FRA9 FILE · Business & work
Working in France as a foreign national: permits, visas and jobs
A complete route connecting a genuine offer, employer work authorisation, visa, contract, pay, qualifications and arrival in France.
See the essentials at a glance
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key points: Employeur → autorisation · CDI / CDD · Métiers en tension · Qualifications
Identify the route before the application
Nationality, current status and contract type decide who applies and in what order.
Free movement
No separate work permit in the general case; identity and onboarding still apply.
Contract → employer permit → visa
The candidate does not buy a permit; the employer files when required.
→03TALENT / OTHER STATUSThe document may authorise work
Do not merge talent, family, student and entrepreneur routes with ordinary employment.
→Before accepting
- 01Employer and SIRET
- 02CDI/CDD and dates
- 03Gross pay and agreement
- 04Permit responsibility
- 05Degree or professional access
Most asked questions
How can a Turkish citizen work in France?
After a genuine offer and contract, the French employer files for work authorisation when required; after approval, the candidate applies through France-Visas for the matching long-stay visa. Tourist status does not permit employment.
Who applies for a French work permit?
On the ordinary employee route, the French employer or its authorised representative files online. Some visas and residence statuses already authorise work, so the existing document must be checked first.
Does a shortage occupation guarantee a visa?
No. Regional shortage status can simplify the labour-market test, but the contract, pay, employer, qualifications, visa and other legal conditions are still assessed separately.
Is a foreign degree valid in France?
An employer can assess it in a non-regulated occupation and an ENIC-NARIC statement may help. A regulated profession requires access from the competent French authority; comparability is not a licence to practise.
Do CDI and CDD use the same work visa?
Generally not. Ordinary work exceeding three months normally links a CDI to ‘salarié’ and a CDD to ‘travailleur temporaire’. France-Visas confirms the route for the duration, role and personal profile.
First decision: nationality and current status
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can generally take salaried work in France without a separate work permit. For other nationals, the first question is whether the existing visa or residence document already authorises employment; some statuses do, while others require a prior employer application. A tourist short stay or permission to attend an interview is not permission to start work under a French contract. Check the exact document against the current Service Public employment-right table before discussing a start date.
The correct order when recruited from abroad
For a non-EU candidate living outside France, the ordinary employee route starts with a genuine offer and contract. The French employer then applies online for work authorisation; after approval, the candidate uses France-Visas for the matching visa. There is no official route in which the candidate buys a permit or a broker guarantees an invitation. Keep the employer identity, SIRET, workplace, contract, salary and authorisation decision as a single evidence chain and confirm that each document describes the same job.
Permanent, fixed-term and three-month contracts
A permanent contract is a CDI and a fixed-term contract a CDD, and they do not normally lead to the same immigration label. Ordinary employment exceeding three months generally links a CDI to the long-stay ‘salarié’ route and a CDD to ‘travailleur temporaire’. Work lasting no more than three months can involve a short-stay visa and occupation-specific work-permit exemptions, which must be checked separately. Dates, probation, weekly hours, gross pay, workplace and collective agreement must match across the contract and visa file.
How a work-authorisation application is assessed
The administration does not look only at a degree. It considers whether the job is on the regional shortage list or whether a vacancy was properly advertised without a suitable candidate; the employer’s compliance record; pay against the SMIC and collective agreement; and the fit between the role and the candidate’s qualifications or experience. A regulated profession requires evidence of professional access as well. Conditions can be cumulative, so a high salary or strong CV alone does not guarantee approval.
How to use the shortage-occupation list
The order of 21 May 2025 lists recruitment-shortage occupations region by region in mainland France; Martinique received a separate list on 9 June 2026. The same job may qualify in one region and not another. Inclusion can remove the labour-market opposition test in a work-authorisation case and has a separate role in certain regularisation applications. It does not remove checks on the job, contract, pay, employer and candidate, and it never guarantees employment, a visa or residence status.
Separate diploma comparability from professional access
For most non-regulated occupations, the employer assesses the value of a foreign qualification; an ENIC-NARIC France comparability statement can make the file easier to read but is not a universal equivalence requirement. Doctors, nurses, architects and other regulated professionals need the recognition or authorisation process of the competent French body. An ENIC-NARIC statement is not permission to practise. Check whether the occupation is regulated first, then apply only to the responsible authority through its official payment channel.
Job search, a French CV and the sponsorship question
France Travail vacancies can be viewed from abroad; Apec serves many managerial profiles, EURAXESS supports research roles and the official Welcome to France portal explains international-talent routes. Build a one- or two-page CV around outcomes, measurable work, language level, qualifications and actual work status. Instead of a vague ‘visa sponsorship’ question, ask whether the employer can file an autorisation de travail for a non-EU recruit. Verify the company domain, SIRET, contract signatory and interview chain before sending a passport copy.
Read a job offer in seven lines
The written offer should identify the legal employer and SIRET, role and classification, workplace, CDI or CDD dates, weekly hours, annual or monthly fixed gross pay and the applicable collective agreement. Compare bonus, thirteenth payment, meal vouchers, transport contribution, remote work and probation separately. An offer below the 2026 SMIC or sector floor also weakens the permit file. Avoid any intermediary requesting payment to a personal account for housing, a bank account, a guaranteed position or an immigration decision.
The first three months after arrival
When the long-stay visa is a VLS-TS, it must be validated online and the relevant tax paid within three months of arrival. The employer checks the right to work and the document’s authenticity before employment; the worker should retain the contract, payslips, address evidence and social-security correspondence. A social-security number or bank account can take time, but those administrative steps do not replace employment authorisation. Check that employer, occupation and geographic limits on the decision still match the real job.
Changing employer, contract end and renewal
A right to work is not always personal and unlimited; a permit or residence status may be tied to an employer, occupation or area. Before changing jobs, verify through ANEF, Service Public or the competent authority whether the new employer must obtain a fresh authorisation. The end of a CDD, dismissal during probation or unemployment does not automatically preserve the status on identical terms. Open the renewal timetable before expiry and retain both contracts, authorisations, payslips and France Travail records.
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