Got a medical certificate online? Here's what to check

The CNS is warning about certain online sites that offer sick leave certificates without a real consultation with a CNS-recognised doctor. For a certificate to be valid, it must be issued by an identified doctor after genuine contact with the patient - whether in person or remote, but real.

An important nuance: a certificate obtained online is not automatically a "fake" issued by a "fake doctor". During the Covid pandemic, the CNS itself accepted remotely issued certificates through the national teleconsultation platform deployed by the government - that's where this practice began. An employee can quite easily have been misled into thinking they consulted a real doctor, with no intention of fraud whatsoever.

That said, the CNS's position has changed. Since the end of the health crisis, it now refuses certificates obtained without effective contact with a doctor - a policy choice that is understandable, but one that does not make these documents inherently fake, nor their holders fraudsters.
In practical terms, if the CNS determines that a certificate was obtained under non-compliant conditions, the consequences are real:

• no benefits will be paid;
• the employer will be informed;
• a fixed fine will be applied: €200 (≤ 3 days of incapacity), €500 (> 3 days), €750 in case of repeat offences;
• the file may be forwarded to the judicial authorities.

However, criminal penalties - repayment of benefits received, fines, prosecution - apply to the falsification or use of forged documents, which is a different situation from that of an employee deceived by a site posing as a legitimate medical service.

The right reflex: always check that the doctor consulted is registered with the Collège Médical (collegemedical.lu), and that the consultation - in person or online - involves a real exchange with an identified practitioner.

To learn more and see the list of reported fake doctors, visit the CNS page: Attention aux faux certificats d'incapacité de travail (22.06.2026)
https://cns.public.lu/en/assure/actualites/faux-certificats.html