Residence Permit for Medical Reasons: Complete Guide
Par Antonin GAVREL - le samedi 18 octobre 2025 - 8 min read
Residence Permit for Medical Reasons: Complete Guide
The residence permit for medical reasons (or "sick foreigner" permit) allows foreigners with serious illnesses to stay in France for treatment when care is not available in their country of origin.
This guide explains the conditions, medical procedure, and rights related to this permit.
🏥 What is the Residence Permit for Medical Treatment?
The "private and family life" residence permit for medical reasons is a temporary one-year permit, renewable, issued to foreigners who:
- Suffer from a serious illness
- Require medical care whose absence could lead to exceptionally serious consequences
- Cannot receive appropriate care in their country of origin
✅ Conditions for Obtaining this Permit
1. Having a Serious Illness
You must suffer from a serious illness requiring treatment in France.
Examples of illnesses:
- Cancer undergoing treatment
- HIV/AIDS requiring antiretroviral treatment
- Serious chronic diseases (kidney failure, severe diabetes, cardiovascular diseases)
- Serious psychiatric illnesses
- Rare or complex diseases
2. Lack of Adequate Care in Country of Origin
The necessary care must be unavailable or inaccessible in your country of origin.
The OFII medical board evaluates:
- The existence of care in the country of origin
- The effective accessibility of care (availability, cost, distance)
⚠️ This is not simply a question of quality of care, but of effective accessibility.
3. Risk of Exceptionally Serious Consequences
The lack of care must lead to exceptionally serious consequences for your health (life-threatening, serious and lasting deterioration of your health condition).
📋 Required Documents
Personal Documents
- Application form for residence permit
- Passport or identity document
- Proof of residence less than 6 months old
- Recent identity photos meeting standards
- Birth certificate with certified translation
Medical Documents
- Detailed medical report from a French doctor (general practitioner, hospital specialist)
- Medical certificate describing your illness, ongoing treatments, and need to stay in France
- Prescriptions, test results, hospitalization reports
- Proof of medical follow-up in France (appointments, consultations)
⚠️ Medical documents must be recent (less than 3 months old) and detailed.
Other Documents
- Proof of income (if applicable): pay slips, support certificates, etc.
- Health insurance certificate: AME, PUMA, private insurance
🏛️ Application Procedure
Step 1: Consult a Doctor
Consult your general practitioner or a specialist to obtain a complete medical report.
The doctor must describe:
- Your illness
- Necessary treatments
- Consequences of care interruption
Step 2: Make an Appointment at the Prefecture
Make an appointment at the prefecture of your residence to submit your application for a medical residence permit.
Step 3: Submit the Application
Attend the appointment with all your documents (identity + medical documents).
The prefecture will provide you with a confidential medical file to be completed by your doctor.
Step 4: Transmission of Medical File to OFII
Your doctor completes the confidential medical report and sends it directly and in a sealed envelope to the OFII medical board (French Office for Immigration and Integration).
⚠️ This report is confidential: the prefecture does not read it. Only OFII doctors have access to it.
Step 5: Medical Opinion from OFII Board
The OFII medical board examines your medical file and issues an opinion:
- Favorable opinion: you require care in France not available in your country
- Unfavorable opinion: care is available in your country or your condition does not require staying in France
Timeline: 3 to 6 months.
The medical opinion is transmitted to the prefecture (confidentially, without medical details).
Step 6: Prefecture Decision
Based on the OFII medical opinion, the prefecture makes its decision:
- Acceptance: issuance of a 1-year "private and family life" residence permit
- Refusal: refusal notification (appeal possible)
⚠️ The prefect is bound by the OFII medical opinion: they cannot refuse if the opinion is favorable (except for public order threats).
⏳ Processing Times
- OFII medical opinion: 3 to 6 months
- Prefecture decision: 1 to 2 months after receiving the opinion
Total: 4 to 8 months.
During processing, you receive a renewable receipt, authorizing you to stay in France.
💶 Cost of Medical Residence Permit
- Residence permit: Free (no tax stamp to pay for permits issued for medical reasons)
🔑 Rights with Medical Residence Permit
1. Right to Stay
You can legally stay in France for the duration of your treatment.
2. Right to Work
The medical residence permit authorizes work (mentions "authorizes the holder to work").
3. Access to Healthcare
You benefit from:
- Universal Health Coverage (PUMA): health coverage for all legal residents
- State Medical Aid (AME): if not yet affiliated with PUMA
- Complementary Health Solidarity (CSS): free or low-cost complementary coverage
4. No Family Reunification
The medical permit does not allow bringing your family to France through family reunification (as it's a temporary permit).
🔄 Renewal
The medical permit is renewable annually, as long as:
- Your health condition still requires care in France
- Care remains unavailable in your country of origin
Documents for renewal:
- Updated medical report
- Proof of medical follow-up
❌ Reasons for Refusal (Unfavorable OFII Opinion)
- Insufficiently serious illness or not requiring continuous care
- Care available in country of origin
- Effective accessibility of care in country of origin (even if lower quality)
- Absence of ongoing treatment in France
- Incomplete medical documents or insufficient
Appeals
In case of refusal, you can:
- Request a medical re-examination from OFII (provide additional evidence)
- File an administrative appeal with the administrative court (2 months)
🚨 Legislative Changes
⚠️ Legislation on medical residence permits has been tightened in recent years:
- Criterion of effective accessibility of care in country of origin (no longer just existence of care)
- Stricter assessment of risk of exceptionally serious consequences
It is therefore crucial to build a solid medical case with detailed medical reports.
🤝 VisaPref Supports You
Obtaining a medical residence permit requires a complete medical file and solid evidence of care inaccessibility in your country.
At VisaPref, we support you in:
- Building a complete medical file
- Coordinating with your general practitioner
- Gathering evidence of care inaccessibility in your country
- Filing an appeal in case of refusal
👉 Contact us for personalized support.
❓ FAQ – Medical Residence Permit
1. Can I work with this permit?
Yes, the medical residence permit authorizes work (employed or self-employed).
2. How long does it take to obtain this permit?
Allow 4 to 8 months (OFII medical opinion + prefecture decision).
3. Can I bring my family to France with this permit?
No, the medical permit does not allow family reunification (as it's a temporary permit with limited duration).
4. What happens if my health improves?
If your condition no longer requires care in France, your permit may not be renewed. You must then either change status (if you have employment, family ties, etc.) or leave France.
5. Can I travel outside France with this permit?
Yes, but avoid returning to your country of origin (this could question your claim that care is inaccessible there).