How to find an English speaking doctor in France
Useful tools for people moving from the UK or the USA include doctolib.fr, embassy lists and the Assurance Maladie website
There are different resources available online and by phone to help you find an English speaking doctor in France.
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If you are looking for an English speaking doctor in France it can be daunting, especially if you have moved from the UK or the US and French is not your first language.
Many people who have moved to France from the UK settle in more rural areas, whereas those who move from the US are likely to be in bigger towns and cities.
There are different resources available online and by phone to help you find an English speaking doctor in France.
Especially in cities, many doctors do speak some English and though there is not an official list or way to search for them, there are plenty of other options to try.
An excellent place to start looking for an English speaking doctor in France is the popular website doctolib.fr.
On the home page, type médecin généraliste for GP into the first search box or just leave this blank. Next, type in the area of France you want to search or click on the small arrow to look for results in your current location.
Click the Rechercher box to display the results. You can narrow your choice down to English speaking doctors by clicking on plus de filtres (more filters), scrolling down to Langues parlées and selecting Anglais then Afficher les Résultats.
Bear in mind that not all doctors use this website though many now do.
Also, you can usually only book an appointment online through doctolib.fr if you are already a patient of that doctor. If you have moved to France from the UK or US it is well worth registering with a doctor as soon as you can.
Use embassy lists to help
The American embassy website has an index of English speaking hospitals and medical professionals, mainly covering the larger French cities and surrounding areas.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and choose an area from Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Rennes, Marseille or Strasbourg to see a list of English speaking doctors.
For those who have moved from the UK or US to Paris, the Australian Embassy maintains a similar list of English Speaking hospitals, medical doctors & chemists.
Scroll right down the page to reach other areas of Amiens, Fromelle and Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Monaco and Normandy.
English speaking hospitals in Paris
There are two English speaking private hospitals in Paris offering a range of medical services.
Both are private, non-profit hospitals and part of the French healthcare system.
The American Hospital of Paris lists over 150 medical professionals on its staff and many can be seen as an outpatient. From their Find a doctor page, fill in the name or specialism boxes to filter the list.
The Hôpital Franco-Britannique also offers consultations with an English speaking doctor at their Levallois site in Paris. Visit their General Medicine for more information.
Emergency home call-out service
Dealing with emergencies as an English speaker in France can be a worry.
For non-vital general medical emergencies, SOS Médecins provide home visits in many areas throughout France including Corsica.
If you need to see a doctor urgently, they advise telephoning them on 3624 or +33 (0)1 47 07 77 77 and asking for an English speaking doctor to visit you at home.
An online map shows the locations they are based in.
In certain circumstances and for less urgent cases, they also offer consultations at their practices or online.
Try the Assurance Maladie website
Moving to France from the UK or US means you will be dealing with a different public health insurance system.
France’s Assurance Maladie has a searchable directory of doctors (professionnels de santé), clinics and hospitals (établissements de soins).
You cannot choose to filter by English speaking services but it will provide you with contact details for doctors in your area.
On the search page, type or select Médicin généraliste for GP in the specialism box.
Leave the second row as Indifférent then specify a location and click Rechercher to bring up a list of results for your area.
Ask around locally for English speaking doctors
It is always worth asking neighbours, pharmacies and the mairie if they know of an English speaking doctor they can point you towards.
You can also try Facebook Forums and Groups: simply ask “I have moved to France from the UK, are there any English speaking doctors people would recommend?” or even be specific to where you are living “I have moved from the US, are there any English speaking doctors in Provence?”.
One final tip: remember that you are unlikely to find a doctor using phrases like GP (general practitioner) or physician on a Google search. You could simply use the French translation of an English speaking doctor, “médecin parlant anglais”.
