Paramètres d'affichage

Choisissez un thème pour personnaliser l'apparence du site.

Apply for a temporary practice authorization as a healthcare professional

Proposed by JRS France Updated on 2 дні тому

If you have a diploma that allows you to work as a doctor, dentist, pharmacist or midwife in a country outside the European Union (EU) and you have professional experience, you can apply for a Provisional Practice Authorization (AEP) before starting the practice authorization procedure.

The applicant for AEP must provide proof of 3 years of practice, even partial, in the occupation and healthcare specialty concerned, in France or abroad .

Having a professional practice certificate (AEP) offers significant advantages: it facilitates access to employment and allows you to sit for simplified examinations during the Authorization to Practice Procedure (PAE). The AEP thus helps in obtaining final authorization to practice.
These fact sheets also present other possible avenues for training and employment in the health sector, while you wait to be able to practice your occupation.

How to do it?

To apply for a provisional practice permit, you must have the following documents:

1. Your degrees and training

Provide documents proving your studies and diplomas obtained in your country or elsewhere.

2. Your professional experience

You must prove that you have worked at least 3 years full-time as a healthcare professional. Of these 3 years, at least 1 year must have been completed within the last 3 years. Some periods of practical training may be counted as professional experience (for example, internships or final placements).

3. Your level of French

Provide a document proving that you have a sufficient level of French to work in a medical environment.
The minimum level required is indicated each year by the Ministry of Health (generally B2 minimum).

4. Your personal commitment

Sign a declaration on honor stating that you undertake to take the knowledge verification examinations (EVC) before the end of the provisional autorisation.

You also need a commitment from a hospital to recruit you.

Additional documents, besides the mandatory documents, are recommended: resume, activity if you have practiced in France, letter of recommendation, any DU (university diplomas) completed... For dental surgeons: activity report, AFGSU (certificate of training in emergency procedures and care), etc.

You must have a written commitment from an institution stating that it agrees to employ you if authorization to practice is granted.

This commitment can come from:

  • a public health establishment (hospital),
  • a private, non-profit healthcare facility ,
  • or a social or medico-social establishment or service .

The establishment must provide a document that specifies:

  • that they undertake to hire you if you are authorized,
  • the department in which you will be working,
  • what medical supervision is planned during your activity.

To secure this commitment, you must submit unsolicited applications to the heads of departments in public hospitals, within your specialty.

If you are affiliated with a health faculty (within the framework of university degrees or masters) , you can request assistance either from the department that deals with university degrees or from the department responsible for professional integration .

Healthcare facilities submit AEP applications for practitioners at specific times via the website demarche.numerique.gouv.fr

The Regional Health Agencies (ARS) review the completeness and appropriateness of the application for all cases. If the application is complete, it is then reviewed by a committee of the ARS or a committee of the National Management Centre (CNG) for healthcare professionals with foreign qualifications.

The decree of January 16, 2025 distributes the examination of applications between these commissions according to the occupation and the specialty.

Submission periods are open twice a year for all regions. You can find the dates on the CNG or ARS websites.

The review of the application may take some time:

  • 3 months for the CNG
  • and 4 months for the ARS.

In the meantime, it is possible to request a temporary authorization to practice from the ARS, according to an instruction dated July 30, 2025.

What happens next?

If the commission grants you the AEP

If the commission grants you provisional authorization to practice (AEP), you will be able to work as a Temporary Contractual Associate Practitioner (PACT).

In this context, you will be able to carry out preventive, diagnostic and treatment procedures, or medical biology procedures, depending on your occupation.
You will work under the supervision of a fully licensed practitioner, qualified in the same specialty as you, whom you can contact at any time.

The salary is approximately €2100 net (excluding on-call shifts) per month. The PACT contract is for 13 months, renewable once (maximum 26 months in total).

If the commission does not grant you the AEP

If the commission does not grant you the AEP, or if you cannot submit an application because you do not yet meet the requirements, you can try to find a position as an Acting Intern (FFI). This will subsequently count for your years of service.

The FFI status, provided for by articles R.6153-41 to R.6153-44 of the Public Health Code , is originally provided for within the framework of a training course ( DFMS / DFMSA ).

In practice, due to the shortage of doctors, it is now widely used by hospitals to recruit foreign doctors, often before their EVC (European Validation of Compensation) and without university enrollment. This practice is common, even if it does not exactly correspond to the original framework of the status.

You will find more practical information on FFI status and the steps to follow in the fact sheets.

9 contributors mobilized

  • a mugnierAdmin
  • xavidumAdmin
  • irWriter
  • mbmlTranslator
  • niknameTranslator
  • gitoroTranslator
  • rama anzouTranslator
  • diplosamTranslator
  • kim.delaunayTranslator

Liens utiles