Hiring a talented professional who is not a European Union national? As the employer, the administrative burden does not fall solely on your new hire, a significant part of the work permit process in France is your responsibility. Understanding exactly what you need to do, and in what order, is essential to avoid delays that could push back a start date by weeks or even months.
This guide is written for HR managers and directors at foreign companies hiring in France. Whether you are making your first hire in France or scaling a team in Paris, this article explains the full process from the employer's side.
Who Needs a Work Permit to Work in France?
EU/EEA/Swiss nationals: no permit required
Citizens of European Union member states, the European Economic Area (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein) and Switzerland enjoy freedom of movement and have the right to work in France without any work authorisation (autorisation de travail). As their employer, you have no permit application to file.
Non-EU nationals: when a work permit is mandatory
Any national from a country outside the EU/EEA/Switzerland requires a work permit before starting employment in France. This includes:
- American, Canadian, Australian and Japanese nationals
- Indian, Brazilian, Filipino and other nationals
- UK nationals, since Brexit took effect on 1 January 2021, British citizens are treated as third-country nationals under French employment law and require a work permit exactly like any other non-EU employee. This is a frequent blind spot for UK-headquartered companies expanding into France.
Short-stay exceptions (under 90 days)
A limited number of situations allow a non-EU national to work in France without a long-stay work permit:
- Posted workers (travailleurs détachés), nationals sent temporarily from a foreign entity under an intra-company transfer, subject to specific declaration requirements
- Short-stay work authorisation (ATP), for missions lasting under 90 days, certain professional categories are eligible without full work permit procedures
- Business visitors, attending meetings, conferences or negotiations does not constitute "work" under French law and does not require a permit
If the employment relationship is ongoing or the contract exceeds 90 days, a full work permit is required.
Types of Work Permit in France
French immigration law provides several permit routes (autorisation de travail). The right route depends on the type of contract, the employee's salary and qualifications.
VLS-TS "Salarié": permanent contracts (CDI)
The visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS) in the "Salarié" category is the standard route for employees on a permanent contract (CDI). It is valid for one year and can be renewed as a carte de séjour. The employer must file the application before the employee enters France. See our guide to employment contracts in France for a full explanation of CDI vs. CDD contracts.
VLS-TS "Travailleur temporaire": fixed-term contracts (CDD, 3–12 months)
For fixed-term contracts between 3 and 12 months, the employer applies for a VLS-TS in the "Travailleur temporaire" category. The permit is tied to the specific employer and contract; it cannot be transferred to another employer without a new application.
Talent Passport (Passeport Talent): highly skilled employees
The Talent Passport is a priority route designed for highly qualified employees and entrepreneurs. It covers three main profiles:
- Qualified employee (salarié qualifié), a degree equivalent to a master's level combined with an annual gross salary of at least €39,582 (threshold set by service-public.fr for 2025-2026)
- EU Blue Card holder, senior profiles meeting the salary threshold described below
- Employee of an innovative company (JEI), working for a certified Jeune Entreprise Innovante (JEI, a young innovative company with official tax-incentive status)
Processing is faster and the permit is valid for up to 4 years. The labour market test (see below) does not apply.
EU Blue Card: senior profiles, salary threshold
The EU Blue Card targets highly skilled non-EU professionals with a higher education qualification and an annual gross salary of at least €59,373 (threshold set by service-public.fr for 2025-2026). This threshold is updated periodically; always verify the current figure on service-public.fr before including it in any offer letter or application.
Like the Talent Passport, the EU Blue Card exempts the employer from the labour market test.
Short-stay work authorisation (ATP): missions under 90 days
For professional assignments under 90 days, some categories (artistic performances, intra-company assignments, certain specialist roles) can access a simplified short-stay work authorisation. Processing times are significantly shorter, typically 5 to 12 days.
The Employer's Role: Step-by-Step Application Process
This is where most foreign HR teams are caught off guard. Unlike in some other countries, the French work permit process is employer-led: you file the application, not your employee. The process runs through the DREETS (formerly DIRECCTE) and the ANEF online portal.
Step 1: Post the vacancy on France Travail/APEC (3-week rule)
Before filing a work permit application, you must demonstrate that you attempted to recruit locally. This means publishing the job vacancy on France Travail (formerly Pôle Emploi), or on APEC for managerial roles, and keeping the posting active for a minimum of 3 weeks.
The clock on your overall timeline starts here. Given that you must submit the application at least 3 months before the intended start date, plan accordingly: a June start date means you must post the vacancy by early March at the latest.
This step is waived if the role falls under an exemption, see the Labour Market Test section below.
Step 2: Submit the work permit application on the ANEF portal
Once the 3-week posting period is complete, the employer submits the work permit application through the ANEF portal (Administration Numérique pour les Étrangers en France). The DREETS (Direction régionale de l'économie, de l'emploi, du travail et des solidarités) is the competent authority and will review your file.
The ANEF portal requires a French professional account. If your organisation is not yet established in France, this step alone can create administrative friction.
Step 3: Receive approval and transmit to the employee
Once the DREETS issues its approval, the decision is transmitted to the French consulate or embassy in the employee's country of residence. The employee then applies for their visa (VLS-TS) at the consulate, this step is done by the employee, not the employer.
Upon arrival in France, the employee must validate their VLS-TS through the OFII (Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration) within 3 months of entering the country.
Step 4: Attach to the "registre unique du personnel"
Once the employee has started work, French labour law requires that their work permit reference be recorded in the company's registre unique du personnel (the mandatory single staff register, which records all employees and their key employment details). This is a standard compliance step that ensures the company's records are complete and up to date.
Documents Required from the Employer
The ANEF application requires documents from both the employer and the employee. Here is the employer's side of the checklist.
Company documents (Kbis extract, proof of social security coverage)
- Kbis extract, official French company registration certificate, less than 3 months old. If your organisation is not yet registered in France, this is a fundamental blocker.
- Proof of social security contributions, a recent attestation from URSSAF confirming that the company is up to date with its social charges
- Signed employment contract, the contract must be in French (or accompanied by a certified French translation) and comply with the applicable collective bargaining agreement (convention collective)
Employee-related documents (signed employment contract, civil status, qualifications)
- Copy of the employee's valid passport
- Proof of qualifications (degree certificates, professional certifications, translated into French if necessary)
- Completed CERFA forms (provided by the ANEF portal)
Labour market search evidence (France Travail posting records)
- Proof of job posting on France Travail or APEC (screenshots, posting confirmation emails, date records)
- Summary of applications received and reasons for rejection of French/EU candidates, the DREETS may request this to verify the labour market test was conducted in good faith
Processing Times and Costs
How long does it take?
Plan the overall timeline carefully: 3 weeks for the France Travail posting + up to 2 months for DREETS processing + consulate appointment time for the employee = a minimum of 3 months before the intended start date.
Employer tax (taxe DGFiP): amounts by contract type and salary band
French employers must pay a one-off immigration tax to the Direction Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFiP) once the work permit is granted. The amount depends on the contract duration and salary level.
Contracts under 12 months:
Contracts of 12 months or more:
The tax is calculated as 55% of the first monthly gross salary, capped at €2,506.67. For salaries above approximately €4,557.58 gross per month, the cap applies.
(Source: service-public.fr, figures verified March 2026)
Employee visa fees
The employee bears their own visa and residence permit costs. Following the loi de finances 2026, the total VLS-TS fee is now €300, covering the application and the OFII validation on arrival. Specific cases (talent passport holders, students, family categories) may attract different amounts; refer to the official schedule on service-public.fr for the exact figure applicable.
These costs are typically covered by the employer as part of a relocation package, though this is not legally required.
The Labour Market Test: When and How It Applies
What is the "opposabilité de la situation de l'emploi"?
The opposabilité de la situation de l'emploi (the labour market priority rule, sometimes called the labour market test), is the legal requirement for employers to demonstrate that no French or EU candidate was available before hiring from outside the EU. It is the main gate the DREETS uses to assess work permit applications.
In practice, this means your France Travail posting must be genuine, and you must be able to show that the candidate pool from within the EU was either insufficient or unqualified for the specific role. The standard is not merely that no EU candidate applied, it is that no suitable EU candidate was available.
Jobs in shortage (métiers en tension): no market test required
Certain occupations are listed on the official métiers en tension (shortage occupations) register (published by the French government via Légifrance). For these roles, the labour market test is waived and the employer can proceed directly to the ANEF application without the 3-week posting requirement.
The list includes roles in sectors such as IT, construction, healthcare and logistics. A cybersecurity specialist or a software engineer, for example, may fall within categories where the labour shortage is officially recognised, check the current list before deciding whether the posting step is required.
Exemptions: Talent Passport, bilateral agreements, post-graduate hires
The labour market test does not apply in the following situations:
- Talent Passport and EU Blue Card applications, by design, these routes recognise that highly qualified professionals are scarce and the test would be counterproductive
- Bilateral agreements, France has specific labour agreements with some countries that simplify or exempt the process for certain nationalities
- Recent graduates, foreign nationals who completed a master's degree or higher in France and are hired within a defined period after graduation benefit from a simplified procedure
Changing Employer or Renewing a Work Permit
What happens when the employee changes jobs in France?
A French work permit is tied to a specific employer. If your employee changes jobs, even within France, a new work permit application must be filed by the new employer. The employee cannot simply transfer their existing permit. The new employer goes through the same ANEF process, though renewal applications are typically faster than first-time applications.
If you are onboarding an employee in France who previously worked for another employer under a work permit, factor in this renewal timeline before confirming their start date.
How to renew: timeline and ANEF procedure
Work permit renewals must be filed at least 2 months before the current permit expires via the ANEF portal. Processing times are generally shorter for renewals (a few weeks rather than 2 months), provided the employer's situation has not changed materially. The employee's presence in France is maintained during the renewal period as long as the application was filed on time.
Hiring in France Without a Local Entity: What You Need to Know
Consider this scenario: a UK-based technology company wants to hire a Brazilian software engineer for its Paris office. The company does not yet have a French legal entity, no Kbis, no URSSAF registration, no local HR infrastructure. Without those, it cannot file the work permit application on the ANEF portal at all.
The standard route in this situation is to establish a French legal entity first, which unlocks URSSAF registration and the ability to file work permit applications through DREETS. For companies at the early stages of French expansion, this is often the most straightforward and sustainable path.
HReact guides foreign employers through the entity setup, manages URSSAF registration, drafts employment contracts aligned with the applicable collective agreement, and handles the work permit filing itself, so you retain full operational control over the employee's work while the administrative infrastructure is in place from day one.
If your organisation is hiring its first employee in France or managing an isolated position, our HR and payroll services are designed specifically for this situation. Contact our team to discuss your next hire.
