Training as an ambulance worker in France: the State diploma step by step
One ministerial order governs the whole course, from the entry file to the final jury, and this guide follows it closely.
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In France, ambulance work is a regulated health profession, and the full qualification is the diplôme d’État d’ambulancier, or DEA (State ambulance diploma). The order of 11 April 2022, amended in November 2022 and July 2024, sets it at 801 hours: 556 hours of theory and practical work at an IFA (institut de formation d’ambulanciers, a dedicated training institute), spread over 10 modules, plus 245 hours of placements, which is 7 weeks of 35 hours. You graduate by passing 5 skill blocks. To apply you need a driving licence past its probationary period, the prefecture’s fitness-to-drive certificate for ambulances issued after a medical check, a medical certificate, proof of vaccinations and, unless exempt, a 70-hour observation placement. Selection has two stages: a written file marked out of 20 (pass mark 10) and an interview of up to 20 minutes. Fees are set by each institute, not by law.
Ambulance training: length and hourly cost
DEA length, full time
22.9 weeks
| Hours in the institute + placements | 556 + 245 h |
| Left for you to pay | €0 |
| Cost per training hour | €0.00 |
Before the application: driving and health
No school diploma is needed (article 3). What the order checks is whether you can drive an ambulance and whether your health allows the job. Article 7 asks for:
- a valid driving licence that is no longer probationary;
- the prefecture’s certificate of fitness to drive an ambulance, issued after a medical examination;
- a medical certificate stating nothing prevents you from working as an ambulancier;
- a vaccination certificate meeting the rules for health workers.
The order also lists more ordinary papers: ID, CV, a handwritten cover letter and personal statement, diplomas, school reports and employment certificates.
Then comes the 70-hour observation placement, either in a hospital department that transports patients or in an approved private ambulance company (article 6). Treat it as research for the interview, because the jury will ask about it. Two groups skip it: anyone with at least 1 month of work as an ambulance assistant in the past 3 years, and former Paris or Marseille firefighters with 3 years of service.
How institutes pick students
Round one is on paper. Two assessors mark your file out of 20: a working, qualified ambulancier or an ambulance-company owner who holds the diploma, paired with a permanent trainer. A mark of 10 or more makes you eligible for interview (article 11).
Round two is the interview, 20 minutes at most and also marked out of 20 (article 10). You speak for 5 minutes about your observation placement, then answer the jury’s questions for 15 minutes. Anything under 8 out of 20 rules you out. Places are capped per institute, so the jury ranks candidates rather than simply passing them.
Shortcuts worth knowing
If you hold a level 4 qualification (the French baccalauréat or equivalent, registered in the national certification directory) or a health or social care qualification at level 3 or above, you go straight to the interview (article 8). An ambulance assistant with 1 year of continuous work in the last 3 years only submits an admission file (article 9). An apprentice already hired by an employer is admitted directly (article 15). The first shortcut only covers qualifications issued within the French education and training system, so a foreign diploma does not open it.
A selection result only counts for the intake it was held for, though the director can defer your start by up to 2 years (article 13). Every institute runs at least 2 intakes a year (article 16), so missing one is not the end of the world.
Where the 801 hours go
| Part of the course | Hours set by the order | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Theory and practical work | 556 h in 10 modules | 17 and 18 |
| Work placements | 245 h over 7 weeks | 17 and 19 |
| Whole diploma | 801 h | 17 |
| Maximum taught remotely | 70% of the theory | 18 |
| Longest part-time spread | 2 years | 17 |
Placements come in three blocks: two of 2 weeks and one of 3 weeks, one of them in an ambulance company (article 19), tracked in a portfolio (article 20). Attendance is compulsory throughout, and sick leave needs a doctor’s note (article 21). Since July 2024, digital health training has been folded into the existing modules without adding hours (article 18 bis).
The 5 skill blocks
The diploma certifies five areas of competence (annex II): caring for patients of any age; gathering clinical observations and giving suitable care, including in emergencies; driving patients safely and within the Highway Code; checking and maintaining the vehicle and its equipment; and teamwork, record-keeping and risk management. Each needs at least 10 out of 20 in its theory test, with no averaging across blocks (article 22). You also need the AFGSU 2, France’s level 2 certificate in emergency care, before the jury can pass you (article 27). The diploma itself is issued by the regional prefect.
Credit for an existing health qualification
Coming from another care job pays off. Article 28 lists diplomas such as care assistant (aide-soignant), childcare assistant, medical dispatch assistant and social care worker, whose holders get exemptions or lighter assessment for some blocks. Article 29 covers nurses, physiotherapists, podiatrists, occupational therapists, psychomotor therapists, radiographers and lab technicians. The details are in annex X on the health ministry’s website rather than in the order itself, so ask the IFA which blocks you can skip before you sign anything.
The short course: ambulance assistant
There is a quicker way to start working: the 70-hour auxiliaire ambulancier course (article 2). It covers hygiene, professional values, dealing with patients and colleagues, safe lifting and stretcher handling, and patient-transport rules. You still need the same licence, prefecture certificate and medical papers, plus the AFGSU 2. How the assistant’s job differs from the qualified ambulancier’s is explained in how to become an ambulance worker.
Paying for it
Because the order sets no fee, any figure you see online comes from a particular institute. The usual routes for funding a vocational qualification in France may apply to you: the CPF, the PTP career-change scheme run by Transitions Pro if you are an employee, regional schemes, France Travail if you are registered as a jobseeker, or an employer through apprenticeship. None is guaranteed, and the order does not set their amounts.
Use the calculator with a real quote: it shows your share and the cost per training hour, which makes two institutes easy to compare. The start-up cost calculator adds the medical check and other costs, and ambulance worker pay shows the minimum wage scale you can expect once qualified.