Are you a nurse who qualified in a European Union country and want to work in France? If your qualification is that of a nurse responsible for general care and meets Directive 2005/36/EC, it benefits from automatic recognition: no assessment of your training content, no compensation measure, no DREETS and no ARS. You apply directly to be entered on the register of the departmental council of the Ordre des infirmiers (the French nursing regulator), which decides within 3 months at most of receiving a complete file (extendable by 2 months if an expert assessment is ordered). If your qualification does not meet these conditions but allows you to practise lawfully as a nurse responsible for general care in your country, another route exists: an individual authorisation to practise. This guide walks you through each step.
Automatic recognition: which qualification does it cover?
Directive 2005/36/EC provides automatic recognition for a handful of professions whose minimum training is harmonised across Europe. For nurses, it does not cover "any nursing diploma": it covers the qualification of nurse responsible for general care, the one that corresponds in France to the state nursing diploma.
Under French law, Article L4311-3 of the Public Health Code opens this route mainly in three situations:
- your qualification appears, for your country, on the list of compliant qualifications (Annex V, point 5.2.2, of the Directive: each country has its own titles and its own reference date);
- your qualification comes with a certificate from your country's authority confirming that it attests training that meets EU requirements;
- for older training, your qualification is covered by a certificate of acquired rights.
The same article also sets specific rules for some older qualifications from a few countries, each with its own conditions (most often, a certificate of effective practice issued by that country). If your qualification is an older one, check with your country's competent authority and with the departmental council of the Ordre.
Physiotherapists, occupational therapists and healthcare assistants do not benefit from automatic recognition: they fall under the Directive's general system and must obtain an individual authorisation to practise, issued by the regional prefect after the opinion of a committee. A nurse holding a compliant qualification is in a different position: they apply directly for registration with the Ordre.
Not sure yet whether your qualification falls under automatic recognition? Suxens helps you check and prepare a complete file. Join the waiting list →
Who handles your application? The departmental council of the Ordre
If your qualification is compliant, your point of contact is the departmental council of the Ordre des infirmiers for the département where you will have your professional residence. Neither the ARS nor the DREETS recognises your qualification or decides on your registration. If your qualification does not meet the Directive's conditions but allows you to practise lawfully in your country, your case falls under an individual authorisation to practise, issued by the regional prefect after the opinion of the nursing committee (see below).
Registration on the register is compulsory whether you work as an employee or self-employed. You are entered on a single departmental list, and that registration does not limit where in France you can practise.
The procedure step by step
Step 1 — Check your qualification
Start by checking that your qualification appears, for your country, in Annex V, point 5.2.2, of the Directive, and look at the reference date given for your country. If your training began before that date and does not meet EU requirements, the route is acquired rights: a certificate from your country confirming at least three consecutive years of effective and lawful practice during the five years before it was issued. If your qualification is not on the list, ask your country's competent authority whether it can issue a certificate of conformity. If in doubt, also ask the departmental council of the Ordre.
Step 2 — Gather the documents
The documents for a registration application are set by Article R4112-1 of the Public Health Code, which Article R4311-52 applies to nurses:
| Document | When to provide it | What it is and who issues it |
|---|---|---|
| Identity document | Always | A copy of a currently valid identity document (for example, identity card or passport). |
| Proof of nationality | Where applicable | An official document proving your nationality. The text requires it "where applicable" without saying when: the departmental council will tell you if it needs one. |
| Copy of your nursing qualification | Always | A copy of your qualification as a nurse responsible for general care. 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 conformity | Only if your qualification is not on the European list | The list: for each country, the nursing qualifications recognised automatically are set out in Annex V, point 5.2.2, of Directive 2005/36/EC. If yours is not there but meets the European rules, the competent authority of the country that issued it gives you a certificate confirming this (Article L4311-3, in French). |
| Certificate of acquired rights | Only if your training began before your country's reference date and does not meet the European rules | The reference date is given for each country in the same list (column "Reference date"). What counts is the date your training started. The certificate, issued by the competent authority of your country, confirms that you actually and lawfully practised as a nurse responsible for general care for at least 3 consecutive years during the 5 years before it was issued. |
| Certificates for certain older qualifications | Only for certain older qualifications (former Czechoslovakia, former USSR, former Yugoslavia, Poland, Romania) | Specific certificates provided for these qualifications by Article L4311-3 (in French). Ask the competent authority of your country. |
| Copy of your authorisation to practise | Only if your qualification does not comply and you first obtained the regional prefect's authorisation | The prefect's decision authorising you to practise in France. |
| 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 of the country you are coming from (or an equivalent document). |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| Evidence of your French | Always | Any document showing that you have the knowledge of French needed to practise (the text says "any evidence"). The law sets no level: ask the departmental council what it expects. |
| CV | Always | A curriculum vitae, in any format. |
Where applicable, your qualification comes with a French translation made by a translator approved by the French courts or authorised to work with the judicial or administrative authorities of a European Union or European Economic Area state. See our article on translations.
The criminal record extract must be less than 3 months old when you submit your file, so do not request it too early.
Step 3 — Submit your application to the departmental council
The registration application is handed in, or sent by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt, to the president of the departmental council of the Ordre for the département of your professional residence. The Ordre also offers online submission through its members' area. The president of the departmental council acknowledges receipt within one month and tells you which documents are missing; the council decides within 3 months at most of receiving the complete file.
Step 4 — Register your qualification
Before you start practising, you register your qualification, free of charge, with the office or body designated by the Minister of Health. Nobody may practise as a nurse without this registration and without being entered on the Ordre's register.
Timelines: what the law sets
| Stage | Timeline set by law |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgement of receipt by the departmental council (with the list of missing documents) | 1 month |
| Decision on registration | 3 months at most from the complete file (extendable by 2 months at most if an expert assessment is ordered, never to check your qualifications) |
How long it takes to obtain documents in your country and to have them translated varies: start the procedure as soon as you begin looking for a job, without waiting for a signed contract. A complete file from the outset is the best way to start the decision clock.
French: enough knowledge to practise
To work as a nurse in France, you must have the French language knowledge needed to practise the profession (Article L4311-17 of the Public Health Code). Your registration file includes any evidence that shows it; the law sets no numerical level, and the check, carried out once your qualification has been recognised, is proportionate to the work you will do.
Ask the departmental council of the Ordre which evidence it expects, and work on your professional French alongside your file: handovers, conversations with patients and families, care vocabulary. It will also make it easier to settle into your team.
If your qualification is not compliant: individual authorisation to practise
If your qualification as a nurse responsible for general care does not meet the conditions of Article L4311-3 but allows you to practise lawfully in the country that issued it, it does not benefit from automatic recognition. You can then apply for an individual authorisation to practise (Article L4311-4 of the Public Health Code).
It is issued by the prefect of the region designated by order of the Minister of Health, after the opinion of the nursing committee (Article R4311-34). The prefect acknowledges receipt within one month; silence for 4 months after the complete file amounts to a rejection. If there are substantial differences between your training and French training, a compensation measure may be required. To practise in France in one of the French specialities of infirmier anesthésiste, infirmier de bloc opératoire or puéricultrice, holders of a diploma allowing them to perform those functions also need an individual authorisation.
The European Professional Card (EPC)
Nurses can also apply for a European Professional Card. See our article on the European Professional Card. The application is filed with the competent authority of a Member State and then forwarded to the French administration; for a compliant qualification, the national council of the Ordre issues the card within one month, extendable for public health reasons. The texts we consulted do not say that the card exempts you from registering your qualification or from being entered on the register: ask the departmental council before choosing this route.
Working occasionally in France without settling: the free provision of services
The free provision of services allows a nurse who is established and lawfully practising in another Member State of the European Union to work in France on a temporary and occasional basis, after a prior declaration to the national council of the Ordre (Article L4311-22). It is not a stopgap: if you settle in France, you must have registered your qualification and be entered on the Ordre's register before you practise, including while your file is being processed.
Getting a complete file right the first time is the best way to start the clock. Suxens checks your documents with you before you submit. Join the waiting list →
Frequently asked questions
Do EU-qualified nurses go through the DREETS or the ARS?
No, if your qualification as a nurse responsible for general care meets Directive 2005/36/EC: you benefit from automatic recognition and apply for registration with the departmental council of the Ordre des infirmiers, without going through the DREETS or the ARS. If your qualification is not compliant, the authorisation to practise is issued by the regional prefect, after the opinion of the nursing committee.
How long does the procedure take?
Once your complete file has been received, the departmental council of the Ordre decides within 3 months at most (extendable by 2 months at most if an expert assessment is ordered). The time needed to gather documents in your country and to get translations varies from case to case.
Is there an aptitude test or an adaptation period?
Not if your qualification is compliant: automatic recognition rules out any assessment of your training content and any compensation measure. If your qualification does not meet the conditions for automatic recognition, however, the individual authorisation to practise may come with a compensation measure.
Can I work in France while my file is being processed?
No, if you are settling in France: nobody may practise as a nurse without having registered their qualification and without being entered on the Ordre's register. The free provision of services is reserved for nurses established and lawfully practising in another Member State who come to work in France temporarily and occasionally; it is not a stopgap.
Do I need to register in every département where I work?
No. You are entered on a single departmental list, the one for the département of your professional residence, and that registration does not limit where in France you can practise.
What level of French do I need?
The law sets no numerical level: you must have the French language knowledge needed to practise the profession, and your registration file includes any evidence that shows it. Ask the departmental council of the Ordre which evidence it expects, and work on your professional French alongside your file.
How Suxens supports you
Suxens supports EU-qualified medical and allied health professionals who want to settle in France: checking which route your qualification falls under, gathering and reviewing your documents, then preparing your arrival. For an overview of every profession, read our general guide to practising in France with a European healthcare qualification, then our tips for settling in France.
Official sources
- Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications (consolidated version) — EUR-Lex
- Public Health Code, Article L4311-3 — qualifications of nurses responsible for general care
- Public Health Code, Article L4311-4 — individual authorisation to practise
- Public Health Code, Article R4112-1 — application for registration
- Public Health Code, Article R4311-52 — registration of nurses
- Public Health Code, Article L4311-15 — registration of qualifications and entry on the register
- Ordre national des infirmiers — Registering with the Ordre (in French)