EU healthcare qualification: working in France, by profession

You qualified as a healthcare professional somewhere in the European Union and you are thinking about moving to France. Before asking how long it will take, it helps to know where your application actually goes. Depending on your profession and your qualification, you will either register with a professional Ordre or apply for an authorisation to practise, which a committee examines. This guide walks through each profession in turn: the route set by the French Public Health Code (Code de la santé publique), who decides, the deadline written into the law, and what is really required in terms of French. Each section then points you to our detailed guide.

Two routes into practice in France

Directive 2005/36/EC governs the recognition of professional qualifications between Member States. For a handful of professions whose minimum training is harmonised at EU level, including doctors and nurses responsible for general care, it provides for automatic recognition. For other professions, or for a qualification that does not meet the conditions for automatic recognition, the host country compares your training with its own and may ask for a compensation measure.

In France, this gives two very different routes:

Direct registration with the Ordre: you are an EU or EEA national and your qualification as a doctor, midwife or nurse responsible for general care meets the conditions of the Public Health Code. There is no prior authorisation to obtain: you file your application with the departmental council of the relevant Ordre, which decides on your registration.
Individual authorisation to practise: this is the route for physiotherapists, occupational therapists and healthcare assistants. It can also apply to doctors, midwives or nurses whose qualification does not qualify for automatic recognition but allows them to practise lawfully in the country that issued it (for doctors, this means holding both a basic and a specialist medical qualification). The competent authority decides after consulting a committee, which examines your training and experience; if there are substantial differences with French training, a compensation measure is required: an adaptation period, an aptitude test, or both.

This guide is about settling in France for good. Performing occasional, temporary work in France while remaining established in your home country falls under a different regime, the freedom to provide services, explained further down.

Not sure which route applies to your qualification? Suxens helps you identify the right procedure and put together a complete application. Join the waiting list →

Doctors: direct registration with the Ordre des médecins

Doctors belong to the medical professions in France. If you are an EU or EEA national and your medical qualification meets the conditions of Article L4131-1 of the Public Health Code (a qualification on the list set by ministerial order, one accompanied by a certificate of conformity from your country, or one covered by acquired rights), you apply for registration with the departmental council of the Ordre des médecins in the département where you intend to base your practice.

The council must decide within three months of receiving a complete application. This can be extended by up to two months if it orders an expert assessment. There is no knowledge test (the EVC exams are for degrees obtained outside the EU), no regional administration decides on your application, and the European Professional Card is not available to doctors in France.

The Centre national de gestion (CNG) only steps in for individual authorisations: an EU basic and specialist qualification that does not meet the conditions for automatic recognition, a non-EU degree later recognised in another Member State, or an EU graduate who is not an EU national. For documents, specialist qualification and special cases, see our guide for EU-qualified doctors.

Midwives: a medical profession, registered with the Ordre

In France, midwifery is a medical profession, in the same legal category as doctors and dentists. For an EU or EEA national, Article L4151-5 of the Public Health Code opens practice with a midwifery qualification on the list set by ministerial order, a qualification accompanied by a certificate of conformity, or, for certain older or non-compliant training, certificates of effective practice.

With such a qualification, you apply to join the register of the Ordre des sages-femmes. Under the Public Health Code, the application goes to the president of the departmental council where you intend to base your practice, which must decide within three months of a complete application. The Ordre des sages-femmes itself describes sending the file to its National Council first: check the current procedure on its website before posting anything, so your application is not sent to the wrong body.

If your qualification does not meet these conditions but allows you to practise lawfully in your own country, the director general of the Centre national de gestion can grant an individual authorisation after consulting a committee, with a compensation measure if there are substantial differences. The European Professional Card is not available to midwives in France. The full process is in our guide for EU-qualified midwives.

Nurses: automatic recognition covers the general care qualification

Automatic recognition does not cover "any nursing diploma". It covers the qualification of nurse responsible for general care, which corresponds to the French state nursing diploma. Under Article L4311-3 of the Public Health Code, that qualification must comply with EU requirements and appear on the list set by ministerial order, be accompanied by a certificate of conformity, or be covered by acquired rights.

If it does, you apply for registration with the Ordre des infirmiers, at the departmental council where you will be based. The council acknowledges receipt within one month and decides within three months of a complete application, or five months if an expert assessment is ordered. Registering your qualification and joining the Ordre are both compulsory to practise, whether you are employed or self-employed, and registration is valid throughout France.

Nurses can also apply for a European Professional Card (EPC). You apply to the competent authority of a Member State, which passes the file on to the French administration; for a compliant qualification, the National Council of the Ordre issues the card within one month, a deadline that can be extended on public health grounds. The texts we have consulted do not say that the card exempts you from registering your qualification and joining the Ordre: ask the departmental council how it fits with your registration.

If your qualification does not meet the conditions of Article L4311-3 but allows you to practise lawfully as a nurse responsible for general care in your own country, automatic recognition does not apply. Authorisation is then granted by the regional prefect after consulting the nurses' committee, and four months of silence after a complete application counts as a refusal. Our guide for EU-qualified nurses covers both situations.

Physiotherapists: authorisation to practise and European Professional Card

Physiotherapists (masseurs-kinésithérapeutes) qualified in the EU are not covered by automatic recognition: they need an authorisation to practise. Under Article R4321-27 of the Public Health Code, it is issued by the prefect of the region designated by ministerial order, after consulting the physiotherapists' committee. The prefect acknowledges receipt within one month; if there is no answer within four months of the complete application, the application is deemed refused.

The committee compares your training with French training, taking into account your professional experience and any validated continuing education. If there are substantial differences, a compensation measure is required: an adaptation period, an aptitude test, or both. Once authorised, you register your qualification and join the register of the Ordre des masseurs-kinésithérapeutes.

The European Professional Card is also available to physiotherapists: the application goes through the competent authority of a Member State, after which the designated French regional directorate may require a compensation measure within two months. The texts we have consulted do not say whether the card exempts you from the prefect's authorisation or from registration with the Ordre, so check before choosing. To prepare your file, see our guide for EU-qualified physiotherapists and our step-by-step guide to the authorisation application.

Healthcare assistants: individual authorisation after a committee opinion

The French aide-soignant (healthcare assistant) profession is not covered by automatic recognition. An EU national holding a qualification issued by another Member State that allows them to perform healthcare assistant duties lawfully there can be individually authorised to practise, after the opinion of the healthcare assistants' committee. A similar foreign qualification is not automatically equivalent to the French diploma: this procedure is what checks it. Under Article R4391-2 of the Public Health Code, the authorisation is issued by the prefect of the region designated by ministerial order, who acknowledges receipt within one month; four months of silence after a complete application counts as a refusal.

The committee looks at your qualifications, your professional experience and any validated continuing education. If there are substantial differences, the compensation measure may be an adaptation period, an aptitude test, or both; the law does not provide for you to follow part of the French training course instead. The European Professional Card does not apply to healthcare assistants. The practical steps are set out in our guide for EU-qualified healthcare assistants.

Occupational therapists: authorisation, then registration of your title

Occupational therapists (ergothérapeutes) qualified in the EU also apply for an authorisation to practise, issued by the prefect of the region designated by ministerial order after consulting the occupational therapists' committee (Article R4331-9 of the Public Health Code). One detail worth knowing: for occupational therapists, four months of silence from the prefect after a complete application counts as approval, not refusal.

As with the other professions on this route, substantial differences can lead to an adaptation period, an aptitude test or both, and your experience is taken into account first. Supporting documents must be in French or translated by a translator approved by the French courts. Once authorised, you register your authorisation, free of charge, before you start working. There is no European Professional Card for this profession. See our guide for EU-qualified occupational therapists.

Summary by profession

Profession	Route (EU qualification)	Who decides	Deadline set by law	EPC
Doctor	Registration with the Ordre if the qualification meets Article L4131-1	Departmental council of the Ordre des médecins	3 months from complete file (+2 months if expert assessment)	No
Midwife	Registration with the Ordre if the qualification meets Article L4151-5	Departmental council of the Ordre des sages-femmes	3 months from complete file	No
Nurse responsible for general care	Registration with the Ordre if the qualification meets Article L4311-3	Departmental council of the Ordre des infirmiers	3 months from complete file (+2 months if expert assessment)	Yes
Physiotherapist	Authorisation to practise, then registration with the Ordre	Regional prefect, after committee opinion	4 months of silence = refusal	Yes
Healthcare assistant	Individual authorisation to practise	Regional prefect, after committee opinion	4 months of silence = refusal	No
Occupational therapist	Authorisation to practise, then registration of the title	Regional prefect, after committee opinion	4 months of silence = approval	No

These are the deadlines written into the law, counted from a complete application. They say nothing about how long it takes to gather your documents, nor about the length of any adaptation period.

What level of French do you need?

For an EU or EEA national with a qualification obtained in the EU, the Public Health Code sets no CEFR level (B2 or otherwise). The directive requires the language knowledge necessary to practise in the host country, and the Public Health Code applies this differently depending on the profession:

doctors and midwives must show "sufficient knowledge" of French; if in doubt, the president of the departmental council can interview you, and a check can be arranged;
nurses must have the language knowledge necessary to practise, plus knowledge of the weights and measures systems used in France; the check is proportionate to the activity and takes place once the qualification has been recognised;
for registration with the Ordre des médecins, des sages-femmes or des infirmiers, your file must include evidence of your language skills; for physiotherapists, the administration's decision on your command of French can be challenged before the administrative court.

In practice, the certificate expected can be more specific than the law: some Ordres state an expected level on their website. Ask the departmental council or the administration handling your file before you submit it. If you are a doctor or midwife qualified in the EU but not an EU or EEA national, the rule is different: your application for authorisation to the Centre national de gestion must include, from the outset, one of the French language certificates set by ministerial order (for example a DELF or TCF at level B2 or above). Above all, good French is what allows you to practise safely and settle into a team.

Preparing your file: the documents that come up again and again

For registration with an Ordre (doctors, midwives, nurses), Article R4112-1 of the Public Health Code lists the documents:

a valid identity document and, where relevant, proof of nationality;
a copy of your qualifications, with the certificates that apply to your situation (conformity, acquired rights);
where needed, their translation by a translator approved by the French courts or authorised in an EU or EEA state (see our guide to sworn translations);
for foreign nationals, a criminal record extract or equivalent document less than three months old;
a sworn statement that no proceedings that could lead to a sanction are pending against you;
a certificate of registration or deregistration from the body you were registered with or, failing that, a sworn statement that you have never been registered;
evidence of your language skills;
a CV.

For an authorisation to practise (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses with a non-compliant qualification), the file submitted to the committee is set by the order of 20 January 2010: application form, identity document, copy of the qualification allowing you to practise in the country where you obtained it, evidence of continuing education and experience, and a statement less than a year old from the competent authority of your country confirming that you have no sanctions. For healthcare assistants, the file is set by a separate order: ask the administration handling your application for the current list.

Freedom to provide services is not a stopgap

The freedom to provide services allows an EU national healthcare professional who is established and lawfully practising in another Member State to work in France on a temporary and occasional basis, after a prior declaration. It exists for all six professions in this guide. The declaration goes to the National Council of the Ordre for doctors, midwives, nurses and physiotherapists, and to the regional prefect for occupational therapists and healthcare assistants. Within one month, the authority tells you whether you can start, must take an aptitude test or are refused; if you get no answer in time, you can start. The declaration must be renewed every year.

It is not a way to work in France while your registration or authorisation is being processed: it assumes you remain established in your home country. If you are moving to France, the registration or authorisation route described above is the one that applies.

A complete file from the start is the best way to get the legal deadlines running. Sign up to the Suxens waiting list →

Frequently asked questions

Is my EU qualification automatically recognised in France?

Yes if you are a doctor, midwife or nurse responsible for general care, an EU or EEA national, and your qualification meets the conditions of the Public Health Code: you apply directly for registration with the Ordre. No for physiotherapists, occupational therapists and healthcare assistants, who apply for an authorisation to practise examined by a committee.

How long does the procedure take?

The law sets a decision deadline counted from a complete application: three months for registration with the Ordre des médecins, des sages-femmes or des infirmiers, extendable by two months if an expert assessment is ordered. For authorisations to practise for physiotherapists, occupational therapists and healthcare assistants, four months of silence from the regional prefect counts as a refusal, except for occupational therapists, for whom it counts as approval. Time to prepare the file and any compensation measure come on top.

Can I work as a healthcare professional in France while my application is processed?

No. Practising your profession in France requires registration with the Ordre or an authorisation, depending on your profession. The freedom to provide services is not a way around this: it is reserved for professionals who remain established and practising in another Member State.

Do I need a B2 level of French?

For an EU or EEA national with a qualification obtained in the EU, the Public Health Code sets no CEFR level: it requires sufficient knowledge of French for doctors and midwives, and the knowledge necessary to practise for nurses. In practice the certificate expected can be more specific (some Ordres state a level), so check with the body examining your application. Doctors and midwives qualified in the EU who are not EU or EEA nationals must attach to their application to the Centre national de gestion one of the certificates set by ministerial order (for example a DELF or TCF at level B2 or above).

Does my professional experience count?

Yes, in authorisation procedures. Differences in training are assessed in light of your qualifications, your professional experience and any validated continuing education before any compensation measure is required. If your experience covers the differences, no adaptation period or aptitude test is required.

Which professions can use the European Professional Card?

In France, the European Professional Card applies to nurses, physiotherapists and pharmacists. It is not available to doctors, midwives, occupational therapists or healthcare assistants.

How Suxens can help

Suxens supports EU-qualified healthcare professionals who want to settle in France: identifying the route that matches your qualification, gathering and checking your documents, then preparing your move (housing, social rights, integration). For the next steps, see our guide to settling in France.

Working in France with an EU healthcare qualification: the guide by profession