Finding a doctor in Paris and declaring your médecin traitant

Before you start

• Health insurance rights opened with the CPAM, or an application in progress

Documents you need

• Carte Vitale or certificate of entitlement (attestation de droits)

  required

• Complementary health insurance card

  optional

• Previous medical records

  A translation or summary in French or English helps the doctor.

  optional

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Understand the coordinated care pathway

   With a declared médecin traitant, public insurance reimburses consultations at the normal rate (generally 70 %). If you consult without a médecin traitant or without being referred, reimbursement drops to about 30 %.

   Some specialists can be seen directly without losing the normal rate: gynaecologists, ophthalmologists, psychiatrists and dentists, plus emergency doctors and doctors you see while away from home. Children under 16 are reimbursed normally even without a referral.

2. 2

   Step 2: Check the doctor's sector and fees

   • Sector 1 (secteur 1): the doctor charges the agreed tariff — €30 for a GP consultation in 2026 — and may not add extra fees except in specific cases.
   • Sector 2 (secteur 2): the doctor may charge more. If they have signed the controlled-fees option (OPTAM), the reimbursement base stays at €30; if not, it is only €23, and the difference is for you or your complementary insurer.
   • Non-contracted doctors (non conventionnés): fees are free and public reimbursement is negligible.

   For a sector 1 GP within the care pathway, public insurance pays €19 (70 % of €30 minus the €2 flat contribution). The official Annuaire santé on ameli.fr shows each doctor's sector, fees and address.

3. 3

   Step 3: Look for a GP who accepts new patients

   Use several channels at once:

   • Annuaire santé (ameli.fr): search by arrondissement and specialty and filter for sector 1.
   • Municipal health centres (centres de santé de la Ville de Paris): the City runs several centres with GPs, specialists, nurses and psychologists, and has been opening new ones. They are sector 1 (no extra fees) and apply full third-party payment, so you do not pay up front. Some, such as the Ridder centre in the 14th arrondissement, also see patients whose health insurance rights are not yet open. Many appointments can be booked online.
   • Other health centres and multidisciplinary practices (centres de santé, maisons de santé pluriprofessionnelles) run by associations or groups of professionals.
   • Online booking platforms: several platforms list appointments, for example Doctolib and the public portal Santé.fr's search tools; availability for new patients varies.
   • Word of mouth: colleagues, neighbours and your pharmacist often know which practices take new patients.

   When you call or book, ask clearly whether the doctor accepts new patients as médecin traitant, not only for a one-off visit.

4. 4

   Step 4: Declare your médecin traitant

   Once a GP agrees, the declaration is usually done online by the doctor during a consultation, using your carte Vitale. Without a card, you can fill in the paper declaration form with the doctor and send it to your CPAM. You can change your médecin traitant at any time without giving a reason, by declaring a new one.

   If you cannot find any GP who will accept you, contact your CPAM (CPAM de Paris) or a local health coordination organisation for help.

5. 5

   Step 5: Know what to do when you need care quickly

   • Call your own doctor first if you have one.
   • Medical consultation centres across Paris offer daytime appointments, some without appointment.
   • Teleconsultation: a video consultation with a sector 1 GP costs €25 and is reimbursed at 70 % (€15.50 back after the flat contribution).
   • Evenings, nights and weekends: call 15. A doctor assesses your situation and directs you to advice, an on-call medical centre (maison médicale de garde), a home visit or the emergency department. In Île-de-France, call 15 before going to an on-call centre.
   • Home visits and on-call doctors listed by the City of Paris: SOS Médecins (01 47 07 77 77), Urgences Médicales de Paris (01 53 94 94 94) and Garde Médicale de Paris (01 42 72 88 88, consultations only).
   • Life-threatening emergency: call 15 or 112 immediately.

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Booking a one-off appointment and assuming the doctor is now your médecin traitant. The declaration must actually be made.
• Going straight to a specialist who is not in direct access, which reduces reimbursement.
• Going to a hospital emergency department for a non-urgent problem instead of calling 15 or seeing a GP.
• Not bringing your carte Vitale or certificate of entitlement, which means paying in full and claiming later.

Tips

• Search early, ideally as soon as your health insurance rights are open.
• If you need a doctor who speaks a particular language, ask when you book or check the doctor's profile; not all practices list languages.
• Keep a short medical summary in French or English (conditions, allergies, medications) on your phone.
• Municipal health centres are a good option while you look for a long-term médecin traitant, and some patients choose a GP there.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Official links

In your plan

• Declare a regular doctor (médecin traitant)Add to plan
• Save the emergency and on-call numbersAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 4 Feb 2027.