The rate of sexually transmitted infections has been rising each year since the Covid-19 pandemic
Anyone registered with the French healthcare system can go to a medical testing laboratory and ask for an STI test without first going to their GPJeanLucIchard/Shutterstock
The rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has been rising each year since the Covid-19 pandemic. In response, the French public health authority introduced a screening programme in 2022, which it reinforced in September 2024.
Under the state programme, called Mon test IST (My STI test), anyone registered with the French healthcare system can go to a medical testing laboratory and ask for an STI test without first going to their GP.
No prescription is required and the test is 100% reimbursed for people under the age 26 and 60% reimbursed for older people.
The tests cover Chlamydia trachomatis, Gonococcus and Syphilis. You can also test for HIV under the scheme.
The face value of these tests (before reimbursement) varies between €10 and €50.
Completely free HIV screening is also available at a CeGIDD (Centre gratuit d'information de dépistage et de diagnostic des infections) centre. You can locate one near you here.
Mon test IST was introduced in 2022 due to a sharp increase in the rate of sexually transmitted infections. That year GPs registered a 42% increase in the number of syphilis cases in particular.
Under the scheme, around 2.6 million people were screened for Chlamydia trachomatis, 3 million for gonorrhoea and 3.1 million for syphilis.
The number of HIV serologies performed reached 6.5 million, exceeding pre-pandemic levels for 2019.
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The Mon test IST scheme was reinforced in September 2024, allowing people over-26 to be tested with a 60% reimbursement rate.
