Websites can help you find a doctor

Many French doctors traditionally practise alone, from offices that are often part of mixed residential and commercial blocks, although more and more are now grouping together. More interdisciplinary clinics – community clinics with several medical services under one roof – was among the healthcare priorities listed in the 2025 law on social security financing.

Independent doctors outside of hospitals are referred to as libéral, meaning a professional working in private practice. Their services are sometimes described as soins de ville (‘town care’), whether or not the practice is in fact in a town or not! The thinking is perhaps that hospitals are often on the edge of towns whereas doctors are traditionally found on the high street.

How to find an English-speaking doctor

One way to find an English-speaking doctor is to use the popular website doctolib.fr. Once you select the specialism (eg. généraliste) and geographical area then you will obtain a list of doctors and you can then narrow your choice down by languages spoken by clicking on plus de filtres (more filters). Not all doctors make use of this website, but many do.

Otherwise, the doctors' professional code of practice does not allow them to advertise (eg. in press adverts) and there is no official way to search (on the internet or elsewhere) for a doctor who speaks English or who is of a certain nationality. They should also not describe themselves in an overly self-promotional and ‘commercial’ way on websites. 

However, saying they speak English is allowed as it is seen as ‘information’ not promotion, the doctors’ professional body told The Connexion. Many doctors speak some English, especially in cities.

The Australian embassy has a list of English-speaking doctors mostly located in the Paris area, but also in Amiens, Lyon, Marseille, Nice and Monaco, Lille and Normandy. 

Likewise, the American embassy provides a list of medical practitioners who are able to serve patients in English. It is possible to search this list by medical specialism.

English-speakers may find additional medical services available to them through the American Hospital of Paris, which has hundreds of doctors on its books, many of whom see people as outpatients (see ‘Find a doctor’) or the Hôpital franco-britannique also in Paris, which is run by the Hertford British Hospital Charity. See section below.

The emergency home call-out service SOS Médecins (3624) also says that you may ask for an English-speaking doctor. Otherwise, you should ask around in your area if you feel that your French is not sufficient.

The Cpam website annuairesante.ameli.fr can help you find a doctor but you cannot search by languages spoken. It is a directory of doctors (professionnels de santé) and clinics/hospitals (établissements de soins).

If you choose a professionnel de santé you may search by name, specialism or medical act plus location. You may then also specify a sector (the main ones being sans dépassement, also called secteur 1, and honoraires libres – see Chapter 5 of this guide for more on doctor rates) and specify either male or female doctors and ones who accept or do not accept reimbursement with a swipe of a carte Vitale health card (in theory most doctors now accept this).

The Franco-British and the American hospitals in Paris

Paris is home to two private, non-profit-making English-speaking hospitals serving the city and the Île-de-France. Both hospitals are integrated within the French healthcare system.

The American Hospital of Paris was founded in 1906 and is sited in the upmarket suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine. It received official recognition on January 30, 1913, from the US Congress. It is the only American-accredited hospital for civilians in Europe and receives high ratings for patient satisfaction, saying it prides itself especially on the comfort of the rooms. It has a 24/7 emergency service as well as surgical, medical, and obstetric beds. Its doctors cover every major medical and surgical specialism.

The Hôpital Franco-Britannique, formerly the Hertford British Hospital, was founded after the Franco-Prussian war by a British philanthropist, Sir Richard Wallace, in memory of his father, the Marquis of Hertford. He also gave his name to the green fontaines Wallace drinking fountains still seen in Paris. It counts 270 hospital beds and employs 700 health professionals, among whom 120 are doctors. It is structured around five areas: visceral, orthopaedic, gynaecological and urological surgery; maternity; oncology; internal medicine and geriatrics; and the emergency service.

The hospital is managed by the Hertford British Hospital Corporation (HBHC), which also accommodates the Centre International de Dermatologie and the British Charitable Fund.