Regulatory InsightsOctober 20, 2026

Mandatory continuing education: what each French professional order requires in 2026, and why a course catalogue is no longer enough

For most regulated professions in France, continuing education is not optional: each professional must account for a number of hours, declare their training and accept checks. This obligation creates steady demand for the training institutes attached to professional orders and chambers. Yet it is tightening: stricter controls, new topics such as artificial intelligence, reforms in health care. A catalogue of identical sessions for everyone is less and less fit for purpose.

What each profession must show

Profession	Text	Hours	Declaration and control
Statutory auditors	Commercial Code, art. L. 821-24 and A. 821-45	120 hours over three consecutive years, with at least 20 hours in any one year	By 31 March, to the audit authority (H2A) or its delegate (art. R. 821-70)
Chartered accountants	Decree no. 2012-432, art. 145, and recommendation of the Order	120 hours over three years, including 20 hours a year, recommended by the Order	Assessed during quality control
Lawyers	Decree no. 91-1197, art. 85 and 85-1	20 hours per calendar year or 40 hours over two consecutive years	By 31 January, to the bar council
Notaries	Decree no. 73-609, art. 43-8 and 43-9	30 hours per calendar year or 60 hours over two consecutive years	By 31 January, to the chamber
Judicial officers	Decree no. 2019-1185, art. 27 and 28	20 hours per calendar year or 40 hours over two consecutive years	By 31 January, to the national chamber
Architects	Code of ethics (decree no. 2026-568) and internal rules of the Order, art. 94	20 hours a year or 60 hours over three years, including 14 hours of structured training a year	By 31 March of the following year; random checks since early 2026
Chartered surveyors	Internal rules of the Order, art. 16 to 19	100 hours over three years, at least 24 hours a year	By 31 January, on the Order's platform; annual check by the regional council
Estate agents	Law no. 70-9, art. 3-1, and decree no. 2016-173	14 hours a year or 42 hours over three years, including 2 hours of ethics and 2 hours of non-discrimination	Evidence to the chamber of commerce when renewing the professional card
Health professions with an order	Public Health Code, art. L. 4021-1 and L. 4022-1	Continuing professional development (DPC) over three years; periodic certification over six years	Checked by the orders, "Ma Certif'Pro Santé" online service

The first two years of practice often include mandatory topics. A lawyer must take 10 hours on practice management and 10 hours a year on ethics and professional status. A notary must take at least 20 hours on office management, ethics and status.

Three shifts in 2026

Controls are tightening.

Statutory auditors. According to the 2023 campaign report published by the audit authority, 73% of statutory auditors were compliant. About one in four was below 120 hours over three years, and more than 1,000 had declared nothing.
Architects. Since 1 July 2026, the code of ethics states that the architect "declares and justifies to the order" that they have met their training obligations. The Order's control tool has been running since early 2026: checks are random, the rate is set by each regional council, and non-compliance is noted on the registration certificate. Three-year periods are staggered according to the year of registration.

Artificial intelligence is entering the obligations.

Lawyers. In April 2025, the national bar council (CNB) launched, with Lefebvre Dalloz, a national AI training plan that counts towards continuing education.
Notaries. In early July 2026, the national council of notaries chose Mistral AI and Scaleway for a sovereign AI tool, together with a professional charter.
Chartered surveyors. In July 2026, the Order presented a charter on the use of AI in professional practice.

In each case, thousands of professionals must be trained in new practices, from very different starting levels.

Health care is reorganising. Periodic certification of the seven health professions with an order (doctors, dentists, midwives, pharmacists, nurses, physiotherapists, podiatrists) is being rolled out: decree no. 2025-1335 of 26 December 2025, with profession-specific frameworks set by the order of 26 February 2026. The 2027 social security finance bill plans to remove the DPC obligation in favour of periodic certification, and to abolish the national DPC agency. This is only a bill, under discussion in Parliament.

From hours to proof of competence

Most obligations are measured in hours. Controls, however, increasingly seek to verify that professionals have updated their skills. This changes three things for an institute:

A path rather than a catalogue. An experienced partner and a newly registered professional do not have the same needs. Measuring the gap between each person's skills and what the profession expects allows an individualised path instead of a list of sessions.
Continuous tracking of hours. Each professional should be able to see their hours balance at any time, by mandatory topic and period, and produce their evidence in one click when declaring.
Blended formats. New topics such as AI lend themselves to short online modules, complemented by practical workshops. The rules on counting distance learning differ between professions: they must be built into the path.

What a regional institute can outsource

National institutes often have instructional design teams and platforms. Regional institutes much less so. They can outsource:

Path design, based on the profession's framework and new mandatory topics.
Module production, especially on AI and ethics.
Operations: platform, registrations, hours tracking per professional, certificates.

For accounting firms. The same logic applies to staff, in a profession where hiring remains difficult. An in-house academy, with individualised paths and, where relevant, qualifications registered in the RNCP, helps train and retain teams.

Key takeaways

Requirements range from 14 hours a year (estate agents) to 30 hours a year (notaries); statutory auditors and accountants aim for 120 hours over three years.
Controls are tightening: about one statutory auditor in four was below 120 hours in the 2023 campaign, and architects have been checked since early 2026.
AI is becoming a training topic for lawyers, notaries and surveyors.
In health care, periodic certification is being rolled out; abolishing DPC and its agency is only a bill.
Individualised paths and continuous hours tracking are becoming the standard expected by professionals and orders.

How Mentivis can help

Mentivis is a training operator: we design and run training paths, academies and training organisations. For a training institute of a regulated profession:

Individualised paths and hours tracking: our platform MentivisOS measures each professional's skills, generates their path and tracks their hours by topic and period.
Artificial intelligence modules: AI in your training programmes.
Running your offer, from production to management: outsourced management of a training organisation.
For firms: corporate academy and RNCP certification.

To discuss it, book a 30-minute call.

Sources

Further reading: meeting sector-specific training obligations, proving compliance with training obligations, measuring training impact with learning analytics and choosing an LMS.

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