🛡️ The Situation

France operates one of the most accessible and heavily subsidized sexual health systems in Europe. The system runs on a dual-track model: a completely free, anonymous clinic network (CeGIDD), and a general medical system that is heavily reimbursed if you have French state health insurance.

⚖️ The Golden Rules

1. The CeGIDD is the Free Front Door

A CeGIDD (Centre Gratuit d'Information, de Dépistage et de Diagnostic) is a free public sexual health clinic. There is at least one in every French département.

CeGIDD services are 100% free and can be anonymous. You do not need a Carte Vitale (French health card) or an ID to get tested for STIs, receive PrEP, or get PEP at a CeGIDD. This makes them the critical entry point for tourists, expats, and anyone not yet in the French healthcare system.

2. The Carte Vitale Route

If you are a resident and have your Carte Vitale, you can use the private/general system. You can see a general practitioner (médecin traitant) for a PrEP prescription, get your blood tests at any neighborhood private laboratory (Laboratoire d'Analyses), and pick up your meds at any street pharmacy. The state reimburses 70–100% of the cost, and your Mutuelle (top-up insurance) covers the rest.

3. AIDES is Your Navigator

AIDES is France's premier HIV/LGBTQ+ health NGO. If you are lost, go to an AIDES center. They offer free rapid testing, chemsex support, and peer navigation to help you understand the French bureaucracy.

⚖️ The Reality of the System

  • GPs Can Prescribe PrEP: France decentralized PrEP in 2021. Any general practitioner can now start you on PrEP; you don't have to wait for a hospital specialist.
  • Labo Sans Ordo: You can walk into any private lab in France and ask for a free HIV test without a doctor's prescription ("Au labo sans ordo").
  • CeGIDD Wait Times: Because CeGIDDs are free and walk-in, the queues can be massive, especially in Paris.
  • Bureaucracy: Getting your initial Carte Vitale as an expat involves navigating intense paperwork.

💬 Anonymous Partner Notification

If you test positive for an STI, it is important to notify your recent partners. France has excellent localized anonymous notification tools supported by major health organizations.

You can use Préviens-Moi (previensmoi.fr), a tool launched by the NGO AIDES, or Notification Partenaire (notification-partenaire.fr), run by the French Society for the Fight Against AIDS (SFLS). Both services allow you to enter a partner's phone number to send a standard, anonymous SMS advising them that they have been exposed to an STI and should get tested, without revealing your identity.

🗺️ Guide Map

Testing & Clinics

Prevention

Emergencies & Support

Result Management

Support & System

Other