Did you qualify as a midwife in a European Union country and want to work in France? Good news: if your qualification meets the European training rules, it is recognised automatically, with no exam and no compensation period. One step remains: registering with the Ordre des sages-femmes (the French midwives' professional body), which is compulsory to practise. This guide tells you, step by step, what to ask for in your country, where to send your file and how long to wait.
EU-qualified midwife: automatic recognition
In France, midwifery is a medical profession, like medicine. The Directive 2005/36/EC provides for the automatic recognition of midwifery qualifications that meet its minimum training rules (Article 21 and Annex V, point 5.5.2). In practice, the Ordre does not re-examine the content of your training: it checks that your qualification and the certificates that go with it comply.
Your qualification does not meet these conditions but allows you to practise in your country? There is another route: an authorisation from the Centre national de gestion (CNG), after the opinion of a committee, possibly with a compensation measure (Article L4151-5-1 of the French Public Health Code). This guide covers the automatic route.
Who does what? The Ordre des sages-femmes, not the ARS or the DREETS
Your contact is the Ordre des sages-femmes, the body that keeps the official list (the « tableau ») of midwives allowed to practise in France. Its departmental council, in the département where you want to work, decides on your registration. Neither the ARS (regional health agency) nor the DREETS (the State's regional office) handles your application, and the online procedure offered by some DREETS does not cover midwives.
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Registering with the Ordre: the procedure step by step
Step 1 — Ask for your certificates in your country
Contact the competent authority in your country and ask for the certificates that go with your qualification. If your qualification is on the official list, two are always needed: the certificate of the type of training you followed (A) and the one certifying that your training meets the European rules (B); the Ordre calls the latter the « attestation de conformité ». Others are added depending on your path: for example, if you became a midwife after a nursing qualification, a certificate about that nursing qualification (F). The table of documents below describes them; the official list is in the order of 13 February 2007.
Step 2 — Prepare your file
Gather the documents in the table below. If your qualification is not in French, have it translated by a translator approved by the French courts or authorised in an EU or EEA country; the Ordre also asks for a certified translation of your other documents that are not in French. Add the documents the Ordre asks for on top of those required by law (they are listed under the table): its page states that no file will be examined on the merits without all the documents requested.
Step 3 — Have the address confirmed, then send your file
Before sending anything, write to the Ordre (supportinscr@ordre-sages-femmes.fr) to have the address to use confirmed. Two addresses are in circulation: the French Public Health Code provides for the application to go to the departmental council of the département where you want to work, whereas the Ordre's page asks you to send the file first to the Ordre's national council in Paris, which then forwards it to the departmental council (see the « What the texts say » box below). Then send your file by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt and keep proof of sending.
The Ordre's page offers no online submission: the file goes by post (the Public Health Code also allows you to hand it in in person). Only the CV is filled in online, on the Ordre's website.
Step 4 — Watch for the acknowledgement of receipt (1 month)
Within a month of submitting your file, you receive an acknowledgement of receipt. If documents are missing, it tells you: complete your file as quickly as possible. Keep this document: the decision period only starts once your file is complete.
Step 5 — Wait for the decision (3 months at most)
The departmental council decides within 3 months of receiving your complete file. This period can only be extended, by 2 months at most, if an expert assessment is ordered — never to check your qualifications. Before any refusal, you are invited to appear before the council. The decision is sent to you by registered letter.
Step 6 — Once registered, you can practise
Registration on the Ordre's tableau allows you to practise as a midwife in France. Without it, you cannot practise.
What the texts say. Under Article R4112-1 of the French Public Health Code, the application for registration is handed in in person, or sent by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, to the president of the Ordre's departmental council for the département where you want to work. The Ordre des sages-femmes page for EU-qualified midwives asks instead for the complete file to be sent first by registered post to the Ordre's national council (168, rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris), which then forwards it to the departmental council. We found no text that settles the matter: have the address confirmed by the Ordre before sending. The 3-month period is set by Article L4112-3; its possible 2-month extension for an expert assessment, by Article R4112-2.
The documents in your file
The content of the file is set by Article R4112-1 of the French Public Health Code and by the order of 13 February 2007:
| Document | When to provide it | What it is and who issues it |
|---|---|---|
| Identity document | Always | A copy of a currently valid identity document. |
| Proof of nationality | Where applicable | An official document proving your nationality. The text requires it "where applicable" without saying when. |
| Copy of your midwifery qualification | Always | If it is not in French, attach a translation by a translator approved by the French courts or authorised in an EU or EEA country. |
| Certificate of training type (A) | Always, if your qualification is on the list annexed to the order of 13 February 2007 | States which of the 4 types of training set out in the order of 13 February 2007 (in French) you followed. It is issued by the competent authority of your country. |
| Certificate of training conditions (B) | Always, if your qualification is on the list annexed to the order of 13 February 2007 | Confirms that your training meets all the conditions of the European rules. The Ordre calls it a "certificate of conformity". |
| Additional certificates (C, D, E or F) | Depending on your type of training | C: entry qualification for higher education (type 1). D: 2 years of practice after qualifying (type 2). E: 1 year of practice (type 4). F: nursing qualification obtained before your midwifery training (types 3 and 4). |
| Certificates for a qualification not on the list, older or non-compliant | Only if your qualification is not on the list, or if your training began before the dates set for your country and does not meet the European rules | Depending on the case: a certificate of conformity and of training type (compliant qualification not on the list), or certificates of effective practice (older or non-compliant training, qualifications from former Czechoslovakia, the former USSR or former Yugoslavia) (Article L4151-5, in French). |
| Copy of the CNG authorisation | Only if your qualification does not meet the recognition conditions and you first obtained this authorisation | An authorisation to practise issued by the Centre national de gestion after the opinion of a commission. |
| Criminal record certificate | Always if you are not a French national; issued less than 3 months ago | Issued by the competent authority of your country of origin or the country you are coming from. It can be replaced by a certificate of good character less than 3 months old if your country requires one to practise. |
| Declaration on honour | Always | A short statement you write and sign, declaring that no proceedings that could lead to a conviction or a sanction affecting your registration are pending against you. The Ordre offers a template (PDF, in French). |
| Certificate of deregistration | Always (one of the three documents described here) | If you were registered with a professional order or register: a certificate from that body showing you have left it. If you never were: a declaration on honour saying so. Failing that: a certificate of registration in an EU or EEA country. The Ordre offers a template (PDF, in French). |
| Evidence of your French | Always | Any document showing sufficient knowledge of French (the text says "any evidence"). The law sets no level. |
| CV | Always | A curriculum vitae; the Ordre asks you to fill it in online, in French. |
Documents set by Article R4112-1 of the Public Health Code and the order of 13 February 2007. The Ordre also asks for other documents that these texts do not provide for: transcripts year by year, a certificate of the procedures actually performed each year, a certificate of competences, an information sheet, a « certified » translation. To avoid your file being held up, include them, or ask the Ordre what to do if you cannot obtain them.
Timelines: what the law sets
| Stage | Timeline set by law |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgement of receipt of the application | 1 month |
| Decision of the departmental council, from the complete file | 3 months |
| Extension, only if an expert assessment is ordered | 2 months at most |
No text sets the total length of the process: it depends mostly on the time needed to obtain your certificates and translations. Ask for them as soon as you decide to come.
French: what the law says, what the Ordre asks for
The law requires « sufficient knowledge » of French without setting a level: your file must contain evidence of it (Article L4112-2). The Ordre des sages-femmes says it asks non-French-speaking applicants for a B2 level, without naming a certificate. Include your best evidence and ask the Ordre which proofs it accepts. If in doubt, the president of the departmental council may hear you.
Working in France without settling: the freedom to provide services
If you are established and practising lawfully in another EU country, you can come and practise in France on a temporary and occasional basis without registering on the tableau, after a prior declaration to the Ordre's national council. It replies within a month; without a reply, you may start. The declaration is renewed every year (Article L4112-7 and Article R4112-9-1 of the Public Health Code). It is not a way to settle in France, nor a way to work while waiting for your registration.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to go through the DREETS or the ARS?
No. Your application goes to the Ordre des sages-femmes, whose departmental council decides on your registration. Neither the DREETS nor the ARS handles this file, and the DREETS online procedure does not cover midwives.
Where should I send my file?
First have the address confirmed by the Ordre (supportinscr@ordre-sages-femmes.fr). The French Public Health Code provides for an application to the departmental council of the département where you want to work; the Ordre's page asks for the file to be sent first to the national council in Paris, which forwards it to the departmental council. Send it by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt and keep proof of sending.
Can I submit my file online?
No. The Ordre's page offers no online submission: the file goes by post. Only the CV is filled in online, on the Ordre's website; the personal area of the site is reserved for midwives who are already registered.
How long will I have to wait?
The departmental council decides within 3 months of receiving your complete file. This period can only be extended by 2 months at most if an expert assessment is ordered. Before that, allow time to obtain your certificates and translations: no text sets it.
Will I have to sit an exam or do a placement?
No, if your qualification is recognised automatically: there is no aptitude test and no adaptation period. A compensation measure only exists in the other route, the CNG authorisation, for a qualification that does not meet the European conditions.
What level of French is required?
The law requires sufficient knowledge of French without setting a level. The Ordre says it asks non-French-speaking applicants for a B2 level, without naming a certificate. Include your best evidence and ask the Ordre which proofs it accepts.
Can I work in France while waiting for my registration?
No. The freedom to provide services only allows a midwife established in another EU country to practise in France on a temporary and occasional basis, after a declaration to the Ordre's national council. It is not a way to wait for registration.
Official sources
- Ordre des sages-femmes — Practising with a European qualification (in French)
- Directive 2005/36/EC, consolidated version — EUR-Lex (Article 21, Annex V, point 5.5.2)
- French Public Health Code, Article R4112-1 — application for registration
- French Public Health Code, Article L4112-3 — decision period
- Order of 13 February 2007 — certificates for midwifery qualifications