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LIVING IN FRANCE

5 things to know about visiting a doctor in France

We wish all our readers good health, but it's still the case that at some point you will probably have to visit a doctor in France. And when you're there, you may find some cultural differences - here's what you need to know.

Published: 12 April 2022 16:59 CEST
5 things to know about visiting a doctor in France
Photo by XAVIER LEOTY / AFP

First things first, healthcare in France is, in the main, excellent. Care is generally of a high standard, specialists and extra testing is readily available, and if you have lived in France for more than three months you can register in the state healthcare system.

Nevertheless, the system and the care itself may well be different to what you are used to.

1 Wear your best underwear

Trips to the doctor in France often involve a physical examination and for this it’s likely that you’ll have to lose at least some clothes.

Even if you’re just visiting your GP or family doctor for a routine appointment, the doctor will frequently take the opportunity to give you a quick check-up, check heart rate, blood pressure etc.

If you have an injury or illness symptoms, the doctor will almost certainly physically examine you and you will probably have to take off at least your top and perhaps more. Stripping to your underwear is perfectly normal in a doctor’s office, but in general your keep your undergarments on unless the doctor specifically tells you to remove them.

So make sure you’re wearing some nice undies. 

READ ALSO French vocab: What to say and do if you fall sick in France

2 Take some money

You have to pay to visit the doctor in France.

Even if you are covered by either the state health system or private medical insurance, the system is that you pay the doctor and then either claim the cost back on your health insurance and – if you are resident in France – the doctor swipes your carte vitale and the state reimburses you.

READ ALSO How to get a carte vitale and why you need one

These days more and more doctors accept debit cards, but not all do so it’s wise to have some cash with you. The standard fee for a GP appointment is €25, but other appointments can be more. If you’re booking the appointment via Doctolib, the doctor’s profile will tell you whether they accept cards, cheques or cash.

How to use the French medical website Doctolib

3 Take stamps

Depending on your health issue, the doctor may order tests such as blood samples or a urine sample.

In some cases you will need to make an appointment at a medical lab to have these tests done, in other circumstances the doctor can do the tests in their office.

If the latter is the case, you will usually be asked to post the sample to the relevant lab for analysis. The doctor will seal it up in a sample pot and provide you with an envelope that is addressed, but not stamped. You will then need to affix the correct postage and put the envelope in the post.

4 Make your own specialist appointments

If you have an issue that requires a visit to a specialist, you can make an appointment directly. Sometimes your GP will recommend a specialist appointment, but if that’s the case they won’t book it for you, they will simply tell you that they recommend you see a dermatologist, gynaecologist, neurologist and it’s then up to you to book the appointment.

For Brits, this is very different to what they are used to, since in the UK the normal process is for the GP to refer you to a relevant specialist and you simply wait for the letter and go along on the date that you are offered.

In France you go ahead and book it. The advantage of this is that you usually don’t have to wait, and if one specialist has a waiting list you simply find another. The disadvantage is that it can feel quite daunting to be told to ‘go and find a neurologist to do a brain scan’. Your GP may recommend a practitioner, otherwise it’s a question of asking friends/neighbours for recommendations or going online to find someone in your area.

Likewise with routine screening appointments such as mammograms or cervical smear/pap smears – Assurance maladie will write to you and tell you when it’s time, but then it’s up to you to find the relevant practitioner and book an appointment.

If you decide you want check-ups more regularly, then you can book them yourself, you don’t need to wait for the invitation. 

5 Expect a prescription

It’s a cliché but a largely true one to say that the French love medication – a study from 2017 showed that 90 percent of doctor’s appointments result in a prescription for at least one type of medication.

READ ALSO Why do the French love medication so much?

French doctors happily prescribe remedies that can be bought over the counter in a pharmacy and if you have an injury you’re likely to be given some kind of medical aid, such as a surgical collar.  

For certain ailments, you may even be prescribed a spa cure.

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LIVING IN FRANCE

Why washing your car in France can lead to a €450 fine

France has strict regulations about washing your car, and failure to abide by these can lead to hefty fines.

Published: 31 May 2024 14:59 CEST
Why washing your car in France can lead to a €450 fine

For many car owners, warm weather means time to finally give the vehicle a good wash.

But motorists in France should know that washing your car, motorcycle or other vehicle at home can actually be against the law in France – with some regulation even covering activities in your own driveway or garden.

Failing to respect the rules can lead to hefty fines. 

What does the law say?

There are two levels of regulation that affect car-washing – the Environmental Code and local regulations, but both of them are concerned about the same thing; the environmental impact of the runoff from your car washing.

During summer you also need to check if there are any drought restrictions in place, as some of these also ban any type of car-washing. 

In 1979, Paris became one of the first cities in France to pass legislation restricting where you can wash your car. The original Paris law states “Car washing is prohibited on the public highway, riverbanks, harbours and quays, as well as in public parks and gardens”. 

READ MORE: ‘Drive like a woman’: France targets male drivers in new road safety campaign

Since then, most départements across France have adopted similar decrees, which cover car-washing on public land – roads, pavements, parks or similar.

In order to find the rules in your area, contact your local préfecture (or ask the mayor), but most areas now have a ban on car-washing on the public highway, with a penalty of a third-class fine of €450. 

However there is also the Environmental Code, which operates on a national level, and that can cover even your own private property such as a driveway, garage or garden.

The Code states that “direct or indirect discharge of harmful substances into surface or groundwater is prohibited”.

This can affect wastewater from washing a vehicle as certain chemicals in car wash detergents, as well as any runoff motor oil, can have negative effects on local flora and fauna. Runoff can happen from both public and private land, which is why the Environmental Code has a wider scope.

Violating the rules on discharging harmful substances into water carries a maximum penalty of a two-year prison sentence or a fine of €75,000. Judges can also order defendants to carry out restoration of the environment that they contaminated.

The penalties are even harsher if you live in a coastal area where the runoff would go directly into the sea or ocean, or if you live next to a conservation zone. In this case, fines can go up to €100,000.

We should point out that these maximum penalties are more likely to be applied to companies which have been found to be polluting the local watercourse, rather than motorists washing their car, but the fines do have a large range.

So where can I wash my car?

First, you can go to a car wash (une station de lavage). Not only do car wash stations use less water than you would washing the vehicle at home (50 to 60 litres per vehicle instead of 200-300 litres at home), they also treat the wastewater. 

As a result, car washes do not risk polluting the waterways.

They are very common in France and include automatic car-washes, staffed car-washes where someone else does the hard work or the more common self-service type (usually coin operated) where you wash the car yourself use their pressure hoses and soap. These are often found in supermarket car-parks or at out-of-town shopping centre car parks.

Second, you can look for a designated car washing area. These would allow you to wash your own vehicle manually. They have special steps in place to treat the runoff water in compliance with environmental regulations. You can ask your mairie where these are located.

And finally, an alternative is to clean your car without using any water at all. To do this, you can purchase special wipes. There are also special dry-cleaning options, including sprays that you put onto your car, leave for a few seconds so that the dirt is absorbed, and then wipe off using a microfibre cloth.

Drought

During periods of drought, local authorities have the power to restrict non-essential water usage, including things like watering your garden or filling your swimming pool.

These regulations apply to any type of car-washing – on public or private space, or at a car-wash – and take precedence over any other local rules. 

You can check to see if your area is under water restrictions by going to the French government website vigieau.gouv.fr and typing in your home or rental address. The website will inform you of what (if any) restrictions are in place, the penalties of failing to respect them, as well as offering government advice for how to decrease your water usage.

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