How do you hire a French employee in 2026?
The written employment contract must be signed before the employee starts. The DPAE declaration to URSSAF must be filed at least one hour before their first minute of work. Miss either and you face immediate legal exposure.
· France guide
Illustration · Paris, France
Hiring in France has five steps: written contract signed before start, DPAE pre-hire declaration, URSSAF registration, onboarding admin, first payday.
The contract must be in French and signed before the employee's first day. It must state whether it is a permanent CDI or a fixed-term CDD.
Non-EU nationals need a work permit before they can start. The minimum wage (SMIC) is €12.31/hour gross from 1 June 2026. The standard working week is 35 hours.
What does the end-to-end France hire process look like?
Five steps from accepted offer to first payslip: written contract signed, DPAE pre-hire declaration filed, URSSAF registration completed, onboarding admin done, first payday run.
The DPAE must be filed at least one hour before the employee starts. The contract must be signed before their first day.
| Step | What happens | Owner | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Written contract | CDI or CDD signed by both parties, in French, covering all required terms | Teamed (legal employer) | Before day one |
| 2. DPAE declaration | Declaration Prealable A l'Embauche filed with URSSAF | Teamed | At least one hour before first day of work |
| 3. Work authorisation check | Verify EU/EEA right to work or confirm non-EU work permit is held | Teamed | Before contract signing |
| 4. Onboarding admin | Social insurance registration, complementary pension enrolment (Agirc-Arrco), payroll setup, employee information form, benefits setup | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| 5. First payday | First payslip issued, DSN filed with URSSAF by the 5th of the following month | Teamed | End of first month |
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Issue and sign the written contract
The CDI or CDD must be signed by both parties before the employee's first day. The contract must be in French and reference the applicable convention collective. Teamed drafts the contract; the client confirms commercial terms.
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File the DPAE with URSSAF
The Declaration Prealable A l'Embauche must be filed at least one hour before the employee starts. Teamed files this on behalf of every French hire.
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Confirm work authorisation
EU and EEA nationals may start without a permit. Non-EU nationals must hold a valid work permit before the DPAE is filed. Teamed verifies the document and retains the record.
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Complete onboarding admin
Register the employee with URSSAF and Agirc-Arrco complementary pension, enrol them in the mutuelle health scheme, collect bank details, and issue the employee information notice. This runs across the first week.
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Issue the first payslip and file the DSN
Run the first payroll at the end of the first pay month. File the Declaration Sociale Nominative with URSSAF. The employee receives their payslip and is on the payroll record.
What must a French offer letter include?
The offer letter is a commercial document. The contract is the legal one. Both must exist and both must be accurate.
The offer should confirm role title, salary (at or above the SMIC of €12.31/hour), start date, contract type (CDI or CDD), working time, and location.
Three things to get right in a French offer letter:
- State the contract type. Whether the role is a permanent CDI (contrat a duree indeterminee) or a fixed-term CDD (contrat a duree determinee) determines the legal framework that applies. CDD use is restricted to specific legal cases. An offer letter that says CDD but where no valid reason exists triggers automatic conversion to CDI.
- Confirm salary in EUR. The salary must be stated in euros and must meet the SMIC minimum of €12.31/hour gross. Many sectors have a higher minimum set by their convention collective. Check the applicable CBA before issuing the offer.
- Describe working time accurately. The standard working week in France is 35 hours. If the role involves a different arrangement such as a forfait jours (day-rate agreement for cadres), this must be reflected in both the offer and the contract. Overstating hours in the offer and correcting in the contract creates a contradiction that can be used against the employer.
Teamed's standard French offer letter template covers the required ground without creating contractual overreach. The template is bilingual and includes the CDI/CDD distinction, the applicable convention collective reference, and the SMIC cross-check.
Work authorisation in France: EU nationals and non-EU permits
EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals have the right to work in France without a permit. No formal check process is required for them.
Non-EU nationals must hold a valid work permit before they start. The permit must be confirmed before the contract is signed.
EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals
Citizens of the European Union, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland may work in France freely. The employer does not need to file a work authorisation request. You should retain a copy of the employee's identity document or passport as part of the hire record.
Non-EU nationals
Third-country nationals require a work permit (titre de sejour avec autorisation de travail or a specific work visa) before starting employment. The employer cannot wait for the permit to arrive after the contract is signed. The permit must be in the employee's possession before the DPAE is filed.
The employer is required to verify the document before the employee's first day. A check is made against the Prefecture or via the online service at service-public.gouv.fr. Employing a worker without a valid permit carries significant penalties under French law.
Non-EU nationals must hold a titre de sejour autorisant l'exercice d'une activite professionnelle before starting work in France. Employers are required to verify the document before the employee begins. The DPAE must be filed with URSSAF at least one hour before the employee's first day of work.
DPAE: the pre-hire declaration
The Declaration Prealable A l'Embauche (DPAE) is a mandatory filing with URSSAF. It must be submitted at least one hour before the employee begins work, and no more than eight days before the start date. The DPAE covers the employer's social insurance registration obligations for the new employee. Filing late or not at all is a criminal offence (travail dissimule). Teamed files the DPAE as part of every French hire.
The French written contract: what must it contain?
Every employee in France must have a written contract. It must be signed before the start date.
The contract must be in French. It must state the contract type, role, salary, working time, location, probation terms, and the applicable convention collective.
What the French employment contract must include:
- Names and addresses of both employer and employee
- Contract type: CDI (permanent) or CDD (fixed-term, with the legal reason for the fixed term)
- Job title and description of duties
- Place of work and any mobility clause
- Gross salary and pay frequency (monthly)
- Working time: standard 35 hours week, or alternative arrangement with legal basis
- Duration and terms of the probation period
- Notice period applicable after probation
- Reference to the applicable convention collective (sector collective bargaining agreement)
- Confidentiality and non-compete clauses if applicable (non-compete must be limited in scope and duration and include financial compensation)
- For CDD only: the precise reason for the fixed term, the term end date or objective criterion, and the name and role of the permanent employee being replaced (if applicable)
Language requirement: The contract must be written in French under Law 94-665 (Loi Toubon). A bilingual version may be provided alongside the French version but the French text governs. A contract written only in English is not enforceable in France.
Teamed's standard French CDI covers all required fields. Clients confirm the commercial terms (salary, role, location, any restrictive covenants). Teamed signs as the legal employer and retains the original.
Onboarding admin in the first week
The first week in France involves social insurance registration, complementary pension enrolment, payroll setup, and document collection.
Teamed handles the compliance side. The client handles the cultural side.
| Onboarding task | Who does it | Day |
|---|---|---|
| Contract signed and dated | Employee and Teamed | Before day one |
| DPAE filed with URSSAF | Teamed | At least one hour before day one |
| Work authorisation document verified (non-EU) | Teamed | Before day one |
| Social insurance registration (URSSAF, Assurance Maladie) | Teamed | Days 1 to 3 |
| Complementary pension enrolment (Agirc-Arrco) | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Mutuelle (complementary health) enrolment | Teamed (admin) and Client (choice) | Days 1 to 7 |
| Employee information form (notice d'information) issued | Teamed | Day one |
| Bank account details collected for payroll | Teamed | Days 1 to 7 |
| Equipment and system access | Client | Day one |
| Convention collective communicated to employee | Teamed | Day one |
| Manager introduction and first-week plan | Client | Days 1 to 7 |
How does Teamed handle French employment for you?
Teamed becomes your legal employer of record in France for from $599 per employee per month, with zero FX mark-up in any currency.
Payroll, social insurance, complementary pension, and the full French employment law stack run on one platform.
Real HR and legal experts handle your French hires, from the DPAE filing and CDI contract through every DSN submission and payslip. An actual person, not a chatbot or a pooled queue. There is no setup fee and no exit fee. Employer cost passes through at cost, itemised on every invoice.
EOR payroll, contractor onboarding, and entity setup all live on one platform. A French hire who grows with your business keeps their record. Run the Crossover Calculator to see the month your French hire is ready to graduate to your own entity. Start from the France hiring overview; each guide here takes one layer of French employment law.
Key sources: Code du travail (Legifrance), Ministere du Travail, and URSSAF.
Frequently asked questions
Does France require a written employment contract before the employee starts?
Yes. The written contract must be signed before the employee's first day of work. It must be in French. For permanent roles this is a CDI (contrat a duree indeterminee). Fixed-term CDD contracts are restricted to specific legal cases. A contract that does not exist on day one, or that is only in English, is not enforceable under French law.
What is the DPAE and when must it be filed?
The DPAE (Declaration Prealable A l'Embauche) is a mandatory pre-hire declaration filed with URSSAF. It must be submitted at least one hour before the employee starts work, and no more than eight days before the start date. Filing it late or not at all is treated as travail dissimule (concealed employment), which is a criminal offence in France. Teamed files the DPAE as part of every French hire.
Can a non-EU national work in France without a permit?
No. Non-EU nationals must hold a valid work permit (titre de sejour autorisant le travail) before they start. The permit must be confirmed before the DPAE is filed and before the contract is signed. EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals may work in France freely without a permit. The employer must verify and retain a copy of the document for non-EU hires.
What is the probation period in France?
For ouvriers and employes (workers and non-managerial staff) the maximum probation period under a CDI is 2 months. For cadres (managers and senior professionals) it can be up to 8 months including a one-time renewal. During probation, where the employee has been in post for more than three months, the employer must give at least 30 days notice before ending the contract. Employee resignation notice during probation is governed by the applicable convention collective, not a single national figure.
What is the minimum wage in France?
The SMIC (salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance) is €12.31/hour gross from 1 June 2026. This applies to all employees aged 18 and over. Many sector collective bargaining agreements (conventions collectives) set a higher minimum for their category. The applicable CBA minimum must be checked for the employee's role and sector before the offer is issued.
How much annual leave does a French employee receive?
The legal minimum is 25 days of paid annual leave per year, accrued at two and a half days per month worked. This is separate from public holidays. France has 11 public holidays on the mainland per year. Many convention collectives provide additional leave on top of the legal minimum.
The DPAE is the step that catches people out. It is not a formality you can tidy up later. It must be filed before the employee's first minute of work. We handle it as part of every hire, alongside the contract signing, so the client never has to think about the sequence.
France requires the contract to be signed before day one. Not on day one, not within the first week.
The DPAE declaration to URSSAF must go in before the employee starts. Filing late is a criminal offence in France.
Non-EU nationals need a work permit confirmed before the contract is even signed. The admin is what we handle.
