France Tightens Sick-Leave Rules as Government Targets Fraud and Long Absences

Overview

• The government flagged a new clampdown this week, with the health minister telling lawmakers that sick-leave spending is nearing €20 billion and that a package of measures is due in April.
• A draft fraud bill in the National Assembly would introduce digital sick notes and prescriptions and give authorities power to shut sites selling fake certificates after a prior plan to set mandatory targets for high-prescribing doctors was dropped.
• The 2026 Social Security law caps a first sick note at one month and limits renewals to a total of two months without extra medical proof, though decrees to apply it are still pending for the start of the school year.
• Officials are studying ways to curb so‑called medical nomadism, where patients visit multiple doctors in a short span to seek a certificate, and to check long absences by matching care received with the diagnosis.
• Long leaves weigh the most on the budget, with stops over six months accounting for roughly 45% of payouts despite being a small share of cases, which helps explain why oversight of extended absences is a core focus.