A doctor who is an EU national, with a medical qualification obtained in the European Union that meets EU requirements, does not sit the EVC exams or need prior authorisation to work in France: they apply directly for registration with the Ordre des médecins, France's medical council, through the departmental council where they plan to practise. The council must decide within three months of receiving a complete file, extendable by up to two months if an expert assessment is ordered. The knowledge verification exams (EVC) for non-EU graduates and the DREETS do not apply. This guide covers who qualifies, the documents you need, the French language requirement and specialists.
Who can register directly with the Ordre des médecins?
It is written for doctors who are nationals of an EU or European Economic Area country, who obtained their medical qualification in one of those countries, and who want to settle in France for the long term, whether in a hospital post or in private practice. In French law, medicine is a medical profession, alongside midwifery and dentistry. Under Article L4111-1 of the French Public Health Code, nobody may practise medicine in France without holding a recognised qualification and being registered with the Ordre, subject to exceptions set by law such as the freedom to provide services (see below).
Automatic recognition is reserved for nationals of an EU or EEA country. If you obtained your diploma in the EU without holding one of those nationalities, your application falls under an individual authorisation to practise issued by the Centre national de gestion (CNG).
Two situations fall outside this guide. If you trained outside the EU, even if another member state later recognised your diploma, a different route applies (see below). And if you only want to work in France on a temporary and occasional basis while remaining established at home, the relevant mechanism is the freedom to provide services.
EU medical degree: automatic recognition in France
Directive 2005/36/EC lays down the principle of automatic recognition of medical qualifications between member states. The rule is written into French law in Article L4131-1 of the Public Health Code, which lists the qualifications that give an EU national access to the profession: if yours is one of them, France does not reassess the content of your degree.
In practice, your qualification falls under automatic recognition in one of three situations:
- it appears on the list of qualifications set by ministerial order. Since July 2020, basic medical qualifications and specialist qualifications have been listed in the annex to the order of 6 March 2020, while general practitioner qualifications are still listed in the order of 13 July 2009;
- it is not on the list, but it comes with a certificate from the competent authority of your country confirming that your training meets EU requirements and that your qualification is treated as equivalent to the listed ones;
- it is an older qualification, or one that does not meet all current requirements, covered by acquired rights: it then comes with the certificate or supporting evidence that fits your situation (for some qualifications, a certificate that you have actually and lawfully practised medicine in the specialty concerned for at least three consecutive years during the five years before the certificate).
In all three cases, you do not need prior approval from any government department. Your application goes straight to the Ordre des médecins, which decides on your registration.
One case stands apart: if you hold only a basic medical qualification, with no general practitioner or specialist qualification, the texts only say that it gives access to specialist medical training; they do not say whether it is enough on its own to register. Ask the departmental council of the Ordre des médecins before putting your file together.
Are you a doctor preparing to move to France? Suxens helps you pin down exactly which documents your registration file needs and get ready for your move. Join the waitlist for doctors →
Ordre des médecins registration: the documents you need
The list of documents is laid down in Article R4112-1 of the Public Health Code. The national council of the Ordre also asks for two passport photos on its registration page.
| Document | Details |
|---|---|
| Valid identity document | Plus, where relevant, a certificate of nationality issued by a competent authority |
| Copy of your medical qualifications | Translated by a translator approved by the French courts or authorised to work for the authorities of an EU or EEA country |
| Certificate of conformity or of acquired rights | Required if your qualification is not on the French list or falls under acquired rights; if it is listed, check with the departmental council whether they still ask for it |
| Criminal record extract | Or an equivalent document less than three months old from your country of origin or provenance; if that country requires proof of good character to practise medicine, a certificate less than three months old from its competent authority can replace it |
| Sworn statement | Confirming that no proceedings that could lead to a conviction or a sanction are pending against you |
| Certificate of deregistration, registration or enrolment | Issued by the body you were registered with; if you were never registered, a sworn statement saying so |
| Evidence of your French language skills | Any document showing you have the French needed to practise (see below) |
| Curriculum vitae | The national council asks for an up-to-date, detailed CV |
| Two passport photos | Requested by the national council on its registration page |
Unsure about a document in your file? Join the Suxens waitlist for doctors →
The translation rule for your qualifications is specific: they must be translated by a translator approved by the French courts or authorised to work for the authorities of an EU or EEA member state. Our guide to sworn translation of your documents explains how to find one and avoid having your file sent back.
EU doctors vs PADHUE: why the EVC exams don't apply to you
This is the most common mix-up: the procedure often called "PADHUE" (for doctors with a diploma from outside the EU) does not apply to EU graduates. The knowledge verification exams (EVC) and the skills consolidation period that follows them fall under paragraph I of Article L4111-2 of the Public Health Code, the route used in practice by doctors who trained outside the EU. No rule subjects a doctor with an EU qualification to them.
| Your situation | Procedure | Authority |
|---|---|---|
| Compliant EU medical qualification (listed, certificate of conformity or acquired rights) | Direct registration with the Ordre, no EVC exams | Departmental council of the Ordre des médecins |
| EU basic and specialist qualifications that do not meet these conditions but allow you to practise in the issuing country | Individual authorisation to practise, possibly with compensation measures | Centre national de gestion (CNG), then registration with the Ordre |
| Non-EU basic and specialist qualifications both recognised by another member state, if you are an EU or EEA national and practised there for three years | Individual authorisation to practise | Centre national de gestion (CNG), then registration with the Ordre |
| Non-EU qualification | Knowledge verification exams (EVC) and consolidation period | National authorisation procedure |
Two details are worth knowing. First, if your EU basic and specialist qualifications do not meet the conditions for automatic recognition but allow you to practise in your home country, you can apply for individual authorisation to practise in your specialty (Article L4131-1-1). It is granted by the director general of the Centre national de gestion after consulting a committee, and may require an adaptation period or an aptitude test if your training differs substantially. If there is no answer within four months of a complete file, the application is deemed rejected. Second, if you are an EU or EEA national, non-EU basic and specialist qualifications later both recognised in another member state also require individual authorisation from the CNG, subject in particular to three years of practice in that state.
Finally, two routes that exist for other health professionals do not apply to you. The DREETS (regional employment and labour directorate) plays no part in a doctor's registration, and in France the European Professional Card is only available to pharmacists, nurses and physiotherapists (Article L4002-2), not to doctors.
How to register with the Ordre des médecins: 5 steps
Step 1 — Check the status of your qualification
Look up whether your qualification is on the list set by ministerial order: the annex to the order of 6 March 2020 for basic and specialist qualifications, the order of 13 July 2009 for GP qualifications. If it is not listed, ask the competent authority in your country for the certificate of conformity or of acquired rights that fits your case. If you hold only a basic qualification, or if in doubt, ask the departmental council of the Ordre before putting your file together.
Step 2 — Gather your documents and get them translated
Start with the documents that expire quickly: your criminal record extract must be less than three months old when you submit. Have your qualifications translated by an approved or authorised translator, and ask the departmental council whether any other documents need translating.
Step 3 — Submit your file to the departmental council
Hand your file in in person, or send it by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, to the president of the departmental council of the Ordre des médecins for the département where you intend to establish your professional residence. The roll is kept département by département, and you are registered only in the département of your professional residence (Article L4112-1).
Step 4 — Acknowledgement and review
The president of the departmental council acknowledges your application within one month. If anything is missing, you are told which documents to add. The decision deadline only starts running once your file is complete.
Step 5 — Decision and registration
The departmental council decides and notifies you by registered letter. Once registered, you can practise medicine anywhere in France.
How long does registration take? Three months from a complete file
The deadline is set by law. Under Article L4112-3 of the Public Health Code, the departmental council must decide within three months of receiving your application together with a complete file. You are notified by registered letter within the following week, and any refusal must give reasons.
| Stage | Deadline set by the rules |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgement of your application | 1 month, with a list of missing documents if needed |
| Decision of the departmental council | 3 months maximum from the complete file |
| Extension if an expert assessment is ordered | Up to 2 months |
| Notification of the decision | Within the week following the decision |
| Appeal against a refusal to the regional council | 30 days |
The deadline can be extended by up to two months if the council orders an expert assessment of your professional competence or your health (Article R4112-2). No refusal can be issued unless you have been invited, at least fifteen days in advance, to be heard. If the council does not reply in time, its silence counts as a rejection: as with an explicit refusal, you can then appeal to the regional council of the Ordre within thirty days (Article L4112-4).
These are the main deadlines set by the rules. The one thing that really speeds things up is sending a complete file the first time: the three-month clock starts with the complete file, not with your first letter.
What level of French do doctors need in France?
You will often read that B2 is required, including on some official websites. For a doctor with a European qualification, however, the Public Health Code sets no numerical level: Article L4112-2 requires sufficient knowledge of French. If there is any doubt, the president of the departmental council can interview you, and a check can be carried out by a doctor appointed by the head of the regional health agency (ARS). Your file must include any evidence of your language skills (Article R4112-1, 7°). A B2 level does appear in an order of 27 October 2014, but it only covers certain individual authorisations to practise: those for doctors who trained outside the European Union and sit the knowledge verification exams, and those for EU graduates who are not nationals of an EU or EEA country. It does not apply to registration with a European qualification.
In practice, include anything that shows your command of French: a language certificate (DELF, TCF…) can be part of it, as can studies completed in French or work experience in a French-speaking setting. Ask the departmental council which evidence it accepts before you submit.
EU specialists and GPs: how your qualification is recognised
The lists set by ministerial order distinguish three kinds of qualification. Specialist qualifications awarded in the EU in line with EU law and included in the list (currently the annex to the order of 6 March 2020) give entitlement to specialist status in France. General practitioner qualifications listed in the order of 13 July 2009 give entitlement to qualification in general medicine. Basic medical qualifications included in the list give access to specialist medical training.
To find out whether your qualification is on the list and how your specialty will be recognised, contact the departmental council of the Ordre before submitting your file. They are also the people to ask about unusual cases, such as a specialty that is missing from the list or that has no counterpart in France: ask them to tell you in writing which procedure applies and which body decides.
If your basic and specialist qualifications do not meet the conditions for automatic recognition but allow you to practise in your home country, individual authorisation in your specialty is still possible. It is granted by the Centre national de gestion (CNG) after consulting a committee, and may come with compensation measures (see above).
Temporary and occasional work: the freedom to provide services
If you are an EU or EEA national established and lawfully practising medicine in another member state, you can carry out professional acts in France on a temporary and occasional basis without registering, after a prior declaration to the national council of the Ordre des médecins (Article L4112-7 of the Public Health Code). Whether a service is temporary and occasional is assessed case by case, in particular by its duration, frequency, regularity and continuity (Article R4112-9). Be careful with locum work: under the code of medical ethics, a doctor can only be replaced by a colleague registered with the Ordre or by a student meeting certain conditions (Article R4127-65). If you are offered a locum post, check with the departmental council before accepting. As soon as you settle in France, registration is compulsory.
After registration: planning your move
Registration lets you practise anywhere in France. If you later move your professional residence to another département, you apply to join the roll there (Article L4112-5).
Getting your diploma recognised is only part of the project: housing, social security, the choice between hospital work and private practice, everyday life. Our guide to settling in France brings these together. If you want to compare procedures across professions, our guide to working in France with a European healthcare qualification sets them side by side, and our article on EU-qualified nurses shows how a different Ordre handles registration under its own rules.
Is your registration file ready, or nearly? Suxens supports EU doctors from building the file through to settling in. Join the waitlist for doctors →
Frequently asked questions
Does an EU-trained doctor have to pass the EVC exams to work in France?
No. The knowledge verification exams apply to doctors who trained outside the European Union (Article L4111-2, paragraph I, of the Public Health Code). A doctor with a compliant EU qualification applies directly for registration with the Ordre des médecins, without sitting the EVC exams.
What is the difference between an EU-trained doctor and a PADHUE?
"PADHUE" (doctor with a diploma from outside the European Union) is an everyday term that does not appear in the Public Health Code. For a doctor with a diploma obtained outside the EU, the standard route is an individual authorisation to practise, after the knowledge verification exams (EVC) and a skills consolidation period (Article L4111-2, I, of the Public Health Code); an EU or EEA national whose basic and specialist qualifications obtained outside the EU have both been recognised in another member state, where they practised for three years, falls under a different authorisation, without the EVC (Article L4111-2, II). An EU or EEA national holding a medical qualification awarded in the EU or EEA that meets the conditions for automatic recognition applies directly for registration with the Ordre, without sitting the EVC; if the qualification does not meet those conditions but their basic and specialist qualifications allow them to practise in the issuing country, they can apply to the Centre national de gestion (CNG) for individual authorisation in that specialty, which may require a compensation measure (adaptation period or aptitude test) (Article L4131-1-1).
Where do I send my registration application?
To the president of the departmental council of the Ordre des médecins for the département where you intend to establish your professional residence, either in person or by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt. This file does not go through the DREETS; the regional health agency only plays a part, if at all, in checking your French.
How long does the Ordre have to reply?
The departmental council acknowledges receipt within one month, then decides within three months of receiving the complete file. This can be extended by up to two months if an expert assessment is ordered. If there is no reply in time, the application is deemed rejected and you can appeal to the regional council within thirty days.
Do I need B2 French to register with the Ordre des médecins?
The law sets no numerical level for a doctor with a European qualification: it requires sufficient knowledge of French (Article L4112-2 of the Public Health Code). A B2 level does appear in a 2014 order, but it only covers certain individual authorisations to practise (notably for doctors who trained outside the EU), not registration with a European qualification. Include anything that shows your command of French, and ask the departmental council which evidence it accepts.
Will my specialty be recognised in France?
If your specialist qualification, awarded in the EU in line with EU law, is on the list set by ministerial order (currently the annex to the order of 6 March 2020), it gives entitlement to specialist status in France. If it is not, or if your specialty has no counterpart in France, ask the departmental council of the Ordre before you submit your file.
My EU qualification is not on the list. What should I do?
First ask the competent authority in your country for a certificate confirming that your training meets EU requirements or is covered by acquired rights. If it does not, and your basic and specialist qualifications allow you to practise in your home country, you can apply to the Centre national de gestion for individual authorisation in that specialty, which may involve an adaptation period or an aptitude test. In other cases, ask the departmental council of the Ordre.
Can I use the European Professional Card?
No. In France, the European Professional Card is reserved for pharmacists, nurses and physiotherapists (Article L4002-2 of the Public Health Code). Doctors go through registration with the Ordre.
Can I work in France temporarily without registering with the Ordre?
Yes, if you are an EU or EEA national established and lawfully practising in another member state: the freedom to provide services lets you carry out professional acts in France on a temporary and occasional basis, without registering, after a prior declaration to the national council of the Ordre des médecins (Articles L4112-7 and R4112-9 of the Public Health Code). Be careful with locum work: the code of medical ethics reserves replacing a doctor for a colleague registered with the Ordre or a student meeting certain conditions (Article R4127-65); check with the departmental council before accepting a locum post. As soon as you settle in France, registration is compulsory.
What is a certificate of conformity?
It is a certificate from the competent authority in your country confirming that your training meets EU requirements and that your qualification is treated as equivalent to the listed ones. It is required if your qualification is not on the list set by ministerial order; if it is listed, check with the departmental council whether they ask for it.
Official sources
- Conseil national de l'Ordre des médecins — Registering with the Ordre (in French)
- Public Health Code, Article L4131-1 — qualifications giving access to medicine (in French)
- Public Health Code, Article R4112-1 — registration documents (in French)
- Public Health Code, Article L4112-3 — decision deadline (in French)
- Order of 6 March 2020 — lists of basic and specialist medical qualifications (in French)
- Order of 13 July 2009 — general practitioner qualifications (in French)
- Centre national de gestion — authorisations to practise for doctors (in French)
- Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications — EUR-Lex