France Work Visa Requirements

A work visa is a necessary form of official authorization sought by an individual (foreign national) to legally partake in full time employment in a country where he/she may not necessarily have the right to work/reside in.  Generally a work visa will be in the form a standard document or a stamp in your passport and the process of obtaining a visa can be a highly time consuming experience.  Some nationalities are not required to obtain a work visa. Generally all jurisdictions with reciprocal treaty agreements do not stipulate that an individual must obtain a work visa for undertaking employment in those countries. Each jurisdiction has specific conditions which need to be satisfied in order to be approved a work visa.

Who is eligible for a France Work Visa?

European Union citizens – are granted the freedom of movement under EU Law providing them with the right to reside and take up full time employment in Spain without the need for a work permit.  Due to France’s membership with the European Union and Schengen agreement, all EU citizens are given priority with regards to residing in France and receiving job opportunities.

Non-EU nationals – providing they satisfy all relevant prerequisites of France immigration can apply for a work permit and residence visa.  Non-EU nationals are legally required to apply for a work and residence (carte de sejour) visa before taking up employment in France.

The application of work permits are the responsibility of the applicants sponsor (employer) and are administered on the behalf of the employee.

Exemptions to applying for a work permit

Certain categories of people are exempt from obtaining a France Work Permit. These categories are as follows;

- Foreign government employees and International civil servants, this exemption extends to their; traders, scientists, artists and sailors stationed at a French port.

Although the abovementioned categories are exempt from the requirements of a work permit they are not exempt from obtaining a France residence visa.

Three main areas of importance for a French work permit application

1)      Salary level of the employees

2)      Education level (degree or higher professional qualifications)

3)      Employment contract (full time or contract work)

Conditions to satisfy to obtain a France Work Permit

- The applicant must be of professional status (engaging in high level work)

- The applicant must have a university degree

- It is highly advantageous for the applicant to have knowledge of French as this will be taken into consideration in the application process

- The applicants salary must not be lower than 3,835 EUROs per month

- The applicant salary must be paid directly by the Sponsor company to the applicant

- Applicants holding a ‘carte de sejour salarie’ enables them to take up any form of employment with any level of salary provided the position is a long term and full time position.

Types of France Work Permits

To obtain a France work permit the applicant must also seek a France Residence Visa.

There are two categories of France work permits available.

1)      Temporary Secondment

2)      Full Work Permit

Temporary Secondment permit – required where a foreign company needs to relocate its employees to its clients site based in France.  The validity of a temporary sedonment is 18 months and is extendable for a period of up to 9 months.  The main condition to satisfy for an applicant to qualify for a temporary secondment is that he/she will remain under the employment and responsibility of the foreign employer.  The foreign company also requires the full co-operation of the French client in order to gain temporary secondment for their employees.

Full Work Permit – required where a registered French company wish to employ a Non-EY citizen to fill a position they cannot fill within France or the EU territories.  The validity on this type of permit is indefinite.

Types of France Residence Visas

The two principle visas sought after in France are the ‘short stay visa’ and the ‘long stay visa’.  For an applicant to be granted a short stay visa the sponsor copany must provide the employee with an employment contract signed by the DDTEFP (Dicretion Departementale du travail, de l’emploi et de la formation proffesionnelle).

The short stay visa is valid for a period of up to 3 months and is beneficial for the holder due to the fact that the holder does not require a residence visa.

Relevant documents needed for a short term visa application are:

- Valid passport

-  2 x relevant short stay visa application forms completed and signed accordingly

- 2 x passport photos

- proof of residence in your country of domicile

- Employment contract signed by the DDTEFP

- documentation of your medical insurance

- submission of application fee

The Long stay visa is necessary where the applicant intents to take up full time long term employment in France.

Relevant documents needed for a long term visa application are:

- Valid passport

- 2 x recent passport photos

- 2 x completed relevant long stay visa application forms

- Proof of you residence in your foreign country

- Inclusion of the appropriate visa fee

Application of a France Long Stay Visa

1)      Application is made to the DDTEFP by the employer on behalf of the employee

2)      DDTEFP decides whether to approve the application or not

3)      If the application is approved it is then send to the French embassy in the applicants country of domicile where they will then issue the application with the long stay visa

4)      The application process can take approximately 4-6 weeks to process

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