Guide · Sick leave
Sick leave in France now limited to one month: what changed on 1 September 2026
The short answer
Since 1 September 2026, a first sick note in France cannot exceed one month, and each extension two months. The doctor can go further in the cases set out in the decree, with a justification. For long sick leave, you will therefore see your doctor more often.
The new rule
France’s 2026 social security financing act capped the length of sick notes. A decree published in the Journal officiel on 13 June 2026 applies it from 1 September 2026:
| Prescription | Maximum length |
|---|---|
| First sick note | 1 month (31 days) |
| Each extension | 2 months (62 days) |
The rule covers everyone who can prescribe sick leave: doctors, dentists and midwives (Vidal).
To find the latest end date of your sick leave and the right time to book your next appointment, use our sick leave dates calculator.
The exceptions
The prescriber can exceed these lengths in the cases set out in the decree. Articles analysing it mention two situations: when the patient’s state of health justifies it (Le Club des juristes), and when the patient cannot get an appointment in a reasonable time given local medical services (Previssima). The doctor must then give a justification.
It is always the doctor who decides how long the sick leave lasts, based on your condition.
What does not change
- The cap of 360 days of daily sick pay over three years remains (Vidal).
- Work accidents and occupational illnesses are covered by another decree, published the same day, which limits daily payments to four years from 2027.
What it means for you
For long sick leave, extension appointments become more frequent. At each one, your doctor needs to know how your condition has changed since last time. Yet a GP appointment in France lasts 19 minutes on average (DREES, 2026).
Before each appointment, write down:
- Your symptoms: which ones, since when, how often, how strong they feel.
- What your job requires and what you cannot do at the moment: carrying loads, standing, driving, working on a screen…
- How things have changed since the last appointment: better, the same, worse, or very variable.
- Care and tests done in between, and their effect in your view.
- Your view on returning to work: as before, part time, with adjustments, not yet possible.
Describe your situation as it is. These notes help your doctor have all the information; the decision is theirs.
Every appointment, with the changes at a glance
DossierMalin helps you describe your symptoms and what you can no longer do, in English, and shows how things have changed since the last appointment, in French for your doctor. Your doctor decides about sick leave.