Brexit, the UK’s exit from the EU, has changed how British medical qualifications are recognized in France. British doctors are now classified as non-EU qualified practitioners, known as praticiens diplômés hors Union européenne (PADHUE), a regulatory category for physicians holding medical degrees obtained outside the EU. Consequently, they must follow the procedures required of doctors trained outside the EU to obtain authorization to practice in France. Before Brexit, UK medical degrees were recognized across the EU under mutual recognition rules, allowing physicians to work in other European countries without additional competency assessments.

Doctors Who Began Their Studies Before Brexit

However, there is a concern for doctors who begin their medical studies before Brexit but complete them afterward. To date, they have been treated as PADHUE, a situation that some lawmakers consider unfair. Member of Parliament Vincent Caure of Ensemble pour la République introduced a bill on November 18, 2025, to facilitate medical practice in France for physicians who obtained their degrees in the UK before Brexit. The proposal, signed by 90 other members of parliament, was considered by the National Assembly on February 16 and adopted the same day.

Thousands of British Doctors Barred in France

According to the explanatory memorandum accompanying the bill, “thousands of practitioners who began their medical studies in the UK before Brexit are prohibited from practicing in France.” Since Brexit took effect on January 1, 2021, EU member states have required UK doctors to follow the PADHUE procedure in France, including passing anonymous knowledge verification examinations and completing a competency consolidation period corresponding to their specialties.

The bill states that this situation creates difficulties for young physicians who began medical training in the UK before December 31, 2020, but obtained their degrees afterward. Although their training met European requirements when they were enrolled, changes in their legal status have prevented them from practicing in France.

Responding to Health System Needs

To address this issue, the bill expanded the list of qualifications that allowed physicians to practice in France to include degrees awarded in the UK to physicians who began their training before December 31, 2020. Lawmakers stated that the measure would offer these physicians a simplified pathway to recognition and could also help address health system needs, particularly in areas facing physician shortages.

During the debate in the National Assembly, lawmakers added a provision requiring the government to submit a report to parliament within 6 months of the implementation of the law. The report analyzes the administrative and economic difficulties faced by physicians holding medical degrees issued outside the EU and examines the consequences of these barriers for practitioners while proposing possible measures to address them.

Another Senate Proposal

This bill complements another proposal introduced in June 2025 by Senator Jean-Yves Roux of the Radical Party of the Left. Similar to Caure’s proposal, Roux’s bill seeks to expand the list of qualifications that allows physicians to practice in France to include qualifications awarded in the UK to physicians who began their training before December 31, 2020. This measure aimed to address the transitional situation faced by these physicians while respecting the regulatory framework that existed prior to Brexit.

Currently, the Senate proposal has not been examined by the Senate or the National Assembly.

For a broader perspective on practicing medicine across borders, see Medscape’s dossier “Expat MD: The Ultimate Guide to Working Abroad,” which features insights from physicians in the UK, Europe, the Americas, and Australia, as well as survey data from more than 1200 doctors worldwide. 

This story was translated from Univadis France, part of the Medscape Professional Network.