Work authorisation in France: what your employer must obtain first
It underpins the employee, temporary worker and seasonal worker cards; many other permits do not need it.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Work authorisation: implicit refusal date
No answer means refusal on
1 December 2026
| Application filed on | 1 October 2026 |
| Appeal possible until | 1 February 2027 |
| Prior job advert | 3 weeks |
A work authorisation (autorisation de travail) is the permission an employer must obtain before hiring a non-EU national whose permit does not already allow work. It is required for the employee ("salarié"), temporary worker and seasonal worker cards, and must be requested again for every new contract. It is not needed by holders of a private and family life card, a resident card, a talent card or the post-graduation job-search card. Applications are made online only. As a rule, the job must have been advertised for 3 consecutive weeks with the public employment service, unless it is a shortage occupation or the hire is a recent master's graduate paid at least €2,800.53 gross a month. Pay cannot be below the minimum wage, €1,867.02. If the prefecture does not answer within 2 months, the application counts as refused: for a filing on 5 November 2026, the implicit refusal arises on 5 January 2027. Once granted, it triggers the employer tax, €1,320.00 for a permanent contract at €2,400 a month.
When an authorisation is required
The rule depends on the permit the person holds, not on the job. With a VLS-TS visa or a "salarié" or "travailleur temporaire" card, an authorisation is compulsory and covers only the job it was granted for: a new contract needs a new authorisation. The same goes for the seasonal worker card, with seasonal work limited to six months a year. A residence card issued by another EU country gives no right to live or work in France: you need a long-stay visa, and the employer applies according to that visa. Minors aged 16 to 18 always need an authorisation, apprenticeships included. These cases are listed on the official work authorisation page (in French).
Permits that exempt you
The employer has nothing to request when the employee holds one of the permits below. It must, however, check that the permit is genuine with the prefecture where the hire takes place at least two working days beforehand, unless the person is registered as a jobseeker with France Travail; if there is no reply within two working days, the check counts as done.
| Permit held | Salaried work |
|---|---|
| Private and family life card, resident card | unrestricted |
| Talent card (skilled employee, Blue Card, researcher…) | the activity the card was issued for |
| Job-search or business-creation card | job linked to studies, above €2,800.53 a month |
| Student card | 964 hours a year |
| ICT card (seconded employee) | the secondment assignment |
| Employee, temporary worker, seasonal card | authorisation required |
The application: online, by the employer
Applications are made only through the online service, whether the person is in France or abroad, by the employer or an agent acting for it. For an employee seconded by a company not established in France, the French client or user company files it. The procedure is not open to someone living in France without a permit: that falls under exceptional admission to residence. The application is handled by the prefect of the département where the employer has its head office or, for an intra-group secondment, where the French counterparty is based.
What is examined
The job: it appears on the shortage-occupation list (métiers en tension), or it was advertised for 3 consecutive weeks within the previous six months without a suitable candidate. The national list was set by the order of 21 May 2025; Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Réunion and Martinique have their own. The employer: it meets its social obligations, has no sanctions for illegal work, assisting irregular residence, offences against the person or forgery, and provides a certificate of paid social contributions under six months old. The pay: at least the minimum wage, €1,867.02 a month, or the collective-agreement minimum if higher. The request can be refused if the hire is clearly out of proportion to the company's business. Details are on the page on how authorisations are granted and in articles L5221-5 to L5221-11 of the Labour Code.
Recent graduates and students
Two exceptions matter for graduates. With the job-search card, or a master's obtained within the year, a job related to the degree and paying at least €2,800.53 gross a month does not have to be advertised and need not be on the shortage list. A student who goes beyond 964 hours as part of the course needs an authorisation, except for an apprenticeship approved by the skills operator (OPCO). The change-of-status page compares your salary with that threshold.
After approval, and if refused
If the employee lives abroad, the employer sends the authorisation so they can apply for a visa at the consulate. If they live in France on an employee card and the authorisation covers a permanent contract, they can start at once; for a fixed-term contract, they first switch cards and wait for a receipt that allows work. A seasonal card holder cannot change status and must go back to apply for a visa. After a notified refusal or an implicit one, at 2 months, the appeal period is 2 months. For an application filed on 5 November 2026, the implicit refusal arises on 5 January 2027 and an appeal remains possible until 5 March 2027.
What an employer risks without an authorisation
Knowingly employing a foreign national who is not allowed to work exposes the employer to criminal penalties, with a fine per worker concerned and up to five years in prison, and to administrative ones: no public employment aid for up to five years, repayment of the previous year's aid, temporary closure of the business, exclusion from public contracts, and an administrative fine based on the guaranteed minimum rate, much higher for a repeat offence. The official page gives the amounts; it also states that fraud or a false declaration aimed at obtaining a work permit is punishable by a year in prison. Checking the permit two days before the hire is the employer's best protection.
Two common misconceptions
The provisional work authorisation has not existed since 1 April 2021, as the official page points out. And regularising someone without a permit through work does not go through this procedure, but through exceptional admission to residence, described on the regularisation-through-work page, where the prefecture may require seven years' presence. Information, not legal advice; Algerian nationals follow other rules.