Your OFII Medical Visit: What to Expect at the Appointment

Before you can complete your integration contract and get on with life in France, there is one more box to tick: the OFII medical visit. It sounds more daunting than it actually is. You are not being poked, prodded, or put through an interrogation. The whole thing took me about 30 minutes from walking through the door to walking back out onto the street. Here is what actually happens.

Note: I completed this visit in 2020. The process described here reflects that experience. The location and exact steps may have changed since then. See the flag above.

How to Get There

Your convocation letter will include the address. In 2020, the visit took place in Montrouge, just south of Paris. If you are coming from the city, line 13 takes you almost all the way there.

I arrived 20 minutes early, fully expecting to queue outside. There was no line and they let me in early. Arrive on time or a little ahead, but do not stress if you cannot manage it.

What Happens When You Arrive

You pass through a metal detector at the entrance and a wand is swiped over your body. Once cleared, you head to the front desk to present your convocation letter and passport. The receptionist already has your file neatly prepared behind the glass. She guides you through a door next to the desk, where a second person takes your details and hands you a mental health questionnaire to fill out while you wait.

Note: During my visit in 2020, a temperature check was carried out at this point as a Covid precaution. This is no longer standard procedure.

The Four Specialists

You move through four appointments in sequence. Here is what each one involves.

Specialist One: Weight, Height, and Health History

The first specialist brings you into a room to take your weight and height measurements. You are then asked a series of questions about your health history, with a particular focus on tuberculosis. Everything gets entered into an online form and then you are sent back to the waiting area.

Specialist Two: Eye Exam

A simple eye chart test. No glaucoma check, nothing invasive. I removed my glasses for it. You read a few lines from the chart at the other end of the room, the specialist makes a note on your dossier, and that is that.

 Specialist Three: Chest X-Ray

This one catch people off guard, so it is worth knowing what to expect beforehand. You are taken to a small changing area with two doors: enter through one, exit through the other. On the wall there is a picture showing that you need to remove clothing from the waist up. The technician will come and get you when the machine is ready.

I paused to ask about my piercings before going in. No, I did not need to remove them. You are brought to a large x-ray machine, asked to face a white panel with paper draped over it, and hold a lead apron at your waist. Press your chest against the board, turn your head to the side. The technician takes the images and dismisses you to get dressed. Then it is back to the waiting area.

Note: As of mid-2024, the chest x-ray step appears to have been removed for most nationalities and locations across France. Multiple people who had their appointments in 2024 and 2025 reported no x-ray was required — just height, weight, blood pressure, and a medical history conversation. Your convocation letter may still mention bringing past x-ray records or TB documentation as a precaution, but this is different from having one done on the day. Check your own convocation letter for what is currently required, as this may vary by département.

Specialist Four: Full Medical Interview

The final appointment is the most thorough. A physician asks a broader range of questions about your medical history, as well as your current living situation: job, family, how you are settling in. I brought a short, translated summary of my medical history to help move things along. He looked it over, thanked me for it, and told me he would only be in touch if something came up on the x-rays.

When he finished entering everything into the system, he signed two medical attestations and told me to collect them at the front desk on my way out.

Overall: What to Expect

I walked in expecting to be poked and prodded by a stern doctor in a very beige room. The reality was much calmer. The building has a certain vintage charm, let us say, but the staff were efficient and helpful throughout. Because my French was solid, I moved through the steps quickly. Four different people, four different questions, about 30 minutes total. I genuinely spent more time on the metro getting there than I did inside the building.

Resources

OFII official website