Save Money on Health with Medical Tourism in France

Seamless Medical Tourism in France – Your Guide to French medical Specialists

Medical Tourism in France isn't a medical hot spot, but every year around 230,000 out-of-towners check into French hospitals, which generating an estimated $ 1.8–2.2 billion in medical tourism revenue. They come for straight-ahead quality care, like Cancer, Heart, and Joint Programs ranked in the world’s top three, prices far below the U.S., and wait times shorter than most EU public systems.

Add the ease of a Schengen visa and a train network that puts the best clinics a two-hour ride from Paris, and you get care that feels like a side trip, not a sales pitch. International patients visiting France mainly come from

Africa (North & West Africa)
The Middle East
Eastern Europe
The UK and neighboring EU countries

Comparative Medical Treatment Costs Across Countries

Treatment	France	USA	Germany	Other Country
Proton-beam Therapy (Full Course)	€45,000	$165,000	€65,000	India – $22,000
TAVR (Trans-catheter Aortic Valve Replacement)	€26,000	$65,000	€32,000	Thailand – $22,000
Single-stage Scoliosis Correction	€32,000	$140,000	€45,000	Turkey – $18,000
IVF with PGT (One Cycle)	€5,500	$14,000	Spain – €5,000	India – $4,000
Deep Brain Stimulation (Bilateral)	€28,000	$95,000	UK – £45,000	South Korea – $32,000

Proton-beam Therapy (Full Course)

France: €45,000
USA: $165,000
Germany: €65,000
India: $22,000

TAVR (Valve Replacement)

France: €26,000
USA: $65,000
Germany: €32,000
Thailand: $22,000

Scoliosis Correction (Single-stage)

France: €32,000
USA: $140,000
Germany: €45,000
Turkey: $18,000

IVF with PGT (One Cycle)

France: €5,500
USA: $14,000
Spain: €5,000
India: $4,000

Deep Brain Stimulation (Bilateral)

France: €28,000
USA: $95,000
UK: £45,000
South Korea: $32,000

Why France is Preferred for Medical Tourism

One of the World’s Best Healthcare Systems :France keeps things simple, where every doctor and clinic answers to the Ministry of Health. One national rule book means the same safety steps in Paris apply to a beach town on the Riviera. No guesswork, no “maybe they do it differently here.”

Strong Focus on Clinical Outcomes & Patient Safety : Hospitals get graded every year. If a heart program’s success rate drops, the hospital has three months to fix it or stop taking new cases. That’s why French heart and cancer numbers sit near the top of global charts because for them, results matter more than flashy ads. Highly Skilled Medical Professionals.

Doctors train for nine years after college, and most spend time in Germany or Switzerland before they run their own list. Many still teach at the local university, so the same person fixing your valve on Tuesday may be lecturing about it on Thursday. You get the benefit of that classroom mindset, where questions welcome, steps explained, no rushing to the next case.

Medical Procedures in France

28%

Oncology

France leads in proton-beam therapy with on-table MRI. Centers like Institut Curie deliver outcomes comparable to top U.S. hospitals, with much shorter wait times.

22%

Cardiac & Vascular Surgery

Hôpital Européen Georges-Pompidou performs high-volume TAVR procedures with shorter hospital stays and significantly lower costs.

18%

Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

French clinics use 3-D printed surgical guides to accelerate recovery and reduce long-term physiotherapy costs.

15%

Fertility & Gynecology

IVF up to age 43, genetic testing, and affordable donor egg programs make France highly preferred for fertility care.

10%

Rare Pediatric & Metabolic Diseases

France leads Europe in enzyme and gene-therapy programs for rare childhood conditions, accepting international patients.

Government-Facilitated Process

The French state keeps things simple!

Schengen medical visa processed through an online portal in English, Spanish and Arabic; most consulates return the sticker in five business days.

CPAM (public insurance) publishes a fixed national fee schedule and every hospital, public or private, must post the same line-item prices. Foreign patients pay the listed rate; no surprise surcharges later.

OFII (immigration office) issues a free 90-day extension if your physician uploads a one-page letter, you will neither be charged extra fee or new application.

If you hold a U.S., Canadian, UK, GCC or Japanese passport you can enter visa-free for 90 days and start treatment immediately, and you can also ask for an extension, where hospital files the extension only if you need longer rehab.

Major Medical Tourism Hubs in France

France’s healthcare excellence is concentrated across multiple regional hubs, each specializing in advanced treatments and seamless patient access.

Paris & Île-de-France

45% of foreign admissions

Home to four proton therapy centers and two pediatric gene-therapy hubs. Direct metro connectivity from Charles de Gaulle Airport ensures fast patient transfers.

Lyon & Rhône-Alpes

20% of foreign admissions

Hosts Europe’s largest cancer research campus (Centre Léon-Bérard) and a leading robotic thoracic surgery center.

Marseille-Aix & French Riviera

15% of foreign admissions

Known for orthopedic excellence combined with beach-front recovery villas, making it a preferred choice for Middle-East families.

Lille

10% of foreign admissions

Just 10 minutes from the Belgian border, ideal for EU-insured patients seeking French medical standards without extended travel.

Strasbourg

10% of foreign admissions

Strategic access from Germany with simplified cross-border movement, popular among patients combining French care with EU insurance coverage.

France’s high-speed TGV rail network links all hubs efficiently—Paris to Lyon in 1 h 57 min and Paris to Lille in 58 minutes. Many patients complete diagnostics in Paris and undergo surgery in Lyon on the same day.