The Adeli number is a nine-digit identifier assigned by the ARS to healthcare professionals registered in the Automation of Lists directory. For a foreign practitioner practicing in France, this number has long served as proof of administrative registration. Since October 2024, the Adeli directory has been decommissioned, and the professionals concerned have been transitioned to the RPPS (Shared Directory of Healthcare Professionals). Checking an old Adeli number therefore requires understanding this transfer.
Decommissioning of the Adeli Directory: What Changed in 2024
The Adeli directory has not been updated since its closure in October 2024. The professions that were registered there (psychologists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, dietitians, osteopaths, among others) have seen their data migrated to the RPPS. Specifically, an old Adeli number no longer constitutes valid proof of practice if it is not associated with an active RPPS identifier.
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For a practitioner graduated abroad, the direct consequence is clear: presenting an Adeli number alone, without a corresponding entry in the RPPS, raises doubts about the legality of the practice. The historical number may appear in old documents or on office plaques, but it is no longer sufficient to establish the right to practice.
Verifying the validity of a foreign practitioner’s Adeli number now involves cross-checking with the RPPS and, depending on the profession, with the directory of the relevant Order.
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Health Directory and RPPS: Verification Tools to Use
The RPPS now centralizes the identification of almost all healthcare professionals in France. The health directory accessible on the Assurance Maladie website (ameli.fr) directly queries this directory. A search by name, first name, and location allows you to find a practitioner and verify their registration status.
What the Health Directory Displays
The profile of a practitioner registered in the RPPS indicates their profession, specialty if applicable, place of practice, and RPPS identifier. If the practitioner was previously registered under Adeli, their old number may appear in the correspondence data, but it is the RPPS number that is authoritative for current practice.
A foreign practitioner authorized to practice in France appears on the same basis as a practitioner trained at a French university. However, the absence of a profile in this directory is a serious warning signal.
Limitations of the Online Directory
The health directory confirms the existence of a registration, but not the complete legality of the administrative process. It does not detail the path to obtaining the authorization to practice, nor the country of diploma issuance. For these in-depth verifications, other steps are necessary.
Authorization to Practice and Foreign Diploma: Verification Beyond the Number
An identification number (Adeli or RPPS) attests to an administrative registration. It does not, on its own, prove that the practitioner has obtained a practice authorization compliant with the Public Health Code. For a professional graduated outside France, the consistency between identity, diploma, and authorization must be verified separately.
Practitioners with diplomas from outside the European Union (PADHUE) go through a specific authorization procedure. Those holding a European diploma benefit from automatic recognition under certain conditions. In both cases, registration with the Order (for the relevant professions, such as doctors) remains mandatory.
- The directory of the National Council of the Order of Physicians lists all doctors authorized to practice, including those graduated abroad. A name search there confirms registration in the Table.
- For non-medical professions previously under Adeli (psychologists, osteopaths, speech therapists), verification goes through the RPPS and the ARS of the practicing department, which can confirm the registration.
- Employing healthcare establishments are required to verify the original diploma, authorization to practice, and active registration in the directory before any appointment.
Concrete Verification of a Foreign Practitioner: Reliable Sources to Consult
A commercial directory or a practice’s webpage does not constitute verification sources. The certified national references are the only tools recognized by the administration.
- The health directory on ameli.fr, fed by the RPPS, to find the practitioner and their active identifier.
- The directory of the relevant Order (Order of Physicians, Order of Pharmacists, Order of Dental Surgeons) for professions requiring mandatory ordinal registration.
- The ARS of the practicing region, reachable by mail or online form, to obtain formal confirmation of a professional’s registration in a formerly Adeli profession.
- The CPS (health professional card), issued only to registered practitioners, which also serves as proof of identification during exchanges with Assurance Maladie.
What to Do in Case of Doubt
If a practitioner does not appear in any official directory, or if their Adeli number does not correspond to any active RPPS identifier, a report can be sent to the ARS or, for doctors, to the Departmental Council of the Order. Illegal practice of a healthcare profession is a criminal offense, and these bodies have investigative means.
The transfer from Adeli to RPPS has simplified the landscape of identifiers, but it has also rendered some verification habits obsolete. An old Adeli number displayed on a document or website guarantees nothing without a match in the current system. The only reliable approach remains consulting institutional sources, cross-referencing the health directory, professional Order, and ARS.