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The information provided is designed to give a summary of the immigration requirements. It is not offered as legal advice and should not be taken as such. The firm and the contributing authors expressly disclaim all liability to any person in respect of anything done or omitted in reliance upon the contents of this information sheet. Immigration rules and requirements frequently change without notice and you should contact our Global Immigration team for further information and advice.
Who needs a visa?
Business Visa
Work Authorization
Family
Penalties
Do's and Don't
Holders of an EEA (EU Member States, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) or Swiss passport do not require a visa and have no limitations to travel to or stay in France.
The following countries DO NOT need a visa: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Macau, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, San Marino, Sweden, Switzerland, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, United Nations, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela.
All non EU nationals not listed above must apply for a Schengen business Visa, in order to travel to France.
As a Business visitor, a foreign national can only attend meetings and/or engage in business activities which do not constitute employment.
Please note that as Great Britain is NOT a signatory to the Schengen Agreement, even holders of a UK permanent/temporary residency permit will still be required to obtain a Schengen visa in order to enter the Schengen territory.
Existing Schengen visa holders:
The French Embassy will not issue a new visa for France if the applicant’s already holds an active Schengen visa issued by another country's consulate. The active visa will have to be canceled first by the issuing consulate.
Application in person or by proxy
Visa applications must be made in person or by proxy, at the French embassy in the applicant’s country of residence.
Validity
The visa allows the holder to travel freely to France for a period of up to 90 days within a 6 month period.
Processing time
Processing time for Schengen visas is approximately 5 working days from the submission of the application.
Nationals from the following countries should allow several weeks for the processing of the application:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Burundi, Colombia, Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Moldova, Nigeria, North Korea, Palestine, Pakistan, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Togo, UAE, Vietnam, Yemen.
EU Citizens
EU/EEA nationals do not need a resident and a work permit.
However if they wish to stay for longer than three months, they are required to register with their “Mairie” (City Hall). For the time being, however, Mairies do not hold the necessary Registry allowing such a registration.
Ever though they do not need to require a Resident and Work Permit, they can however request such a permit from the Administration.
Validity
For EU nationals intending to stay permanently in France, a 5-year ‘Carte de Séjour’ can be issued and can be renewed for a further 10 years if the person is still working on a permanent basis. If the stay is short-term, the residency permit will be valid only for the specific period, after which the situation can be reassessed.
Rumanian and Bulgarian Nationals must still require a Work and Resident Permit.
Autorisation de Travail (Work Permit)
French work permits are dealt with by the local ‚Direction Departmentale du Travail, de L'Emploi et de la Formation Professionale‚ (DDTEFP) on a town by town basis. It is therefore impossible to give absolute processing times as it varies depending on the workload of the local office.
Non EU Nationals are not allowed to take up employment in France, even temporary, paid or unpaid, unless they have been granted an 'Autorisation de Travail' before arriving in France. This application is normally filed by their French employer.
Temporary Secondment / detachement
Temporary Secondment permits are aimed at foreign companies wishing to post their non EU/EEA employees on their client's site in France.
Generally speaking these permits are initiated by the employer with the full co-operation of their French client.
The seconded employee must remain in the employ, pay, and line management of their employer, the foreign service provider.
Validity
The maximum duration of this permit is 18 months and may then be extended for a further 9 months.
Application process involves the following steps:
1. filing an application with the local DDTEFP;
2. filing a visa “de long sejour” application with the French Embassy; and
3. once step 1 and 2 have been completed and the employee has arrived in France, a visit to the ‚Office Francais de l'Immigration et de l'Integration.
The visa for long sejour, allows the employee to reside and work in France for one year without a resident permit. At the expiration of the visa, a resident permit must then be requested.
Processing time
The approval of a 'detachement' application takes between 4-6 weeks, depending on the work load of the local office. The visa application process can take a week to two weeks depending on the work load of the consulate.
All documents submitted must be in French. Birth and Weddings certificates must be translated by a sworn translator. These factors should be taken into account when assessing both time and financial budgets.
For further information on the process and an up to date list of supporting documentation please contact our global team.
Full French Work Permit
This permit is aimed at established French companies which wish to employ non-EEA nationals directly.
A direct employment contract with the foreign national confirming responsibility for all tax and social security matters will be required.
The foreign worker must be a full time employee and paid in France in Euros.
To qualify for a full work permit, the following requirements will have to be met:
1. The applicant must be a professional (cadre). Accordingly high-level work experience along with at least a bachelor degree is necessary. Knowledge of the French language is also taken into consideration and will be of benefit to the application.
2. The candidate's salary should exceed that of an equivalent French worker and must be paid directly from the French employer in Euros.
Holders of a "carte de sejour salariee" authorizing a candidate to work in "toutes professions salariees" in "France metropolitaine" means that one can occupy ANY salaried post in ANY profession provided that it is not a temporary job.
Processing time
The whole process from lodging the application to the candidate starting work should take about 1-2 months but can sometimes take much longer. All documentation must be submitted in French.
Employees on a mission
When foreign companies wish to post in France for more than three months their non EU/EEA employees at their subsidiary or at a parent company belonging to the same Group, the transfer, when approved by the Direction Departementale du travail, de l'Emploi et de la Formation Profesionnelle, is valid for a three years period.
The employees' salary must be at least one and half ‚ du 'Salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance' (minimum French salary which is approximately 2 000 Euros).
The employees can be paid either by the foreign employer abroad or by the French company in France.
A three years resident permit is delivered to them in France after the obtention of the necessary visa in their country of residence.
Foreign employees of a EU company seconded to France
When non EU/EEA have been employed by A EU company for at least a year and are seconded to the French company in France while continuing to be compensated abroad by the EU company, they must apply for a Resident Permit for the length of their work in France.
The Direction Departementale du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Formation Professionnelle is not competent in this matter.
'Competences et Talents' Resident Permit
Foreigners who, due to their 'competences et talents' can participate in a significant way to the economic development or to the intellectual, scientific, cultural, humanitarian or sportive development, or to the improvement of the territory, of France and of their country of origin can be delivered a Resident Permit 'Competences et Talents' on the basis of their project and of its interest.
Trader Foreign Card
Foreigners who wish to reside in France and manage a company must obtain the prior authorization of the Administration.
A one year renewal Resident Permit is granted to them authorizing them to reside in France and to manage the French company
Dependants
When applying for a work permit, the names of the accompanying spouse and children under 18 years of age must be included on the worker file if they wish to reside in France too.
For EU nationals, a residency permit can be issued to spouses, dependant descendants under 21 and dependant ascendants of both the EU nationals and their spouses.
Unmarried partner/Same sex partner
The authorities in France do not recognise unmarried partners as dependants. The unmarried partner will therefore need to qualify for a resident visa in their own right or obtain a business or a tourist visa before travelling to France.
Employer
Employing a foreign worker who does not have the requisite work authorisation is an offence and is subject to the penalties of criminal law.
Employee
Foreign workers who do not comply with the immigration laws of France are subject to the penalties of criminal law.
Do:
1. Contact our global immigration team as soon as possible regarding any potential application as we may be able to assist with preparing documents
2. Provide all requested information and documents promptly to enable us to prepare your application efficiently
Don't:
1. Perform any duties that may be construed as work whilst in France as tourist or as a business visitor
The information provided is designed to give a summary of the immigration requirements. Please note that the information was correct at the time of writing, however the immigration rules and regulations of France, like many other countries, frequently change without notice and you should contact our Global Immigration team for further information and advice.