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EXPLAINED: What are the rules of France’s nationwide curfew?

The whole of France is under curfew, so here's how it works including the eight reasons that allow you to be outside your home.

Published: 16 January 2021 14:41 CET
Updated: 22 March 2021 16:05 CET
EXPLAINED: What are the rules of France's nationwide curfew?
Photos: AFP

The curfew came into force across the country on Saturday, January 16th and remains in place until further notice.

It was initially 6pm to 6am, but on Saturday, March 20th it was pushed back by one hour to 7pm to 6am.

In general people should not be out of their homes at all between those and any trip out of the house during those hours will require an attestation (permission form) listing your reason for being out. The areas of France on ‘lockdown light’ revert to curfew rules after 7pm. 

You can find the “exemption form” HERE and it is also available on the TousAntiCovid app.

People caught outside without a form, or people outside for any other than the permitted reasons, face a fine.

The fine is €135 for the first offence, €200 for a second offence and rising to a maximum of €3,750 and a six month jail term for three offences within 30 days.

There are 8 accepted reasons for being outside the home after 7pm

  • Work, teaching and training – travel between home and work or place of education.
  • Doctors’ appointments and treatments – travel to the doctors of for treatment “which cannot be done remotely”.
  • Urgent family reasons such as caring for a vulnerable or infirm relative or for childcare (family visits are not included in this category)
  • Disabilities – Travel for those with disabilities or their carers
  • Service of “general interest” – travel for services of general interest at the request of the authorities.
  • Transport (for example journeys by train or plane – you will need to show a ticket as a reason to break curfew)
  • To answer an official legal summons or take part in an official administrative process 
  • Walking the dog within a maximum radius of one kilometre from home.

Victims of domestic violence can also leave their homes if they don’t feel safe. There is also a hotline – 3919 – that people can call for help, in addition to the police emergency number 17.

Some clarifications have been issued:

  • Shops and businesses open to the public must close by 7pm, but other people are permitted to work later or travel home from work later.
  • Collecting children from school or crèche after 7pm is allowed
  • Having a delivery to your home is allowed (so you can order takeaway for dinner but you cannot go out to collect your order).
  • Public transport continues to run after 7pm, although some services have been scaled back

Member comments

  2. So for “travel between home and work or place of education.”, how is it that you can prove that you’re going home from work? For the “transport” reason you need to show a ticket, but for this you just show your navigo or what? My work has already said “Nous n’avons pas besoin d’attestation spécifique pour les déplacements professionnels”, so it’s up to you to prove you’re on your way home in the unlikely event that you actually get stopped?

  3. So I will be visiting my son in the Rhone valley next week, an 8 hour drive. When I return do I have to leave so as to be home by 7pm curfew or so long as I don’t get out of the car after 7pm can I arrive back home later under the “transport” exception? Will I need to fill out an attestation?

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HEALTH

The different ways you can make a doctor’s appointment in France

Booking a medical appointment in France can be time-consuming – especially if you are new to the country and are looking for an English-speaking doctor.

Published: 13 May 2024 16:52 CEST
The different ways you can make a doctor's appointment in France

You do not need a carte vitale to book a doctor’s appointment in France – anyone who needs medical help while in the country is entitled to it, but you may not be entitled to any reimbursement if you are not part of the social security system.

Booking a GP’s appointment can be as simple as phoning up your friendly neighbourhood GP, or using an online service such as Doctolib. 

It helps a lot, if you have a médecin traitant – an attending GP, who adds you (and your family, if they can) to their list of patients. 

READ ALSO Explained: How to register with a doctor in France

It is not always easy to find one. Some parts of the country are short of GPs, which means doctors’ lists can fill up very quickly. But it is important that anyone who lives in France is registered with a named GP, especially if they have a carte vitale.

As well as being the main point of contact between patients and the medical profession in all its guises, it is financially responsible to be registered with a GP in France.

Reimbursement on consultations is typically 70 percent through the French healthcare system, but just 30 percent for anyone without a declared doctor. Meanwhile, top-up mutuelle health insurance companies usually require you to declare a médecin traitant and if you don’t, you may not be able to receive reimbursements on certain treatments.

Bear in mind, it is your responsibility to register with a local médecin traitant. But, even after you have done so, you can still make an appointment with any doctor, anywhere in France, and arrange specialist treatment, if you need it. 

READ ALSO 5 things to know about visiting a doctor in France

How do you go about making a GP appointment in France?

There are several options.

Some health centres – more often in larger towns and cities – operate a walk-in policy. But expect waits to be lengthy. Do not, however, assume that your GP operates a system like this.

You can phone for an appointment. This is another very common method. Your GP will have their own system for making appointments – which may even include something that looks, to the uninitiated, very much like a casual walk-in policy. 

Some may have an assistant to deal with booking appointments and other administration. Others may deal with appointments themselves, and may – for example – operate some sort of triage system based on voice messages from patients. 

What about online booking systems?

And many practitioners are now attached to websites, such as Doctolib. As of 2023, about half of all GP appointments in France were made using Doctolib.

READ ALSO How to use: French medical website Doctolib

Be aware that other online booking systems are available. Doctolib is one of the best known, but your GP may be attached to another system, like the health ministry approved site ‘LeMedecin.Fr’.

This website also has a feature where you can take an immediate online consultation with whatever doctor is available at that moment. By clicking ‘Consultez en vidéo maintenant’ you will be connected to the next doctor who is free. This option may involve an additional charge between €5-10 on top of the price of the consultation, and you will be expected to pay when booking.

If you have any trouble with either of these websites, you can go through the list of registered generalists per département on the ‘Ameli’ website. If you use this option, you will need to call the doctor to see if they are open or available for appointments.

In terms of wait times, online systems have helped to significantly reduce the delay between booking and getting an appointment.

According to a 2023 study by Doctolib, about half of all GP appointments were available within three days from the time of booking on their platform.

Similarly, you can use online platforms to check the medical professional’s qualifications and languages spoken, as well as filter based on the doctor’s English abilities. However, this should be taken with a grain of salt because not every medical professional with English listed on their Doctolib page speaks fluent English. 

An increasing number of doctorsoffer video consultations, known as télémédecine in France. This allows professionals – particularly those in more rural areas – to diagnose less serious conditions remotely. This type of consultation is usually only available from those medical practices that are attached to online booking systems. 

Some pharmacies have also begun offering walk-in télémedicine consults, using ‘Medadom’ machines. More information here.

What about specialists?

In France, you book your own consultations with specialists, even if you are referred by a doctor (your GP may offer a recommendation, but won’t always). The good news is that many specialists do use online booking services. Those that do not usually have assistants to take care of the appointments.

READ ALSO: Urgent care: How to get non-emergency medical treatment in France

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