You need a medical opinion to recover or keep your driving licence, but the appointment calendar remains empty. There is no reliable national waiting time. Local availability and a fully prepared file are the best guides to what happens next. This guide focuses on waiting times and how to move faster; for the full list of documents to bring, see our driving licence medical board: appointments and required documents.
Why waiting times vary between departments
A medical board is not a counter that opens every day. Doctors meet on set dates with a limited number of places. Local demand, leave, and cancellations all affect the calendar, so neighbouring departments can show very different waiting times.
An empty calendar does not mean the service is closed. The next batch may not have been published yet, and cancelled appointments can return without notice.
Medical board or approved doctor
Cases involving alcohol or drugs generally go through the prefecture medical board. Other medical reasons may be handled by an approved doctor outside the board. Check the notice you received before booking, as choosing the wrong route can cost both time and money.
Check local waiting times
Waiting times by case type (as of September 1, 2026)
There is no legal deadline governing the driving licence medical board, unlike some other prefecture processes. The table below summarises rough figures observed on public calendars, for guidance only: they vary by department, time of year, and how many board sessions are scheduled.
Waiting times by case type
| Situation | Observed wait | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension for alcohol or drugs (first board) | 2 to 8 weeks | No fixed legal deadline; depends on the number of monthly sessions |
| Professional renewal (taxi, private hire, transport) | 1 to 4 weeks | Often an approved doctor, faster than a collegial board |
| High-demand department (large urban area) | 4 to 10 weeks | Higher file volume, sessions fill up fast |
| Department with rare board sessions (monthly or less) | Up to 3 months | Check neighbouring branch offices or the sous-préfecture |
| Slot freed up after a cancellation | Sometimes within 48 hours | Exactly why an automated alert helps |
Waiting times observed as of September 1, 2026, based on public calendars monitored by Perfecture. These are rough estimates, not a guarantee or a legal deadline: always check the first date actually shown for your department before planning around it.
Why there's no legal deadline here
Unlike a residence permit renewal or a standard administrative decision, the driving licence medical board isn't governed by any rule setting a maximum number of days. The suspension or cancellation applies as soon as it's notified, regardless of how long the appointment takes to obtain, which is exactly why planning ahead matters so much.
Prepare these documents before booking
Review the full guide to the documents required for the driving-licence medical board before relying on the local instructions below.
The common core
- Valid identification and a copy of your licence if requested.
- Your suspension or cancellation decision and the required medical form.
Documents that depend on your case
- Valid biological analyses or psychometric test results.
- Relevant specialist reports, prescriptions, photos, and the stated payment method.
How to get an appointment sooner
Spot the opening pattern
- Save the exact board calendar, not just the prefecture homepage.
- Note the days when new dates tend to appear, without assuming the pattern stays fixed.
Automate the monitoring without losing your day to it
- Keep your contact details and documents ready, and do not cancel an existing appointment until another is confirmed.
- Let an alert watch the official calendar and send you its booking link when a place appears; you still book it yourself.
- If truly no slot is available for several weeks, widen your search to neighbouring branch offices and check our comparison of appointment alert tools.
See availability near you
Medical board calendars change constantly. Here are a few examples of pages Perfecture monitors live, for illustration:
- Medical board in La Rochelle (Charente-Maritime)
- Medical board in Saint-Malo (Ille-et-Vilaine)
- Medical board in Melun (Seine-et-Marne)
- Don't see your department? Browse every prefecture we monitor on the live map.
Waiting times or required documents: which to read first?