Seeing the doctor in France as a working holiday maker

We can’t stress this enough: unexpected situations are bound to happen when living abroad. You may find yourself needing to consult a medical professional during your working holiday in France, whether for something minor or urgent.

Finding a doctor

Doctolib is an app that hosts all health professionals on one platform. More broadly, it is also available in a few other European countries including Germany, Belgium, Italy and the Netherlands. So if you ever visit one of these countries as a tourist, you can also use Doctolib.

Conventionné secteur 1 or 2, what does this mean? These are categories for consultation fees. A sector 1 consultation with a general physician costs €26.50. For sector 2, the situation varies depending on whether the practitioner is affiliated with Optam or not, and fees may be higher. When booking an appointment on Doctolib, be sure to find a doctor that meets your needs.

The day of your appointment

When you arrive, you’ll be asked for your carte Vitale (social security health card) and mutuelle (secondary insurance). If you don’t have either, there’s no problem. You can still get care.

The doctor

You can make an appointment with a general doctor for any health concerns. Specialised doctors (e.g., dermatologist or gynecologist), however, are a bit harder to come by so those require more patience to find one.

In general, if you have a relatively minor health problem, you can find an appointment with a general doctor the same day or the next day.

The dentist

For dental appointments, you will be greeted and treated from beginning to end by the dentist. The profession of dental hygienist does not exist in France.

If you need to have your wisdom teeth removed, your dentist will provide you with a list of stomatologists. It is they who perform this type of operation. Inform yourself of the medical fees because going through with the process.

The pharmacist

Pharmacists have the same general role everywhere in the world. We go see them to ask basic health questions and to obtain medicine (with and without prescription).

Note that pharmacists in France are not authorised to prescribe contraceptives, including pills.

You’ll be asked for your carte Vitale at the pharmacy as well, but it’s okay if you don’t have one; it’s not required to get medication.

The ophthalmologist

Ophthalmologists are specialist doctors for the eyes and vision. So if you need an examination for myopia, for example, you will need to make an appointment with one. At the end of the appointment, you will be given a prescription, which you will then show to an optician for the purchase of your contacts or glasses.

The price of a consultation varies depending on the sector (1 or 2). For a consultation with a sector 2 ophthalmologist, budget around €60.

Getting reimbursed for medical fees

At the end of your appointment, make sure that the medical professional gives you a receipt. It will be important for your insurer to have.

If you are from Québec and are still a beneficiary of RAMQ, you must fill out the form on this website and mail it. Processing times are around 55 days.

Social security in France

If you have questions about French social security, learn more by reading this article.