Foreign nursing qualification: practising as a nurse in France (European Union, non-EU, Québec)

You are a qualified nurse from another country and want to work in France? It all depends on where you obtained your qualification. This guide distinguishes between European qualifications, which are recognised automatically or by authorisation to practise, qualifications obtained outside the European Union, which require training at an IFSI, and the special case of Québec. It also clarifies the level of French expected.

Which procedure applies to your qualification?

• General nursing qualification awarded in the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland and listed on the official register: automatic recognition, direct registration with the professional body.
• Other European qualification, or qualification recognised by a European State: application for authorisation to practise with the State authorities.
• Qualification obtained outside the European Union: no authorisation to practise possible, except in specific cases; you must obtain the French State diploma through an adapted training pathway at an IFSI.
• Québec qualification: mutual recognition arrangement between France and Québec.

European qualification: how does automatic recognition work?

The recognition of professional qualifications in Europe is based on Directive 2005/36/EC, as amended notably by Directive 2013/55/EU. The nurse responsible for general care is among the professions subject to automatic recognition, like doctors, midwives, dentists and pharmacists: Member States have harmonised minimum training requirements, which means individual case-by-case examination is not required.

This applies to qualifications awarded in the 27 Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. If your qualification is listed in the Order of 6 March 2020 which sets out the nursing qualifications recognised, you need no authorisation: you apply directly to the departmental council of the professional body for nurses in the area where you intend to practise.

How do I register with the professional body?

1. Create your account on the members' portal of the national professional body for nurses.
2. Enter your personal and professional information.
3. Submit your documents: valid identity document and a copy of your recognised qualification equivalent to the European standard, with translation if necessary.
4. Await examination by the departmental council, which verifies in particular your level of knowledge of the French language.

Details of the procedure are set out in our guide registration with the professional body for nurses.

Your European qualification is not recognised automatically: what should you do?

If your qualification is not on the list, or if it was obtained outside Europe and then recognised by a European State, you must apply for authorisation to practise. Those who may apply include:

• nationals of a Member State of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland;
• certain nationals of other countries: spouses of European citizens, long-term residents, refugees, provided their qualification is recognised in the Union.

The procedure

1. Submit your application online via the demarche.numerique.gouv.fr platform. The competent service is that of the regional directorate for the economy, employment, work and social affairs (DREETS) of your region of residence or establishment.
2. Complete your file: the service has one month to acknowledge receipt or request missing documents.
3. Await the decision: once your file is complete, the administration has four months to convene the competent committee and make a ruling.
4. Carry out any required compensatory measures if the committee identifies differences in training: an adaptation period in a public or private healthcare facility, with insurance and vaccinations up to date.

Important note: you may submit only one application for authorisation to practise. Once granted, it is valid throughout France: there is no need to submit multiple applications in different regions.

What level of French is required to practise?

Practising requires mastery of the language of your patients. The professional body verifies your level of linguistic knowledge when processing your registration, including for automatically recognised European qualifications. For foreign candidates applying for an adapted training pathway at an IFSI, the Order of 20 February 2026 requires an attestation of B2 level in French.

Non-EU qualification: can I obtain equivalence?

No, not directly. In its response to a written question published on 16 June 2026, the Ministry of Health recalls that in the absence of possible recognition for paramedical graduates from outside the European Union, nurses holding an extra-EU qualification cannot obtain authorisation to practise in France. Two exceptions exist: the Québec-France arrangement and the agreement with Saint-Joseph University of Beirut.

The Ministry indicates that it is conducting a comparative study of authorisation to practise procedures in Europe and working to facilitate the integration of certain pathways. No new procedure is currently in force.

How do I obtain the French State diploma with a non-EU qualification?

The pathway provided is the adapted training pathway at an IFSI. It is open to holders of a qualification obtained outside the European Union and European Economic Area that permits the practice of nursing in the country where it was awarded.

The application file

• an identity document, passport or residence permit;
• a curriculum vitae;
• a copy of the diploma authorising practice in the country where it was obtained;
• a letter of motivation;
• evidence of B2 level French.

All documents must be in French or translated by a translator approved by the French courts. If you reside abroad, the translation may be certified by French consular authorities. The institute director decides on admission, on the recommendation of the admissions committee.

What you need to validate

To present yourself before the State diploma jury, the candidate must in particular:

1. validate the 'Nursing Sciences and Clinical Reasoning' domain;
2. master four clinical procedures assessed during placement or simulated practice;
3. complete two full-time placements, totalling 10 to 33 weeks;
4. present a written and oral synthesis of a critical analysis of the literature;
5. hold the certificate of training in emergency procedures and care, level 2.

The candidate may present themselves twice before the jury. Other pathways to the diploma are presented in our guide VAE and pathways to the nursing diploma.

Nurse qualified in Québec: how to practise in France?

A mutual recognition arrangement of nursing qualifications has been in force between France and Québec since 7 July 2011. On the French side, the contact is the Conseil national de l'Ordre des infirmiers. The ministry has clarified that the candidate must hold a diploma issued by a recognised authority, be legally authorised to practise and demonstrate at least 500 hours of practice over the past four years.

Good to know:the arrangement works both ways. Nurses qualified in France who wish to move to Québec will find the procedure in our guide practising abroad with a French nursing diploma.

Can you practise temporarily in France without settling there?

A nurse established in another European State may provide services on a temporary and occasional basis in France. They must submit a prior written declaration before their first service. Contact the Order for details of this declaration.

Once authorised, what further steps are needed?

Registration on the Order's register remains the condition for practising, whatever the recognition pathway. It gives you your RPPS number, essential for obtaining your healthcare professional card: see our guide RPPS number and CPS card.

Official sources

• DREETS Grand Est: recognition of European qualifications and authorisation to practise
• DREETS Occitanie: European graduates, application for authorisation to practise
• Brittany healthcare professionals support portal: equivalence of foreign nursing diploma
• National Assembly: question no. 5826 and ministry response, question no. 5458 on the Québec diploma
• Government of Québec: France-Québec agreement, nurse
• Légifrance: Decree of 20 February 2026 on the State Nursing Diploma
• Conseil national de l'Ordre infirmier: registering with the Order
• Europe is yours: recognition of professional qualifications