Ordre des infirmiers registration: EU nurse step by step

To register with the Ordre des infirmiers, France's professional body for nurses, as an EU or EEA national holding an EU or EEA general care nurse qualification that France recognises automatically, you apply online through the Ordre's members' area, or by registered letter, to the conseil départemental (the Ordre's council for a département) of the département where you intend to have your professional residence. The council acknowledges receipt within one month, listing any missing documents, and decides within 3 months at most of receiving a complete file. Registration on the roll (the "tableau") is the one step between you and your first shift: until you are registered, you cannot practise. Once registered, you pay an annual fee. This guide walks you through each step and explains what you can do if your application is refused.

Who can register directly with the Ordre des infirmiers?

This step-by-step guide is for nurses who are nationals of an EU or EEA country and whose qualification qualifies for automatic recognition: a general care nurse qualification that complies with the EU directive, or that comes with the certificate that stands in for compliance. If you are not an EU or EEA national, your situation has to be looked at case by case: check with the conseil départemental before you prepare your file. If you are unsure whether that is your case, or if you hold one of the three French specialisations (infirmier anesthésiste, infirmier de bloc opératoire, puéricultrice), start with our guide for EU-qualified nurses working in France. It sets out the possible routes: automatic recognition, individual authorisation, the European Professional Card and the temporary provision of services. Here, we assume your route is registration with the Ordre.

Registration is not optional. Under the French Public Health Code (Article L4311-15), nobody may practise as a nurse without having their qualification registered and being on the Ordre's roll, whether they work in a public hospital, a private clinic or in private practice.

Want someone to check your documents before you click "J'effectue ma demande d'inscription"? Suxens supports EU-qualified nurses from preparing the file to getting registered. Join the waiting list →

The steps at a glance

Step	What you do	Timeline
1. Find your conseil départemental	Identify the Ordre's council for the département of your professional residence	No timeline set
2. Prepare your documents	Gather the 8 items listed in the Code, have your qualification translated if needed, request the criminal record extract last	Criminal record extract less than 3 months old when you apply
3. Submit the application	Online in the Ordre's members' area, or by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt	No timeline set
4. Receive the acknowledgement	Read the list of missing documents and send them straight away	1 month
5. Follow the review	Stay reachable and answer any request from the rapporteur	Decision within 3 months of the complete file (plus 2 months at most if an expert assessment is ordered)
6. Receive the decision	Read the registered letter; if a refusal is being considered, you are invited to a hearing first	Notified within the week after the decision; invitation at least 15 days in advance
7. Pay the fee	Pay the annual fee set by the Ordre	During the first quarter of the calendar year

Step 1 — Find your conseil départemental

The Ordre des infirmiers works on three levels: conseils départementaux (some of them interdepartmental, covering several départements), conseils régionaux or interrégionaux (regional councils), and the Conseil national (the national council). For registration, you deal with the conseil départemental for the département where you intend to have your professional residence, which in practice usually means where you will work. Not the regional health agency (ARS), not the DREETS, and not the Conseil national.

On the ground, the Ordre's own web page refers to the council "of the place of professional practice". If you will live in one département and work in another, ask the conseil départemental before you apply. Under the Code, a nurse can be on one departmental list only, and that listing does not limit where in France you can practise.

Step 2 — Documents for your registration, in the right order

The Public Health Code lists the documents. Our nurse guide describes each of them in detail; here is how to get them ready without wasting time:

Your identity document, currently valid (plus proof of nationality where relevant). For the online application, the Ordre asks in practice for a double-sided scan in PDF format.
A copy of your general care nurse qualification. If it is not in French, add a translation by a translator approved by the French courts or authorised to work with the judicial or administrative authorities of an EU or EEA state (see our article on sworn translations). The rules only mention a translation for the qualification itself: ask the conseil départemental whether it also wants your other documents translated.
The certificate that goes with your qualification, only if your qualification needs one: a certificate of conformity for a qualification that is not on the EU list, or a certificate of acquired rights for some older training. For some qualifications, including certain Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Austrian ones, a French order of 2004 also provides for a certificate from the State that issued the qualification; whether it is applied is not established, so check with the conseil départemental.
If you are not a French national, a criminal record extract (or equivalent document) less than 3 months old, issued by the competent authority of your country of origin or the country you are coming from. Request it last: it must still be under 3 months old on the day you apply.
A sworn statement that no proceedings that could lead to a conviction or sanction affecting your registration are under way against you.
A document about past registrations, in this order: a certificate of removal from the register or professional body where you were registered; failing that, a sworn statement that you have never been registered; failing that, a certificate of registration in an EU or EEA state.
Evidence of your French: the Ordre checks that you have the knowledge of French needed to practise; ask the conseil départemental which supporting documents it expects.
Your CV.

What the texts say. The documents are those of Article R4112-1 of the French Public Health Code, applied to nurses by Article R4311-52, which replaces only the "qualification" item (copy of the qualification, translated where needed). French law sets no language level (Article L4311-17). The Ordre's web page may ask for other documents in practice (for instance for private practice): those are requests from the Ordre, not items set by the Code.

Step 3 — Submit the application online

The simplest route is the Ordre's portal: go to the Ordre des infirmiers members' area, click "Pas encore inscrit à l'ordre" ("not yet registered"), then "J'effectue ma demande d'inscription" ("I am applying for registration"), and upload your documents as the form asks. The Code also allows you to hand the application in to the conseil départemental or to send it by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt to its president: keep that option in mind if the portal does not work for you.

Practical tip: before you confirm, check that every file is legible, complete (both sides) and in your current name. A complete file starts the decision clock; an incomplete one delays it.

Step 4 — The acknowledgement and missing documents

Within one month, the president of the conseil départemental acknowledges receipt of your application and tells you which documents are missing. Read that message carefully and send what is asked for without delay: the 3-month decision period only runs from the complete file. Write down the date your file is declared complete; it is your reference point for everything that follows.

Step 5 — The review: decision deadline and expert assessment

When your application arrives, the president appoints a rapporteur, a council member who examines your file and writes a report. The council checks your qualifications and itself requests bulletin no. 2 of your French criminal record. If there is serious doubt about your professional competence, or about a health condition incompatible with practice, the conseil départemental refers the matter to the conseil régional or interrégional, which orders an expert assessment: only in that case can the decision period be extended, by 2 months at most. It cannot be extended to check your qualifications.

Meanwhile, stay reachable (postal address, the email used on the portal) and answer any request quickly. If you have had no answer three months after submitting a complete file, contact the conseil départemental.

Step 6 — The decision

The conseil départemental may refuse registration if you do not meet the required conditions of competence, good character and independence, or if you are subject to a ban on practising (temporary or permanent, in France or abroad) or a suspension. It cannot, however, refuse you without hearing you first: you are invited by registered letter, at least 15 days in advance, to come and give your explanations to the council. If you receive that invitation, prepare: reread your file, gather anything that answers the concerns raised, and attend. Any refusal must state its reasons.

Whether the decision is positive or negative, it is notified to you by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt within the week that follows.

Step 7 — The Ordre des infirmiers fee, then life as a registered nurse

The Ordre's fee is compulsory for everyone on the roll and is paid during the first quarter of the calendar year (Article L4312-7). According to the Ordre, in 2026 it is €35 for an employed nurse (public or private sector) and €85 for a nurse in private or mixed practice ("La cotisation ordinale" page). The Ordre states that the fee covers the calendar year and is not prorated: ask your conseil départemental when your first fee will be requested. The amounts may change each year.

As part of your registration, the conseil départemental also registers your qualification. Afterwards, tell it within one month about any change in your professional situation or residence. For the rest of your move (housing, social security), see our guide to settling in France.

Registration refused by the Ordre des infirmiers: how to appeal

A refusal is not the end of the road. The notification letter tells you how to challenge it:

Appeal to the conseil régional or interrégional of the Ordre that covers your conseil départemental, within 30 days. The appeal does not suspend the decision. The conseil régional invites you at least 15 days before the hearing (you may be assisted or represented by anyone you choose) and decides within 2 months.
Appeal to the Conseil national against the conseil régional's decision, within 30 days; this appeal does not suspend the decision either.
Appeal to the Conseil d'État (France's highest administrative court) against the Conseil national's decision, within 2 months.

For an EU national, a refusal is also notified to the competent authority of the home state. The rules: Article R4112-4 (notification and regional appeal), and Articles R4112-5 and R4112-5-1 of the French Public Health Code, which apply to nurses.

A hearing, a refusal, a 30-day deadline: these are the moments when you feel most alone. Suxens helps EU-qualified nurses build a file that avoids getting there, and find their way if it happens. Join the waiting list →

Frequently asked questions

Can I register with the Ordre des infirmiers online?

Yes. The Ordre accepts applications through its members' area: "Pas encore inscrit à l'ordre", then "J'effectue ma demande d'inscription". The Code also allows you to hand the application in to the conseil départemental or send it by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt.

Which conseil départemental should I apply to?

The Ordre des infirmiers' conseil départemental for the département where you intend to have your professional residence, which in practice usually means where you will work. Not the ARS, not the DREETS, and not the Conseil national. If you will live in one département and work in another, ask the conseil départemental before you apply.

What documents do I need to register with the Ordre des infirmiers?

Those listed in Article R4112-1 of the French Public Health Code: an identity document, a copy of your nursing qualification (translated if it is not in French), the certificate that goes with your qualification if it needs one, a criminal record extract less than 3 months old if you are not a French national, a sworn statement, a document about past registrations, evidence of your French and your CV. Ask the conseil départemental whether it wants other documents translated.

How much does registration with the Ordre des infirmiers cost?

Registration comes with a compulsory annual fee. According to the Ordre, in 2026 it is €35 for an employed nurse and €85 for a nurse in private or mixed practice, with no proration. The amounts may change each year.

How long does registration with the Ordre des infirmiers take?

The conseil départemental acknowledges receipt within one month and decides within 3 months at most of receiving a complete file, extended by 2 months at most if an expert assessment is ordered. Add the time it takes to gather your documents in your home country.

What can I do if the Ordre refuses my registration?

You can appeal to the Ordre's conseil régional or interrégional within 30 days, then to the Conseil national (30 days), then to the Conseil d'État (2 months). Before any refusal, the conseil départemental must invite you at least 15 days in advance to hear your explanations.

Can I start working while I wait to be registered?

No. Nobody may practise as a nurse in France without having their qualification registered and being on the Ordre's roll. Apply as early as you can, without waiting for a job contract.

EU-qualified nurse: registering with the Ordre des infirmiers, step by step