People still talk about the “pre-employment medical check-up”, but for most employees it no longer exists under that name. Since 1 January 2017, Article R4624-10 of the French Labour Code has given every worker the right to an information and prevention visit (VIP), carried out by an occupational health professional. Only jobs involving particular risks still require a medical fitness examination before hiring. Here is what employers must arrange, within what timeframes, and when they can be exempted.
First step: join an occupational health service
Every private-sector employer must set up or join an occupational health and prevention service (SPST). A company with fewer than 500 employees joins an inter-company service; above that, it can choose between an in-house service and an inter-company service, Service Public explains. Employees on permanent contracts (CDI), fixed-term contracts (CDD), temporary agency assignments and apprenticeships are covered; pupils and students on work placements as part of their studies are not.
Timeframes to respect
According to Service Public and INRS, the timeframe depends on the employee and their job:
- general case: the VIP takes place within 3 months of actually taking up the job;
- night workers and employees or apprentices under 18: it is held before assignment to the job; INRS adds certain employees exposed to electromagnetic fields and those exposed to group 2 biological agents;
- adult apprentices: the visit takes place within 2 months of hiring;
- jobs involving particular risks: the employee is subject to enhanced individual monitoring, with a medical fitness examination carried out by the occupational physician before assignment, which replaces the VIP.
Jobs involving particular risks are those that involve exposure in particular to asbestos, lead, carcinogenic, mutagenic or reprotoxic agents, group 3 and 4 biological agents, ionising radiation, hyperbaric risk, or the risk of falling from height when assembling and dismantling scaffolding. Employers may add to this list, with written justification, after consulting the occupational physician and the social and economic committee (CSE), if there is one. Since 1 October 2025, INRS notes, operators of certain equipment and employees authorised to carry out electrical work are no longer subject to this enhanced monitoring and need a certificate of no medical contraindication.
Arranging the visit: the steps
- Check your membership of an occupational health and prevention service before your first hire.
- Classify the job: standard monitoring (VIP) or enhanced monitoring (prior fitness examination).
- Check whether an exemption is possible, for an employee who has recently been monitored in an identical job (see below).
- Book an appointment with the service, taking the applicable timeframe into account, before assignment where required.
- Release the employee during working hours and cover their travel costs.
- Keep the monitoring certificate issued at the end of the visit: it shows the date of the visit and the deadline for the next one.
When employers can skip a new visit
Article R4624-15 of the Labour Code allows employers not to arrange a new VIP when the employee has had one within the last five years (three years for workers subject to the adapted monitoring under Article R4624-17), provided three conditions are met:
- they are assigned to an identical job, with equivalent exposure risks;
- the health professional has the latest monitoring certificate or the latest fitness opinion;
- no job adjustment measure and no unfitness opinion has been issued over the same period.
And after hiring?
Monitoring continues. The VIP is renewed at intervals set by the occupational physician, which may not exceed 5 years, reduced to 3 years for a disabled worker, a recipient of an invalidity pension or a night worker. Under enhanced monitoring, the occupational physician sees the employee at least every 4 years, with an interim visit by another health professional no later than 2 years afterwards.
These visits take place during working hours, with no loss of pay. If they are held outside working hours, the time spent is paid as actual working time. Service Public gives the example of a night worker: with a 1-hour round trip and a 45-minute visit, the employer owes them 1 hour 45 minutes on top of their usual pay.
Frequently asked questions
Is the pre-employment medical check-up still compulsory?
Yes, in a different form: an information and prevention visit within 3 months for most employees, and a medical fitness examination before assignment for jobs involving particular risks.
Does this apply to an employee on a fixed-term contract or a temporary agency worker?
Yes. Employees on fixed-term contracts, temporary agency assignments and apprenticeships benefit from occupational health monitoring just like those on permanent contracts.
Does the employer receive medical information?
No. They receive the monitoring certificate, which shows the dates. The employee has an occupational health medical record, and the physician may not pass on any medical information to the employer.
Who pays for additional tests?
The physician may prescribe additional tests, the cost of which is borne by the employer, as are the time spent on the visit and travel costs.
How can an occupational physician’s opinion be challenged?
The employee or the employer refers the matter to the employment tribunal (conseil de prud’hommes) within 15 days of notification of the opinion. For a specific case, ask your occupational health and prevention service; this guide is no substitute for personalised advice.
Sources
- Médecine au travail : qu'est-ce que la visite d'information et de prévention (Vip) ? — Service Public, 2025-10-20
- Médecine du travail pour un salarié du secteur privé — Service Public, 2025-08-11
- Prévention médicale : ce qu'il faut retenir — INRS, 2026-06-05
- Article R4624-10 du Code du travail — Code du travail numérique (ministère du Travail), 2017-01-01
- Article R4624-15 du Code du travail — Code du travail numérique (ministère du Travail), 2017-01-01