Hire in France

Typical time to hire

2-4 weeks for contractor, 4-8 weeks for full-time (longer for CDI due to formalities)

Entity requirement

French SAS, SARL, or branch (succursale). Registration at greffe du tribunal de commerce. Must affiliate with URSSAF for social contributions.

EOR available

Yes, from $399/employee/month through a Corpshore entity

Contractor of record

Yes, from $39/worker/month

Standard workweek

35 hours (since 2000 Aubry laws). Cadres (managers) often work under forfait jours (218 days/year) instead.

Maximum weekly hours

48 hours

Minimum annual leave

25 working days (5 weeks). Many collective agreements add RTT (reduction du temps de travail) days, bringing total to 30-40.

Public holidays

11 per year

Maternity leave

16 weeks (6 before + 10 after), fully paid up to social security ceiling

Paternity leave

25 calendar days (since July 2021), including 4 mandatory days

Notice period

1-3 months depending on role level and collective agreement. Cadres typically 3 months.

Severance

Indemnite de licenciement: 1/4 month per year for first 10 years + 1/3 month per year thereafter. Applies after 8 months tenure.

Probation

2-4 months depending on role category (renewable once for same duration)

Overtime rules

25% premium for first 8 hours above 35/week, 50% thereafter. Contingent annuel (annual overtime quota) typically 220 hours.

Income tax range

0% to 45% (progressive, household-based quotient familial system)

Corporate tax

25%

Social contributions

Employer: ~45% of gross (among the highest globally). Employee: ~22% of gross. Covers health, pension, unemployment, family allowances.

VAT / GST

20% (standard); 10% (restaurants, transport); 5.5% (food, books); 2.1% (medicine, press)

Tax year

Calendar year (Jan-Dec)

Treaty network

Over 120 tax treaties

Worker classification

The lien de subordination (link of subordination) determines employee status. Auto-entrepreneur regime exists for genuine independents. URSSAF aggressively pursues requalification (requalification en contrat de travail).

Data protection

GDPR + Loi Informatique et Libertes (1978, updated). CNIL is the supervisory authority. France has been a leader in GDPR enforcement, imposing some of the largest fines (e.g., EUR 150M against Google, 2022).

Right to work

EU nationals: free movement. Non-EU: work permit (autorisation de travail) needed. Passeport Talent visa for skilled workers. French Tech Visa for startup founders.

Non-compete

Enforceable if: limited in time (typically 1-2 years), geographic scope, and specific activity. Must include financial compensation (contrepartie financiere), typically 30-50% of salary.

Collective bargaining

Extremely structured: branch-level agreements (conventions collectives de branche) set sector-wide minimums. Company-level agreements can deviate within limits. The 2017 Macron ordonnances gave company-level agreements more flexibility.

SEPA Credit Transfer is standard for French payroll. Monthly payroll is the norm (le bulletin de paie). Stripe Connect supports EUR natively.

• 35-hour workweek is the legal default; RTT days compensate if actual hours exceed 35
• French employer social contributions (~45%) are among the highest globally, making total cost of employment significantly above gross salary
• Comite Social et Economique (CSE) mandatory in companies with 11+ employees
• The French Tech ecosystem (Station F, La French Tech programme) has produced multiple unicorns; Paris is now Europe's largest startup hub by capital raised