How to Work and Immigrate to France as a Doctor?

The specialists that France is looking for include but are not limited to the categories below:

• Anesthesia;
• Pneumology;
• Ophthalmology;
• Cardiology;
• Urology;
• Dermatology;
• Gynecology;
• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation;
• Family medicine;
• Gastroenterology;
• Pediatry;
• Psychiatry

What are the Requirements to Be a Doctor in France?

To immigrate to France as a doctor, you must meet some strict standards. They are significantly tighter than in other nations. To become a doctor in France, you will need the following:

• A medical degree from a nationally recognized university
• Clinical experience for 5 years
• You must finish medical school and specialty training. There is also the possibility of participating in a residency training program in France or abroad, which grants additional qualifications to practice medicine in France.
• You must have completed your specialty.
• You must have a certificate demonstrating conformity with EU directives.
• Be eligible to register with the French Medical Council: European nationality + European Union diploma; OR physicians with authorization from the Centre National de Gestion (CNG);
• Have a good French language level: B2.
• Have professionalism. Established interpersonal and organizational abilities and the ability to operate in a team are all required.

Can I Work in France as a Doctor?

To receive a license in France, doctors must complete a three-stage application process. This procedure consists of an interview, paperwork, and testing. In addition, physicians who wish to practice in France must have the following requirements:

• Have a medical degree from a French state-approved medical school.
• Be under the age of 40.
• Have no criminal history.

The first step in applying for a doctoral program in France is to fill out an application. In addition, you must give information about your education, job experience, language abilities, past healthcare programs, and other qualifications. Then, the French Ministry of Social Affairs will conduct two interviews with the proper authorities and a detailed evaluation of your job history.

To work and immigrate to France as a doctor, you must become registered with the French Medical Council. You must first seek registration to do so. Then, you must mail a list of documents (diplomas, CVs, etc.) with certified translations.

If you earned your medical degree outside of France, the first step in becoming a doctor in France is to get your degree recognized and permitted to practice medicine. This is accomplished by following the “Procédure d’autorisation d’exercice” – method for practice authorization. Different criteria are indicated according to the nation of your education, but in general, you must produce documentation of your studies and career track (if you have work experience). In addition, in certain situations, you may be needed to pass a skills exam, and in all cases, you will be expected to demonstrate fluency in French.

After you acquire this permission to practice, you must register with the Council of Doctors (Ordre des Médecins) and receive a French medical license before introducing yourself as a candidate for work in hospitals or clinics or opening your practice.

Medical Diploma Recognition in France: How to Be sure?

Certain laws apply if you’re a general practitioner or specialist or received your doctor’s license abroad. These define certain authorization procedures which must be fulfilled in order to practice medicine in France. The procedures differ depending on whether or not you are from the European Union. In addition, you must hold an equivalency degree. The authorization process has been streamlined by lawmakers both at the national and the European Union levels.

With a few exceptions, all European degrees can benefit from recognition and equivalence in France. You can request it at CNG if the equivalent is not provided quickly for those rare circumstances. You must send a complete dossier to do so. Your request needs extra time.

Yet, all individuals who intend to practice medicine must be registered with the Council of the College of Physicians (Tableau de l’ordre du Conseil) of the Department where they wish to practice their profession. This is why you must choose the location where you want to work from the start.

How to Immigrate to France as a Doctor?

You are a foreigner who wants to immigrate to France as a doctor and practice as a general practitioner. You should be aware that every foreign doctor practicing in France must be registered with the Order Council of the department where they desire to practice.

A 2005 European regulation states that EU, Switzerland, or European Economic Area graduates have their certificates automatically recognized in France. In other words, if you earned your diploma in one of the EU’s member nations, you have free mobility and can live wherever you like.

Let’s dive into it for more details:

Doctors from the European Union

A European Union directive from 2005 permits citizens from an EU Member State, the European Economic Union, or Switzerland to have their degrees automatically recognized. This allows you to travel freely as long as you have been granted permission to practice your occupation. A doctor who is a national of a member state of the EU or a party to the Agreement on the EEA can practice medical professions permanently or temporarily.

However, the practice of medicine is subject to the previous declaration and must be backed by supporting documentation. Moreover, the EU doctor must:

• Demonstrate their command of the French language.
• Include a diploma from their country of origin (translated into French)
• Follow the norms of the profession as they are practiced in France.
• Respect the disciplinary court that has jurisdiction.

You may be requested to present further documentation if your degree does not meet the French government’s educational criteria. Certifications are classified into three types:

• Certification of conformity. It confirms that your degrees or training certificates fulfill the minimum education criteria.
• Certification of rights obtained. It states that you have practiced your profession efficiently and lawfully in a member state.
• Certification of legal validity. It is intended for graduates from Member States that have undergone major structural changes, including the former German Democratic Republic (“East Germany”) or former Czechoslovakia. This certification confirms that the achieved degree has the same legal significance as those conferred throughout the European Union.

Suppose you are a national of a country that joined the EU between 2004 and 2007 (for example, Hungary, Poland, or Romania). In that case, you must additionally produce a certificate issued by the Ministry of Health of your graduating country. This certificate verifies that the diploma meets the requirements for practicing in France. It can also be issued by the authorities of an EU member state or party to the EEA Agreement confirming that you have practiced as a doctor in its territory for at least three consecutive years in the past five years.

It should be noted that having obtained a DU (university degree) does not allow you to practice in France.

Only practitioners holding the Doctor of Medicine degree, achieved after three years of internship and culminating in the preparation of a thesis, are permitted to practice in France.

Doctors from Outside the European Union

If you want to immigrate to France as a doctor and you have a foreign medical degree, you must go through the following permission process:

• A theoretical examination known as the knowledge check, which is held once a year.
• Practice for three years in a medical service that has been approved for intern training.
• An authorization commission may provide temporary or final authorization.
• Understanding of the French language

While you are not qualified for automatic recognition, you can acquire individual authorization. This document is a government ministry-level authorization that is provided after a professional committee reviews it. Based on your degree, you may be required to take an aptitude test (to measure your understanding of your skill) or undergo a term of supervised practice, or both. You must also have a strong knowledge of the French language.

Exceptions are given to Quebec-licensed doctors, who are entitled to a unique process for professional qualification recognition. There is, however, an exemption for doctors from the Persian Gulf states who can receive a temporary license to practice medicine.

You can freely practice medicine in France if you have met the standards and obtained relevant authorizations. Afterward, you must decide whether you want to work as a so-called public doctor (salarié) or have a private practice (libéral).

Foreign Medical Students

Foreign medical students are permitted to pursue extra training in France under Decree No. 2017-1601, issued on November 22, 2017. However, they must provide the following:

• Foreign medical students are permitted to pursue extra training in France under Decree No. 2017-1601, issued on November 22, 2017.
• A public health establishment’s pledge of hospitality
• Their professional project proves the need for the proposed training program.
• The reason for a degree of French language competency required for the instruction that followed
• Adequate safeguards for public health, particularly in light of the practitioner’s professional skills

Once they take these steps, admission with the “Order of Physician” is obligatory. Once the registration has been validated, you will be allowed to practice lawfully and get the status of the attached practitioner. The Ministry of Health grants permission to exercise.