Work Visa for a Doctor in France: Expert Advice on Visa & Licensing for Employers

The healthcare industry in France is continuing to grow and many employers are finding themselves with shortages in certain specialities, especially in more rural areas in France.

If you are finding it difficult to recruit within France, you may have to advertise your positions further afield to fill your staff shortages. You may also have improved success in recruiting abroad as medical professionals in France are highly respected and there is great appeal to international doctors to live and work in France.

International doctors can also enhance your healthcare offering by bringing diverse skills and experience, a variety of languages, and different cultural backgrounds to your centre.

A foreign doctor generally needs both immigration permission and professional authorisation to work in France. Under French law, doctors must satisfy the applicable qualification and professional-registration rules, while non-EU employees may also need employer-sponsored work authorisation and an appropriate long-stay visa or residence permit; eligible medical professionals may instead qualify for the “talent – profession médicale et de la pharmacie” route.

Page Contents

• Overview of Employing Doctors to Work in France
• What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
• Nurses, Pharmacists and Other Medical Professionals
• What Permits Are Required?
• French Work Permit Process for Medical Staff
• Information Required for a Work Permit
• Considerations for the Work Permit
• If Your Application Is Rejected
• Processing Fees
• Validity of the Work Permit and Renewing
• The Talent Passport
• Arranging for the Family of the Employee to Come to France
• Our Team At Total Law Can Help Your Business
• Frequently Asked Questions

French law states: “Nul ne peut exercer la profession de médecin” unless the statutory qualification, nationality/status and registration conditions are met

The doctor must hold a medical degree from a nationally recognised university; these universities are institutions accredited and recognised by the educational authorities of the country they are based in.

Doctors qualified outside the EU/EEA may need individual authorisation to practise in France. Article L4111-2 of the French Public Health Code allows the competent health authority to individually authorise doctors holding a qualification that permits them to practise in the country where it was obtained, subject to the statutory procedure.

There is no general rule requiring every foreign doctor to prove five years of clinical experience before practising in France; professional authorisation depends on the doctor’s nationality, qualification and applicable route.

Doctors must satisfy the professional-qualification rules applicable to their nationality and qualifications and, where required, obtain authorisation to practise and registration with the French Order of Physicians; these eligibility criteria are:

• A degree in medicine from an approved medical school
• No criminal history

Finally, doctors must demonstrate sufficient French-language knowledge where this is required for professional recognition and lawful practice in France.

For each medical speciality, there are different official boards that the employee will have to register. Nurses will have to apply through the French Nursing Council and pharmacists will need to be licensed by the French Ministry of Health in order to practise, for example.

It is essential the medical professional you are employing has been registered with their relevant medical board.

If your new employee requires a permit to work in France, it is your responsibility as the employer to obtain a work permit from the French authorities.

Whether a labour-market test applies depends on the employment route and current rules; do not assume that every medical position is automatically exempt from labour-market requirements.

Once you have found a candidate who is eligible to work in France as a doctor and given them a confirmed job offer, you will have to submit the application for a work permit at least three months before they are due to begin their new role.

If your work permit is issued, it will be emailed to you and the medical professional, and they will need to attach it to their long stay visa and residence permit/VLS-TS application.

The doctor may begin employment once the required work authorisation, visa or residence status and professional authorisation to practise are all in place.

In order to submit your work permit request to the French authorities, you will have to provide:

• Information on the role you are recruiting for or the reasons for recruitment of the foreign practitioner
• Your new employee’s details, such as their passport, CV, and any qualifications or certificates required for the role
• Details of the job you are offering, such as duties required
• The proposed employment contract
• The requested supporting documents

Once your request is submitted, it is important that you check the information entered and provided is compliant.

When the French authority is considering your work permit, they will review:

• The levels of employment in that profession and region to check if you are filling a job role that can’t be filled with the French labour force; although, medical staff are listed on the French skills shortage list
• How well the foreign employee’s experience and qualifications meet the job role
• How compliant your application is with employment legislation, social protection and regulatory conditions
• Whether the employment contract and pay are comparable to similar employees in your company, and the pay is not less than the national minimum wage
• Any arrangements you have made to allow the foreign employee to access accommodation

If your application is rejected, you will have two months to submit any of the following administrative or legal appeals:

• An informal appeal to the authority who made the decision (free)
• An appeal to the Minister of the Interior
• An annulment before the administrative court

The foreign employee will not be allowed to practise or do paid work during the appeal process and will have to wait for their work permit to be approved before they start their position.

If the employment contract is for longer than three months and allows first entry or first admission to stay as a salaried employee, you will have to pay an employer tax when the work permit is issued.

The amount payable varies depending on how long the work contract is:

• More than 12 months: 55% of the foreign employee’s salary up to a maximum of 2.5x the monthly French minimum wage
• More than 3 months and less than 12 months: €74 to €300 depending on the gross monthly salary of the employee

This fee is paid at the same time the company pays their annual VAT.

The work permit will allow the medical professional to practise in France for the duration of time the French authority has granted them; however, the permit can be renewed if their work contract is extended.

You will have to submit a renewal request for the employee two months before it expires and submit further documentation to support the renewal:

• Four copies of the Form Cerfa no. 15186*02
• Their previous three pay slips or an excerpt of their DADS or DSN
• A new fixed-term, permanent or amended employment contract

If the employment levels change and the role they are in is no longer on the skills shortage list, you will have to provide evidence that you have tried to find a candidate in the French labour market.

The French Ministry of the Interior confirms that the “talent – profession médicale et de la pharmacie” residence card is available to eligible doctors, dentists, midwives and pharmacists.

France already has a multi-year talent passport and it is one of the easiest routes to permanent residency in France. The foreign employee must provide evidence of:

• A permanent or fixed-term employment contract for 12 months or more with a French employer
• Their higher education or 5 years of professional experience
• Gross annual pay 1.5x the national minimum wage, which as of 2026 is €59,373.00

The Talent residence card provides an alternative residence route for eligible medical and pharmacy professionals and offers several benefits over the ordinary employee route. It is the foreign employee’s responsibility to apply for a talent passport.

It would be for the healthcare professional and their family and applies for up to four years and can be renewed.