Seasonal worker residence card: conditions, cost and employer tax
For seasonal work, France issues a multi-year card valid for up to three years, which lets you stay only during the seasons it covers.
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A season in France: taxes and stamps
Tax due from the employer
€250
| Seasonal card (first issue) | €150 |
| Renewal | €100 |
The multi-year "travailleur saisonnier" (seasonal worker) card is for a non-EU national who comes to France for seasonal work of no more than six months in total per year and keeps their usual home abroad. It is valid for up to three years and can be renewed, but it does not let you bring your family. The employer first applies online for a work authorisation; the consulate then issues a three-month visa marked travailleur saisonnier, with a seasonal contract of at least three months approved by the authorities. You apply for the card on ANEF, the government portal, within the two months before that visa ends. It costs €150 in tax stamps (timbres fiscaux: €100 tax plus €50 stamp duty), up from €75 before 1 May 2026, then €100 on renewal. The employer, for its part, pays a tax of €50 per month of season: €200 for a four-month season, €750 for three seasons of four, six and five months. With no answer after 3 months, the application counts as refused.
Who can get the seasonal worker card
The card is for non-EU nationals coming to France for seasonal work totalling no more than six months a year: grape harvests, crop picking, the tourist season. Two documents are essential: a three-month visa marked travailleur saisonnier and a seasonal employment contract of at least three months approved by the authorities. You commit in writing to keeping your usual residence outside France, and you may only stay in France during the periods shown on the card. Algerian nationals follow different rules. The card is provided for in section L421-34 of the CESEDA, the French immigration code.
From work authorisation to card
- The employer applies online for the work authorisation before you arrive: a letter explaining the recruitment, a copy of your passport, proof of efforts to hire someone already on the French job market, evidence of your skills, and, unless sent in the last twelve months, the company registration extract or craft card and the latest social-contribution statement.
- The authorities notify the employer and, if approved, pass the authorisation to OFII and then to the relevant French consulate.
- You apply for the three-month seasonal worker visa, attaching the work authorisation.
- In France, you apply for the card on ANEF within the two months before the visa ends, with your commitment to live abroad and the signed commitment to respect the principles of the Republic; the OFII medical certificate and the stamp are handed in when the card is issued.
Example: arriving on 1 April 2027 with a three-month visa ending on 1 July 2027, you file the card application from 1 May 2027. Filing on ANEF immediately produces an electronic filing certificate.
What the worker pays, what the employer pays
The seasonal card is at the reduced rate of the 1 May 2026 schedule: €150 for the first card, compared with €350 for an ordinary employee card, then €100 for each renewal. The employer tax is worked out per month of season, which the mini-calculator at the top of the page shows. It is declared with the employer’s VAT return, under its usual VAT regime.
| Season | Months worked | Employer tax |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 4 | €200 |
| Season 2 | 6 | €300 |
| Season 3 | 5 | €250 |
| Total over three seasons | 15 | €750 |
A month started counts as a whole month: a four-and-a-half-month season is taxed like a five-month one. For agricultural seasonal workers the tax is due from day one. The details are on the official work authorisation page; the tax rests on sections L436-1 to L436-13 of the CESEDA. The employer tax calculator compares with other contracts.
The documents to gather for the card application
The official page lists a short file, but every item matters. Proof of lawful entry (your long-stay visa); your passport, with the civil-status, validity and stamp pages; a full copy of your birth certificate if you have never held a French residence card; a sworn statement that you are not in a polygamous marriage in France, if you are married and your country allows polygamy; proof of address under six months old; the employer’s electronic work authorisation; your written commitment to keep your usual home outside France; and the signed contract committing you to respect the principles of the Republic. Proof of stamp payment and the OFII medical certificate are only handed in when the card is issued, so there is no need to buy the stamp before the card is granted. If you buy one and do not use it, you can ask for a refund online. Keep copies of everything, including the electronic filing certificate ANEF gives you, because you will need them again for the renewal three years later.
Renewing the card
The card lasts up to three years. Renewal is requested on ANEF no earlier than 4 months and no later than 2 months before the card ends. You must prove that you kept within six months a year during the previous card: passport stamps, payslips from the three years. While the new card is being produced, an electronic certificate lets you work. The stamp costs €100, or €280 if you file late. The renewal timetable gives the dates from your expiry date.
Refusal and prefecture silence
A written refusal usually comes with an order to leave France (OQTF), which can be challenged before the administrative court within 48 hours, 15 days or 30 days depending on the type of order. Silence counts as refusal after 3 months: for an application filed on 15 February 2027, the implicit refusal would arise on 15 May 2027, and an administrative or court appeal would be possible within the following 2 months. No prefecture publishes average processing times. Reference: the official seasonal worker card page. General information, not legal advice.