It's probably the least predictable administrative appointment to wait for. Before searching for a delay by city, here's an honest national overview of what happens across France, and why no one can give you a single reliable figure.
Why there's no national delay
There's no legal deadline governing the driving licence medical board, and therefore no official national average. The wait depends on three factors that vary a lot from one department to another:
- The number of medical boards or approved doctors available locally.
- How often sessions are held, which can vary a lot by préfecture: some boards meet every week, others far less often.
- The volume of requests in the department, which doesn't necessarily track its population size.
The result: two neighbouring departments can show very different delays for the same reason for referral.
What we observe, without inventing a national figure
Without claiming a reliable national average, the wait is generally measured in weeks in departments with plenty of approved doctors, and can stretch to several months where boards meet rarely. Our dedicated article on real driving licence medical board delays details ranges observed by file type (suspension, declared condition, professional renewal), with an indicative table by context rather than a misleading overall average.
The key takeaway: a national average would mask gaps that can sometimes be significant between two departments. The figure that matters to you is never the country's average, but the situation in your own department and the calendar-opening pace observed locally.
What makes the delay vary in your own file
Beyond the department, some things concretely lengthen or shorten the wait:
- An incomplete file or expired documents (lab results, psychotechnical tests) can prevent a complete opinion from being issued and require extra documents or exams.
- Which professional handles your case depends on why you were referred: situations linked to alcohol or drugs notably fall under the medical board; other situations may be handled by an approved doctor outside a board. Check the procedure that applies to your case.
- A recent move that wasn't reported can send you to the wrong board, costing you time.
Our article on who's concerned and which documents to bring covers these points so your file doesn't get sent back.
Collegial board or approved doctor: an often-overlooked lever
Depending on the department and the reason for referral, the visit takes place before a collegial medical board (several doctors) or before a general practitioner approved by the préfecture, outside a board. Which professional handles your case depends on the reason: situations linked to alcohol or drugs notably fall under the medical board, while other situations may be handled by a single approved doctor. This distinction isn't just administrative: availability on the two paths can differ noticeably depending on the area. If your situation allows it, check with your préfecture which of the two paths applies to you — the answer isn't always the one you'd expect.
What to do while you wait for an appointment
If the wait looks long in your department, a few concrete levers remain: widening the search to a board or an approved doctor in a neighbouring department where that's allowed, preparing your entire file in advance so you don't lose time once you've landed the appointment, and putting any employment-related urgency in writing to the préfecture. None of these levers guarantees a shorter delay, but they avoid wasting time on the parts that are within your control.
Finding the real delay for your city
For a concrete, city-by-city delay, check our dedicated guides (in French): the medical board in Dijon, the medical board in Meaux or the medical board in Strasbourg. These pages are updated from local observation, not a national estimate.
Tracking slot openings
Medical board slots open in batches, sometimes at the start of the month depending on the préfecture, and fill up fast. You can track availability in real time by department on our live map, or turn on an automatic alert to be notified as soon as a slot appears near you.
What still needs verifying
- No administration publishes consolidated delay statistics by department: the ranges cited here and in our related articles come from observation, not an official figure.
- The pace of sessions can change from one year to the next depending on how many approved doctors are locally available.
Perfecture is an independent service, not affiliated with the préfectures or the French administration.
- Perfecture observation (scan of official préfecture appointment sites)
- https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1255