Updated 16/03/2025

Country overview

There are no restrictions for people living with HIV on entry and or residence in France. Antiretroviral drugs can be brought into the country for personal use. The quantity carried must comply with the length of treatment on the medical prescription or, failing that, three months of treatment. If the duration of treatment is longer than 3 months, you must show the medical prescription to French customs.

Labor migrants

Foreign people who satisfy the condition of regular stay have the right to bénéfit from French "Assurance Maladie" (healthcare insurance) (and possibly "complémentaire santé solidaire). HIV infection is recognized as a long-term infection (Affection longue durée - ALD). Your doctor asks for and fulfils a treatment protocol. Medical examinations and treatments are fully refunded by healthcare insurance. Foreign people on irregular stay can alternatively benefit from "aide médicale d'Etat" (medical help from the State) or urgent and vital healthcare dispositif. You must usually live in France for at least three months, on a regular basis, and have low income.

Refugees

Asylum seekers must respect the three-month delay of stay in France to have the right to benefit from the French healthcare insurance. During that time, they can use the urgent and vital healthcare dispositive. People who have an international protection (statuary refugee/ subsidiary protection) are in legal stay in France and are affiliated to healthcare insurance (+ possibly "complémentaire santé solidaire).

Access to treatment

HIV-related health services are provided in hospitals or "Free Centers for Information, Screening and Diagnostics" (CeGIDD). To receive free ART, you must make an appointment at the nearest infectious diseases department or CeGIDD, where a doctor will issue a prescription (and, if necessary, confirm the HIV diagnosis). The medication should then be dispensed by a pharmacy, in line with the prescription issued. You will find a list of addresses and contacts of clinics providing HIV-related services in the “Contacts of HIV clinics” section. Free access to HIV treatment is only possible with a European or French health insurance card. You can also receive free treatment if you are staying in France illegally for more than 3 months. In this case, you can apply for public health care "Aide Médicale de l'Etat" (requested via PASS). Permanence d'Accès aux Soins et à la Santé (PASS) is a service that provides assistance to people who do not have social insurance. PASS is in hospitals and provides assistance to people who are in France illegally.

Hospital contacts can be found here

CeGIDD contacts can be found here

Treatment of people living with HIV is the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, so it is impossible to buy ART without a prescription. At the same time, you can get prescriptions for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) from your doctor and buy the prescribed drugs yourself.

If you are left without ART, have problems obtaining insurance, or do not have the necessary documents, you should seek advice and help from local community organizations. See the "NPO" section for contacts and addresses.