OBJECTIVES: To carry out a cross evaluation of the level of awareness and knowledge of fibromyalgia amongst French and Portuguese General Practitioners (GPs). METHODS: A questionnaire with a prepaid envelope was sent to a sample of 10,000 GPs in France and to all practicing GPs (n=8399) in Portugal. This questionnaire was organized in six main sections: the characteristics of the physician's professional practice, the physician's opinion on fibromyalgia, the main symptoms of fibromyalgia, diagnosis criteria, treatments of fibromyalgia, sources of knowledge on fibromyalgia. RESULTS: In total, 1,130 French GPs and 337 Portuguese GPs (response rate: 11.3% and 4% respectively) returned the questionnaire. In France 66% are male, average age of 47, whereas in Portugal 52% are male with an average age of 50. The profile of the respondents is similar in age and gender to the average national profile. In total, 33% of French GPs and 29.5% of the Portuguese affirm that fibromyalgia is a disease; 63% and 68% respectively claim it is a symptom and it is only 2% of French and 2.5% of the Portuguese GPs that fibromyalgia does not exist. They have an average of 6.1 and 8.3 patients suffering from fibromyalgia for the French and Portuguese GPs respectively. Concerning the 1990 ACR criteria, if 18% of French GPs know them completely and 36% partially, we have 33% and 47% respectively in Portugal. CONCLUSION: The comparison between French and Portuguese General Practitioners knowledge of fibromyalgia reveals no difference regarding the definition of this pathology and some mild differences appears in their knowledge of the ACR criteria and their appreciation of the associated symptoms (the frequency of widespread pain and joint swelling in particular). It is surprising how the knowledge GPs in France and Portugal have of FM is closer than between GPs and Rheumatologists in each country.