, a study programme transcript (hours per subject, internship duration), a CV, a cover letter, and a certificate from your home country's competent authority (less than a year old) confirming no disciplinary sanctions. Any non-French document must come with a sworn translation — plan for this lead time in advance.
Step 3: Submit the file
Submit to the regional DREETS identified in step 1, either on paper or digitally, depending on that region's process.
Step 4: File review
The review period is 4 months from receipt of a complete file (physiotherapists and occupational therapists; the same timeframe likely applies to healthcare assistants by analogy, but confirm with your specific DREETS). Two outcomes are possible at the deadline: direct authorisation, or a notice of compensation measures.
Step 5: Compensation measures, if notified
If DREETS finds substantial differences between your training and the French reference standard, it may require an adaptation period or an aptitude test. For occupational therapists, this choice explicitly belongs to the applicant.
Step 6: After authorisation — mandatory registration
Authorisation to practise isn't the final step: additional registration is required depending on your profession (see table below). For occupational therapists, for instance, RPPS registration via the regional ARS must happen before, or at the latest within, your first month of employment.
Comparison by profession
| Profession | DREETS route | Timeframe | After authorisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physiotherapist | Alternative to the EPC (see our EPC guide) | 4 months | Registration with the Ordre des masseurs-kinésithérapeutes |
| Healthcare assistant | Only route (no EPC) | 4 months (by analogy — not specifically confirmed) | No professional Order for this profession |
| Occupational therapist | Only route (no EPC) | 4 months | RPPS registration via regional ARS (1st month of employment) |
Preparing your DREETS file and not sure where to start? Suxens supports you at every step — join the waitlist →
Physiotherapists: DREETS or EPC?
If you're a physiotherapist, you don't have to go through DREETS: the European Professional Card is a paperless alternative, processed in 1 month instead of 4. Suxens systematically recommends this route to the EU physiotherapists it supports, unless a specific circumstance rules it out.