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Fact sheet : Employees hired by a French company

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Visa, staying, working Employees Residence-permit

Date of update

 

 

Do you want to work in France for more than three months?

You must apply for a residence permit if you are a national of a non-Member State of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland. British citizens must now also apply for a residence permit as provided below for any arrival after January 1, 2021. Specific requirements apply to Algerian citizens.

 

Various categories of employees holding an employment contract with an employer established in France may be eligible for a multi-year Talent Passport permit :

  • Employees holding a highly skilled position.
  • Certain employees transferred to France from another company in the same group and who have signed a local contract with the group’s French entity.
  • Employees with a Master’s degree or equivalent earned in France;
  • Employees recruited by an innovative new company (jeune entreprise innovante – JEI) and skilled employees who have obtained a masters-level degree in France.
  • Employees recruted by a company recognised as innovative by the French Ministry of Economy may also be granted a Talent Passport via the French Tech visa for Employees.

 

Talent Passport residence permit

The multi-year Talent Passport residence permit is equivalent to a work permit and therefore allows the holder to engage in salaried professional activity.No additional procedures are required.

During the 1st and 2nd year of validity of their residence permit, holders may exercise the salaried activity for which the residence permit was issued. At the end of the 2nd year, under the same residence permit, holders may engage in any salaried professional activity, changing employer if applicable. In contrast, the Talent Passport residence permit issued to “Employees on assignment” is equivalent to a work permit for the assignment in France requiring intra-Group mobility.

 

Temporary residence permit

Foreign employees not eligible for a Talent Passport may still be granted access to the French labour market through the issuance of a temporary residence permit provided that they have been granted a work permit in advance, sought by the employer from the DIRECCTE’s Foreign Labour Department.
However, the job situation is applicable to their visa and residence permit application as grounds of employment levels will be taken into account. Refer to our fact sheet dedicated to the work permit application.

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What residence permit ?

Audience Eligibility criteria Residence permit issued Duration of residence permit
Highly skilled employees
    Foreign employees must have evidence of the following:
  • A permanent employment contract or a fixed-term employment contract for at least 12 months with an employer established in France.
  • A qualification awarded on completion of at least three years’ higher education or documents providing evidence of five years’ commensurate professional experience.
  • Gross annual pay of at least 1.5 times the average annual gross salary set by decree, i.e. €53,836.50 as of January 1, 2021.

Holders of a European Union Blue Card granted by another EU Member State, provided they lived there for at least 18 months, may be issued with this type of residence permit if they apply within one month of entering France. 		‘Talent Passport – European Union Blue Card’multi-year residence permit Up to 4 years, renewable
Employees transferred within a group (French contract)
    Employees of a company established outside France must have evidence of the following:
  • An employment contract with the subsidiary in France.
  • At least three months’ service in the group to which the employing company belongs.
  • Gross annual pay of at least 1.8 times the statutory national minimum wage (SMIC), i.e. €33,578.93 as of January 1, 2021.
 ‘Talent Passport – Employee on assignment’ multi-year residence permit Up to 4 years, renewable.
Does not entitle the holder to apply for a residence permit after 5 years of regular residence in France
Qualified employees
    Qualified employees must have evidence of the following:
  • Gross annual pay of at least twice the statutory national minimum wage (SMIC), i.e. €37,309.92 as of January 1, 2021.
  • A permanent employment contract or a fixed-term employment contract for at least three months with an employer established in France.
  • A qualification equivalent to a master’s degree obtained in France.
 ‘Talent Passport – Qualified employee/Employee of a JEI/ Employee of an innovative company’ multi-year residence permit Up to 4 years, renewable
Employees of an innovative new company (Jeune Entreprise Innovante - JEI) Employees of an innovative new company (Jeune Entreprise Innovante - JEI) must have evidence of the following: - Gross annual pay of at least twice the statutory national minimum wage (SMIC), i.e. €37,309.92 as of January 1, 2021. - A permanent employment contract or a fixed-term employment contract for at least three months with an employer established in France. - An an active participation in the R&D project and development of the company. - Their employer’s status as an innovative new company (JEI) (i.e., the firm is less than eight years old, a consolidated workforce of fewer than 250 employees, turnover of less than €50 million). ‘Talent Passport – Qualified employee/Employee of a JEI/ Employee of an innovative company’ multi-year residence permit Up to 4 years, renewable
French Tech Visa for Employees - Employees of a company recognised as innovative by the French Ministry of Economy
    French Tech Visa for Employees - Employees of a company recognised as innovative by the French Ministry of Economy must have evidence of the following:
  • Gross annual pay of at least twice the statutory national minimum wage (SMIC), i.e. €37,309.92 as of January 1, 2021.
  • A permanent employment contract or a fixed-term employment contract for at least three months with an employer established in France.
  • An an active participation in the R&D project and development of the company or any active link with the economic, social, international and environmental development of the project.

Applications for innovative recognition are made online by the employeur using the specific plateform. 		‘Talent Passport – Qualified employee/Employee of a JEI/ Employee of an innovative company’ multi-year residence permit Up to 4 years, renewable
Employee hired on a permanent employment contract (“CDI”), excluding Talent Passport
    The employee must provide evidence of:
  • a permanent employment contract;
  • a work permit granted in advance.
 Long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit (VLS-TS) or temporary residence permit marked ‘Employee' One year, renewable
Employee hired on a fixed-term employment contract (CDD), excluding Talent Passport
    The employee must provide evidence of:
  • a fixed-term employment contract;
  • a work permit granted in advance.
 Long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit (VLS-TS) or temporary residence permit marked ‘Temporary worker’ Duration of contract, renewable for a period equal to that of the fixed-term contract or the new fixed-term contract
Employee of Algerian nationality A certificate of residence for “Employees” One year, renewable

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