Health minister: France's assisted-dying law will start applying in January 2027. Who it is open to besides French citizens, and two end-of-life documents any adult can set up now

What happened

On Tuesday 3 November 2026, Health Minister Stéphanie Rist was asked on franceinfo why the law creating a right to assisted dying (aide à mourir) is still not in force. She said the implementing decrees will come out in January and the law will apply from January 2027, as planned. The news agency AFP reported her remarks.

This is a statement by the minister, not a new text: the decrees do not exist yet, and nobody can request assistance under this law today.

The timeline so far: Parliament gave the law final approval on 15 July 2026. On 14 August the Conseil constitutionnel (decision no. 2026-910 DC) found its key articles constitutional, including the article on who can access it, and attached three interpretive reservations.

Who the law is open to: the residence condition

The conditions sit in a new article L. 1111-12-2 of the Public Health Code, and all five must be met:

1. being at least 18;
2. French nationality or living in France "de façon stable et régulière" — on a stable and regular basis;
3. a serious, incurable, life-threatening illness at an advanced or terminal stage;
4. suffering from that illness that treatment cannot relieve or, where the person has chosen to refuse or stop treatment, that they find unbearable;
5. being able to express their will freely and in an informed way.

For a foreign resident, point 2 is the key one: French citizenship is not required, residence is. What counts as "stable and regular" residence is not spelled out in the Conseil constitutionnel's decision. The January decrees, and the official guidance published with them, are what to watch.

According to AFP, the person takes the substance themselves with a health professional present; the professional may administer it only if the person is physically unable to.

What else the Conseil constitutionnel decided

From the 14 August decision:

• the request is made to a doctor and then confirmed; it is examined by a multi-disciplinary panel (collège pluriprofessionnel);
• only the applicant can challenge the doctor's decision (with an exception for whoever runs an adult-protection measure), and only before the administrative courts;
• for a person under a protection measure (tutelle, curatelle), the doctor must take into account the views of the person running that measure;
• pharmacists cannot be compelled to take part;
• a private establishment may refuse to host the procedure where it is manifestly contrary to its statutory mission — but only if other establishments can meet local needs.

What any adult can do right now

The new law concerns a narrow group of seriously ill people. Two long-standing tools, though, concern everyone living in France, and newcomers often don't know about them.

Directives anticipées — advance directives. A written document stating whether treatment should be continued, limited or stopped if you can no longer say so yourself (coma, serious injury, progression of an illness). According to service-public (checked 28 May 2026):

• any adult can write them; the document must be dated and signed, with full name and date and place of birth; handwritten or typed is fine;
• there are two official templates — one for people who are seriously ill, one for people in good health; using a template is optional;
• they have no expiry date and can be changed or withdrawn at any time; only the most recent version counts;
• storing them in Mon espace santé is recommended; you can also give them to your doctor or a relative — what matters is that your doctor and family know where they are;
• doctors must follow them, with two exceptions: an emergency (while the situation is assessed) and instructions that are clearly unsuited to the medical situation, in which case several doctors decide together.

Personne de confiance — a trusted person for health matters. This person can come to appointments with you, and if you can no longer express your wishes, the medical team turns to them first, with their account taking precedence over other testimony. The designation is in writing and signed by both of you; it has no time limit unless you set one and can be revoked in writing at any time. It is not the same as the personne à prévenir — the person to call in an emergency — although one person can do both. Under guardianship (tutelle), the judge or family council must authorise it.

When family lives far away, both documents matter all the more: they tell doctors in advance what the patient wants and whom to turn to first.

Where to ask

Questions about patients' rights: the Santé Info Droits helpline, 01 53 62 40 30 (Mon, Wed, Fri 2–6 pm; Tue, Thu 2–8 pm). Advance-directive templates and the trusted-person designation form are on service-public.gouv.fr.