Registration Formalities for Physiotherapists in France

Self-employed Physiotherapists

• Registration on the local board of physiotherapists of the workplace :
  • The Council transmits the registration request to the Shared Directory of Health Professionals as well as to the ASIN directory which is responsible for issuing your Professional Health Card, allowing the invoicing of the care;
  • If you are in an area known as "over-endowed", the Council will forward your installation request to the French Healthcare System (CPAM). A special committee of the CPAM meets regularly to ensure that new requests respect the principle of "1 for 1", namely a cessation of activity for a creation.
• Agreement (Convention) with the French Healthcare System :
  • The CPAM declares the creation of your activity to the URSSAF, which is the Formality Center of Companies of the Self-employed professions, in charge of the collection of social contributions. Then, INSEE sends you a registration certificate to the Identification System of the Business Directory (SIREN number).
• Agreement with private health insurances :
  • In 2020, private health insurances, called "assurances mutuelles", cover more than 95% of the French population. The physiotherapist's agreement with these insurances allows him to be paid directly by them (third-party payment system).
• Registration at CARPIMKO :
  • Registration with CARPIMKO, the retirement fund for Self-employed physiotherapists, is a compulsory process that the physiotherapist has to handle.
• Preparation of communication tools related to the activity:
  • Creation of an e-mail address dedicated to the electronic transmission of invoices to Health Insurance;
  • Creation of a secure e-mail address, allowing communication with other health professionals.

You must transmit any contract or its modification to the local council on which you depend, and any change of address or status to each of these three organizations.

Employed Physiotherapists

• Registration on the local board of physiotherapists of the workplace :
  • The Council forwards the request for registration to the Shared Directory of Health Professionals.
• Employed physiotherapists are not subject to zoning (limitation to establishment) by the French Healthcare System. They do not have to register with the French Healthcare System.

You must transmit any contract or its modification to the local council on which you depend.

Locum Physiotherapists (also self-employed)

• Registration on the local board of physiotherapists of the workplace :
  • The Council transmits the registration request to the Shared Directory of Health Professionals as well as to the ASIN directory which is responsible for issuing your Professional Health Card, allowing the invoicing of the care.
• Registration with the French Healthcare System :
  • This is a simple registration. The locum physiotherapist does not have an agreement with the French Healthcare System, but works under the agreement of the holder that he replaces. The CPAM declares the creation of your activity to the URSSAF, which is the Formality Center of Companies of the Self-employed professions, in charge of the collection of social contributions. Then, INSEE sends you a registration certificate to the Identification System of the Business Directory (SIREN number). The physiotherapist's personal address is declared a professional address.
  • Self-employed locum physiotherapists are not subject to zoning. The establishment is free of restriction.
• Registration at CARPIMKO :
  • Registration with CARPIMKO, the retirement fund for Self-employed physiotherapists, is a compulsory process that the physiotherapist has to handle.

You must transmit any contract or its modification to the local council on which you depend, and any change of personal contact details to CARPIMKO.