Capital city
Paris
Currency
Euro
(€, EUR)
Population size
67,067,000
(May 2020 est.)
Languages spoken
French
Remote-Owned Local Entity
We own our own entity in the countries where we operate to shield your company from risk and provide you and your employees with the signature Remote experience.
France, officially the French Republic (French: république française), is a country whose territory consists of metropolitan France in Western Europe and several overseas regions and territories. France is a developed country with the world's seventh-largest economy by nominal GDP, and the tenth-largest by PPP. In terms of aggregate household wealth, it ranks fourth in the world.
Capital city
Paris
Currency
Euro
(€, EUR)
Languages spoken
French
Population size
67,067,000 (May 2020 est.)
Ease of doing business
Very easy
Cost of living index
$$$$ (17 of 139 nations)
Payroll frequency
Monthly
VAT - standard rate
20%
GDP - real growth rate
1.725% (2018 est.)
Employing in France requires employers to own a legal entity in the country and manage payroll, tax, benefits and compliance through their own in-country resources. The complexity of employment regulations in France makes full compliance with employment laws a burdensome process.
Through Remote’s Global Employer of Record solution, your team is employed by our local legal entities in each country, and we take care of payroll, tax, benefits and compliance so you can focus on what matters most -- your people.
Employment law in France is not contained under a single law. Instead it is governed by statutory regulations codified in (among other laws) the French labour code, the French Constitution as well as European Commission and other international labour conventions. Furthermore, collective labour law through codetermination, trade unions and collective bargaining plays a significant role in French labour relations.
French employment law provides strong labor conditions and protections for employees, so employing people will be an important investment and commitment.
Temporary agencies are popular options for more flexible workforce arrangements. For these and many other reasons, the following are only guidelines in the broadest sense, and professional legal services are recommended when employing in France.
Date | Holiday Name | Extra information |
---|---|---|
Saturday, January 1, 2022 | New Year's Day | |
Friday, April 15, 2022 | Good Friday | Regional; Alsace-Moselle |
Monday, April 18, 2022 | Easter Monday | |
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 | Abolition of Slavery Day | Regional; Mayotte |
Sunday, May 1, 2022 | Labour Day | |
Sunday, May 8, 2022 | Victory in Europe Day | |
Sunday, May 22, 2022 | Abolition of Slavery Day | Regional; Martinique |
Thursday, May 26, 2022 | Ascension Day | |
Friday, May 27, 2022 | Abolition of Slavery Day | Regional; Guadeloupe |
Monday, June 6, 2022 | Whit Monday | Journée de Solidarité |
Friday, June 10, 2022 | Abolition of Slavery Day | Regional; French Guiana |
Thursday, July 14, 2022 | Bastille Day | |
Monday, August 15, 2022 | Assumption of Mary | |
Tuesday, November 1, 2022 | All Saints' Day | |
Friday, November 11, 2022 | Armistice Day | |
Tuesday, December 20, 2022 | Abolition of Slavery Day | Regional; La Réunion |
Sunday, December 25, 2022 | Christmas Day | |
Monday, December 26, 2022 | 2nd Christmas Day | Regional; Alsace-Moselle |
The minimum hourly wage stipulate by law for 2019 is €1,522 per month, or €10.03 per hour. A higher minimum is often set by collective bargaining agreements, which are enforceable by law.
For customers of Remote, all employee payments will be made in equal monthly installments on or before the last working day of each calendar month, payable in arrears.
We can help you get a new employee started in France fast. The minimum onboarding time we need is only 17 working days.
Our team ensures your employees are onboarded and paid as quickly as possible while keeping your business compliant with all local employment legislation. The minimum onboarding time begins after the employee submits all required information onto the Remote platform. The onboarding timeline is also dependent upon registration with local authorities.
For all non-nationals of the country of employment, the Right to Work assessment (if applicable) will add three extra days to the total time to onboard. There may be extra time required if we need to follow-up on the right to work assessment.
Please note, payroll cut-off dates can impact the actual first day of employment. Remote has a payroll cut-off date of the 10th of the month unless otherwise specified.
At Remote, we’re obsessed with helping you craft the best possible employee experience for your team. We are leading the way in practicing “fair equity,” which means making sure employees everywhere have access to both the required and supplemental benefits they need to thrive (and that will allow you to attract the best local talent).
Our benefits packages in France are tailored to fulfill the local needs of your employees. Typically, our packages contain some or all of the following benefits:
In order to access specific information about our benefits packages in France, start onboarding your first employee with Remote today.
Learn how employment taxes and statutory fees affect your payroll and your employees’ paychecks in France.
13.00% - Health, Maternity, Disability, Death
8.55% (ceiling of €3,311) - Old Age Insurance
5.25% or 2.45% - Family Benefits
4.05% (ceiling of €13,244) - Unemployment
0.30% - Autonomy Solidarity Contribution
0.15% - AGS (Wage Guarantee Insurance)
9.20% - Social Security Surcharge
6.90% (ceiling of €3,311) - Old Age Insurance
0% - Up to 10,084
11.00% - 10,085 - 25,710
30.00% - 25,711 - 73,516
41.00% - 73,517 - 158,122
45.00% - over 158,123
All full-time workers are legally entitled to 25 days paid holiday leave a year. In addition, full-time workers have 11 paid public holidays a year. The minimum amount of annual leave is 5 weeks.
The length of maternity leave for employees depends on the number of children of the mother:
Additional maternity leave can be granted through the relevant collective bargaining agreement. Employees can also choose to increase or decrease proportion of maternity leave before and after childbirth with a physician's authorisation.
Male employees are granted three days of leave when the childbirth happens and are entitled up to 25 days (4 compulsory, 21 optional) for single births and up to 32 days (4 compulsory, 28 optional) for multiple births. Paternity leave has to be taken within the first four months after the birth or adoption.
French employers in general have the following ways to terminate the employment relationship:
The statutory notice period for an employer depends on the duration of employment. For employment duration between 6 months and 2 years, the notice period is 1 month. For employment duration over 2 years, it is 2 months. For executives, the notice period is 3 months.
The maximum length of a probationary period is 8 months. Collective bargaining agreements also play a role here.
Depending on your employee's situation, we may be able to sponsor their visa application. Talk with our team today.
If Remote visa sponsorship isn't the best route for your employee, below are other possible visas they could apply for. We can also help with the visa application process.
These visa options should not be considered legal advice and are subject to change. The estimated time will vary per case.
This category is for managers or experts transferred within a group of companies to France for over 90 days while remaining on home contract.
Time until employee can start work: 1 to 3 months
A type of visa or work permit available to non-EEA/EFTA citizens employed by and working for a company in an EU/EEA/EFTA country, that allows them to work for that company in another EEA/EFTA member state, subject to meeting certain eligibility conditions.
Time until employee can start work: 2 days to 2 weeks
This process is for applicants employed by foreign companies who provide a temporary service in France for over 90 days for a company in France on behalf of and under the authority of their employing company in their country of residence.
Time until employee can start work: 2 to 4 months
This process allows for the recruitment of a foreign national who will be locally hired in France for a definite period of time (12 months renewable up to 18 months maximum).
Time until employee can start work: 3 to 5 months
The Passeport Talent - Salarié en Mission is for employees transferred within a group of companies and with a local contract in France for over 90 days.
Time until employee can start work: 2 weeks to 2 months
In 2020, France experienced a net migration of +36,527.
From our Best Destinations for Remote Work report, the following made the top 100 list:
Discover the rest of highly ranked cities for remote working and create your own custom list. Report
France has a tax treaty with Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina-Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chile, China, Congo, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, Macedonia, French Polynesia, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Province of Quebec, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint-Martin, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan (Territory of), Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The information contained in this site is for general guidance on matters of interest only. The application and impact of laws can vary widely based on the specific facts involved. Given the changing nature of laws, rules and regulations, and the inherent hazards of electronic communication, there may be delays, omissions or inaccuracies in information contained in this site. Accordingly, the information on this site is provided with the understanding that the authors and publishers are not herein engaged in rendering legal, accounting, tax, or other professional advice and services. As such, it should not be used as a substitute for consultation with professional accounting, tax, legal or other competent advisors.
While we have made every attempt to ensure that the information contained in this site has been obtained from reliable sources, Remote is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information in this site is provided “as is”, with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including, but not limited to warranties of performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event will Remote or employees thereof be liable to you or anyone else for any decision made or action taken in reliance on the information in this site or for any consequential, special or similar damages, even if advised on the possibility of such damages.