Request for access to a medical record (France)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in French
The PDF you download is in French — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
For a patient who wants their medical record from a French hospital, clinic or doctor. In French, the letter relies on article L. 1111-7 of the French Public Health Code, lists the documents requested and chooses the form of access: a copy by post, consultation on the spot or sending to a designated doctor. It recalls the eight-day deadline, two months for information over five years old, and that only copying and postage may be charged. Sold blank, to complete by hand. Sent by registered post with a copy of an ID.
- Made for use in France
- Last updated October 13, 2026
When to use this document
- You want a copy of your medical file from a hospital or clinic in France.
- You are changing doctors and want your records sent to the new one.
- You want to understand what happened during an operation and need the reports and test results.
- You need a written request for access to your medical record.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Patient
- Patient's address
- Date of birth
- Hospital, clinic or practitioner holding the record
- Practice or hospital postal address
- City
- Date
- Period of treatment
- How you want access to the record
- Doctor to receive the record (name and address)
- Attachments
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- How quickly must a French hospital or doctor hand over the record, and at what cost?
- Within eight days of the request at the latest, and not before 48 hours; two months when the information is over five years old (article L. 1111-7 of the French Public Health Code). Consultation on the spot is free; for copies, only copying and postage may be charged. Enclose a copy of an ID and send the letter by registered post with proof of receipt: the date of receipt starts the deadline.
- Who other than the patient can ask for a medical record in France?
- The patient, or a doctor the patient designates. For a minor, the holders of parental authority make the request. After a death, the heirs, cohabiting partner or PACS partner may obtain the information needed to learn the cause of death, defend the deceased's memory or assert their rights, unless the deceased objected while alive (article L. 1110-4 of the French Public Health Code). This letter is written for a patient asking for their own record.
- What can I do if a French hospital or clinic does not hand over the medical record?
- First send a written reminder giving the date your request was received. For a public hospital, the record is an administrative document: you can refer the matter, free of charge, to the CADA, the French commission for access to administrative documents, within two months of a refusal or of a month's silence. For a private clinic or a doctor in private practice, a complaint can go to the CNIL under the right of access to personal data. This template is sold blank, as it holds health data.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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