You have moved to France, settled into a routine and then, at some point, you need to see a doctor. Platforms like Doctolib make booking straightforward, but there are a few things worth understanding first: the difference between booking a consultation, being registered with the French Assurance Maladie, and having a declared médecin traitant. This guide covers all three.
Table of contents
What is Doctolib?
Doctolib is one of France’s most widely used online healthcare appointment platforms. It lets you search for practitioners, check availability and book without having to telephone the practice in French. For a recent arrival, that is a significant advantage.
You can use it to find a wide range of practitioners, including general practitioners (médecins généralistes), dermatologists, gynaecologists, dentists, physiotherapists (kinésithérapeutes), ophthalmologists and other specialists. Some also offer video consultations (téléconsultations).
Important to understand
Doctolib is an appointment-booking platform, not the French public healthcare system. It does not register you with the Assurance Maladie, issue your Carte Vitale or guarantee that an appointment will be reimbursed. Those are separate matters.
How to book a doctor on Doctolib
Go to doctolib.fr or download the app. Search for médecin généraliste followed by your town or postcode. You will see available appointments and can open individual profiles to check the address, consultation types, languages spoken and fees.
When you select an appointment, Doctolib may ask whether you have visited that doctor before and the reason for your visit. You will need to sign in or create an account to confirm the booking.
One thing worth knowing: not every French doctor uses Doctolib. Some practices use other systems, others still take calls. If availability looks thin in your area, it does not necessarily mean there are no doctors nearby.
Finding an English-speaking doctor
Doctolib profiles may list languages spoken. Look for anglais in the practitioner’s information. You can also search the Annuaire Santé or ask locally for recommendations.
In larger cities you may have a reasonable choice. In smaller towns, options are more limited. Sometimes you will face a practical trade-off: the English-speaking doctor has no availability, while the doctor with an appointment only consults in French. For a straightforward concern, that may be fine. For a complex medical history or treatment decision, accurate communication matters considerably more.
Can you see a doctor without a Carte Vitale?
Yes. You do not need a Carte Vitale to book an appointment on Doctolib or to be seen by a doctor. This matters a great deal during your first months in France, when many newcomers are still waiting for their Assurance Maladie registration to complete.
The key distinction is between accessing medical care and being entitled to reimbursement. You can generally attend a consultation and pay for it yourself. If you are not yet affiliated with French healthcare, the public system will not reimburse the cost, but your private medical insurance may.
If you are already covered but have not yet received your physical Carte Vitale, you can show your attestation de droits. Where needed, the doctor can issue a paper feuille de soins, which allows eligible patients to request reimbursement from their health insurance fund.
What is a médecin traitant?
A médecin traitant is your officially declared regular doctor within the French healthcare system. Usually a GP, their role is to coordinate your care: monitoring ongoing conditions, managing routine concerns and referring you to specialists when necessary. France operates a coordinated care pathway known as the parcours de soins coordonnés, and your regular doctor sits at the centre of it.
There is also a financial reason to declare one. Your reimbursement rate can be significantly lower if you do not have a declared médecin traitant.
Booking an appointment through Doctolib and attending does not automatically make that doctor your médecin traitant. The doctor needs to agree to take on that role, and a declaration must be registered with the Assurance Maladie. You can see a doctor for a one-off consultation without asking them to become your regular doctor.
Once you are affiliated with French healthcare, ask a doctor whether they are accepting new patients as a médecin traitant. If they agree, the declaration can be completed electronically using your Carte Vitale or via the appropriate paper form. If you later move or want to change, you can make a new declaration with another willing practitioner.
How much does a GP appointment cost?
As of October 2026, a standard consultation with a secteur 1 GP in metropolitan France costs 30 €. Not every doctor charges the same rate. You will often see three categories:
- Secteur 1: generally charges the nationally agreed tariff. For a standard GP consultation, that is €30. The most predictable option.
- Secteur 2: can charge above the agreed tariff. Some participate in OPTAM to moderate additional fees, others do not. Your out-of-pocket cost may be higher.
- Non conventionné: operates outside the standard agreement. Fees can be significantly higher; public reimbursement is very limited.
Check the doctor’s fee information before booking rather than assuming every appointment costs 30 €.
How reimbursement works
For most consultations, you pay the doctor at the end of the appointment and eligible reimbursements are processed afterwards. Here is how the numbers work for a typical eligible adult seeing a secteur 1 médecin traitant:
What if you haven't declared a médecin traitant?
Outside the coordinated care pathway, reimbursement drops to 30% of the applicable base rather than 70%. For that same 30 € consultation, you would receive approximately 7.80 € instead of 19 €. The difference is significant, and entirely avoidable once you are registered with the French system.
From 1 October 2026, the annual ceiling for the 2 € statutory contribution increased to 70 €. This contribution is not covered by standard responsible complementary health insurance contracts.
What to expect at your first appointment
The experience is generally more informal than many newcomers expect, particularly those used to American medical offices with formal check-in processes and multiple reception staff. In many French practices, you arrive, find the salle d’attente (waiting room), take a seat and wait for the doctor to collect you.
The doctor will ask why you have come, ask about your symptoms, medical history and current medication, and examine you where relevant. French GP consultations tend to be focused on the reason for the visit, so if you have several concerns, mention this when booking or ask about a longer appointment.
Your new French doctor will not automatically have your medical history. Bring relevant information yourself.
What to bring
- Your Carte Vitale or attestation de droits if you have one
- Private insurance details if you are using private cover
- A list of current medication, including active ingredients and dosages
- Relevant medical records or specialist letters
- Information about allergies and ongoing conditions
- A payment card
A note on medication names
A drug you know by its American or British brand name may be sold under a different name in France. The active ingredient, dosage and formulation are more useful than the brand name alone. If you take regular prescriptions, speak with your existing healthcare provider before moving and bring the relevant documentation.
Do you need a referral for a specialist?
For many specialist appointments, your médecin traitant plays an important role. A referral from your regular doctor keeps you within the coordinated care pathway and ensures you receive the normal level of reimbursement. Seeing a specialist without one can reduce what the Assurance Maladie reimburses.
Certain consultations can be accessed directly without a GP referral, including specific gynaecological and ophthalmological care, certain psychiatric consultations for patients aged 16 to 25, and most dental care. Before booking a specialist, check whether a referral is needed for your situation.
What to do if you need a doctor urgently
Doctolib is for planned appointments. For a medical emergency, call 15 (SAMU) or 112 (the European emergency number). For urgent but non-life-threatening concerns, ask your local pharmacy for guidance or look for a médecin de garde or maison médicale de garde in your area. Calling 15 can also help direct you to the appropriate service when you are unsure.
Should you find a doctor before you need one?
We would recommend researching your options early. Healthcare tends to sit near the bottom of the moving-to-France list, and that is understandable when there is so much else to organise. But it can be considerably harder to start looking for a doctor when you already need one.
You do not necessarily need to declare a médecin traitant immediately, particularly if you are still waiting for French healthcare registration. But knowing which practices are nearby, whether they are accepting new patients and how to access care if you need it is genuinely useful from day one.
A beautiful house in the countryside may seem perfect when you are viewing it. But if you need regular medical appointments and the nearest suitable doctor is a long drive away, that can become a real inconvenience. Healthcare access is part of understanding what ordinary life in a location actually looks like.
And remember: three things are entirely separate.
Booking an appointment. Being covered by French healthcare. Declaring a regular doctor.
You do not need to have completed all three before seeking medical care. But understanding how they fit together will make your first months in France considerably easier.
Frequently asked questions about seeing a doctor in France
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