Work visas in France

Whether you need a visa to live and work in France depends on your residence status, nationality, and the type of work you’ll be hired to do.

Discover what work visas are available in France, what their requirements are, and how to apply:

Working in France

Like other European Union (EU) countries, France has a two-tier immigration system. Nationals from the EU and European Free Trade Association (EFTA – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) can live and work freely in the country. Those from outside the region are subject to immigration controls. So if you are part of the latter, you’ll likely need a visa to live and work in France.

The French Office for Immigration and Integration (Office français de l’immigration et de l’intégration – OFII) manages several professional and family immigration, integration, asylum-reception, return, and medical procedures. Visa information and applications are handled through France-Visas, the official French visa portal.

For work-related immigration, it is more accurate to distinguish between visas, work authorizations, and residence permits:

• Short-stay visas – for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period; a work authorization may still be required depending on the activity
• Long-stay visas – for stays of more than 90 days; the visa itself is valid for between three months and one year, and a VLS-TS can serve as a residence permit after validation
• Residence permits – temporary or multi-year cards used for longer stays or specific work categories; their validity depends on the status rather than a single 5–10-year rule

Looking a little closer, the main work routes discussed in this guide include:

• Salaried or temporary worker status (salarié/travailleur temporaire) – generally used for employees hired on an indefinite or fixed-term contract; the first stay may be covered by a VLS-TS, followed by a residence card if the stay continues
• Talent residence permits (carte de séjour talent) – for qualifying highly skilled employees, researchers, project holders, artists, certain medical and pharmacy professionals, and other eligible talent categories
• ICT worker permits (salarié détaché ICT/stagiaire ICT) – for qualifying employees or trainees transferred within the same international group; eligible family members can use an accompanying-family route
• Self-employed, entrepreneurial, or ‘liberal’ work (entrepreneur/profession libérale) – generally a one-year VLS-TS for applicants who want to create or participate in a commercial, industrial, artisanal, or agricultural activity or work in a liberal profession
• Seasonal worker permits (travailleur saisonnier) – a multi-year residence card valid for up to three years, while seasonal work in France is limited to a cumulative six months per year
• Special cases – routes for travelers on a working holiday, volunteers, interns, and trainees

Who needs a work visa in France?

EU/EFTA nationals and students

Anyone from the EU/EFTA region can move to France and work without a visa or permit.

Students from outside the EU/EFTA with a valid student VLS-TS or student residence permit can generally work up to 964 hours a year (60% of the legal annual working time) without a separate work authorization. Algerian students are subject to different rules: their employer must obtain a work authorization before they start work, and they can generally work up to 50% of the annual working time in the relevant branch or profession.

Also, if you are already in France on another visa (e.g., a family visa), you will need to check the terms of your permit to see whether you are allowed to work. If not, you can apply for work authorization from the French authorities.

Non-EU/EFTA nationals (including UK residents)

When you are from outside the EU/EFTA, you will usually need immigration permission appropriate to your stay. Whether you need an entry visa depends on your nationality and length of stay, while a separate work authorization may also be required. For employment lasting 90 days or less, employers are exempt from obtaining work authorization for certain activities, including:

• Modeling and artistic posing
• Sporting, cultural, artistic, and scientific events
• Conferences, seminars, and trade events
• Occasional teaching activities by invited lecturers
• Production and distribution relating to cinematic, audiovisual works, shows, and music recordings
• Providing an individual employer’s services in France (personal services and domestic work)
• Audit and consulting in IT, management, finance, insurance, architecture, and engineering, under the terms of a service agreement or intra-company transfer agreement

These are work-authorization exemptions, not automatic visa exemptions. If your nationality requires a short-stay Schengen visa, you must still obtain one before traveling.

Due to Brexit, most UK citizens are treated as non-EU nationals for new moves to France, although Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries and some family members have separate rules. British passport holders are generally visa-exempt for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, but this does not by itself authorize employment: a work authorization may still be required. For work or residence lasting more than 90 days, they generally need the appropriate long-stay visa before travel and must then complete the residence formalities that apply to their status.

Types of work visas in France

For reader convenience, this guide groups France’s work routes into four practical sections:

• Short-stay work visa
• Temporary work visa
• Long-stay work visa
• Special case work visas

These are editorial groupings rather than four distinct legal visa classes. In practice, the document you need depends on your nationality, work activity, contract, and length of stay; some routes described as temporary use a long-stay VLS-TS.

Short-stay French work visas

France uses a short-stay Schengen visa for work or business travel of up to 90 days in any 180-day period when the traveler’s nationality requires a visa. Short-stay visas are not normally extendable except in limited circumstances. If your planned work will last more than 90 days, you generally need to apply for the appropriate long-stay visa before traveling.

As of August 2026, the standard fee for a short-stay Schengen visa is €90. The standard reduced fee for children aged 6–12 is €45, while some applicants qualify for other reductions or exemptions. The fee is normally paid in the currency specified by the visa center or consulate.

Temporary French work visas

Of course, some jobs require a little more time than 90 days. For a fixed-term salaried job, one common route is a long-stay visa as a temporary worker (travailleur temporaire), usually issued as a VLS-TS for a stay of between three months and one year. Seasonal workers use a separate route and may work in France for a cumulative maximum of six months per year.

There are a number of different temporary work visas available in France, including:

• Young professionals (jeune professionnel) taking part in a bilateral exchange program; eligibility and age limits depend on the agreement with their country
• Employed workers transferred to a French branch of an international company
• Language teachers and teaching assistants
• Models, modeling assistants, or modeling agency workers
• Seasonal workers

As of August 2026, the standard long-stay visa application fee is €99. For an employee or temporary-worker VLS-TS, validation after arrival currently carries a €300 tax in addition to the visa fee. If you later receive the corresponding employee or temporary-worker residence card, the card currently costs €350 (€300 tax plus €50 stamp duty).

Long-stay French work visas

If your employment will last more than 90 days, you will generally need a long-stay visa unless your nationality or status provides an exemption. A French long-stay visa is valid for between three months and one year. Some work routes then lead to a residence permit with a longer validity period. To remain after the visa expires, you must follow the residence-permit procedure that applies to your status.

Long-stay work routes include:

• Highly skilled, academic, or innovative workers who qualify for a Talent residence permit
• Senior management employees transferred from abroad to a French branch of international companies (salarié détaché ICT)
• Au pairs aged 18–30 who will live with a family in France to improve their language and cultural knowledge
• Medical professionals
• Other permanent employees

As of August 2026, the standard long-stay visa application fee is €99. Any additional tax or residence-permit fee depends on the route. For example, validating an employee or temporary-worker VLS-TS currently carries a €300 tax, while the corresponding residence card costs €350. Residence-card taxes and stamp duty are generally paid using tax stamps.

Talent residence permit (formerly Talent Passport)

Since the 2024 immigration reform, the former passeport talent is now the Talent residence permit (carte de séjour talent). It covers several categories of highly skilled workers and entrepreneurs, including qualified employees, researchers, project holders, artists, certain medical and pharmacy professionals, and people with national or international renown. If your planned stay is at least one year, you generally apply for a multi-year Talent card; for a stay of less than one year, a VLS-TS marked talent may be sufficient.

A multi-year Talent card can be valid for up to four years, depending on the category and underlying contract or project. Eligible spouses and minor children can use the simplified accompanying-family route. As of August 2026, the standard long-stay visa application fee is €99, and a multi-year Talent residence card costs €350 (€300 tax plus €50 stamp duty) when issued.

Special case work visas

Volunteer visa

If you want to work for the benefit of society, France offers visas for three types of volunteer work:

• Civic volunteering
• Association-based volunteer work
• European Voluntary Service (EVS) category – France-Visas still uses this label, although the EU’s current volunteering program is the European Solidarity Corps

To apply for a volunteer visa, you will need to provide evidence relating to your placement. The visa issued depends on the type and duration of volunteering. France-Visas states that the EVS category receives a temporary long-stay visa (VLS-T) marked Volunteer; for the other volunteering categories, different endorsements apply depending on whether the placement is up to 12 months or longer.

Work experience and internships

Students who want to take up a professional work placement with a French business or organization can apply for a student trainee visa (stagiaire étudiant). The placement has to be part of a university training course, EU cooperation program, or intergovernmental scheme. For example, this visa is issued to nurses, medical students, and pharmacists.

You can also get a visa for an internship with a French company. To get an internship visa (stagiaire), you’ll need to sign an internship agreement with your sponsoring employer, organization, or company.

Working holiday visa

Depending on your nationality, young travelers can apply for a working holiday visa (vacances travail) that allows them to work while traveling through France. Age limits vary by bilateral agreement. Applicants from Argentina, Australia, and Canada can apply from age 18 until the day before their 36th birthday; the other participating countries and territories generally use a 30-year upper age limit, with the precise cut-off set by the agreement. The visa is generally valid for one year and cannot be extended unless the relevant agreement provides otherwise.

How to apply for a work visa in France

For a standard non-EU salaried hire that requires work authorization, the process is typically threefold. First, you secure a job offer. Next, your future employer applies for work authorization. After it is approved, you can submit the relevant visa application. Some routes and short-term activities are exempt from work authorization, so check the rules for your specific status first.

Work permit

Once you have your job offer, the employer submits the work authorization application online. As of August 2026, the application is made only through the government online service and is then routed to the competent prefecture; it is not filed directly with DREETS.

For a standard application, the authorities assess the proposed job, the employer, the worker’s qualifications where relevant, and the pay. In the general case:

• The job must either be on the applicable shortage-occupation list or have been advertised for three consecutive weeks during the six months before the application without a suitable candidate being found
• The employer must meet the legal conditions for employing a foreign worker
• The worker must meet any regulatory requirements for a regulated profession
• The salary cannot be below the French minimum wage or the higher salary required by the applicable collective agreement; separate salary thresholds apply to some specific immigration routes

Work visa application

After your work authorization has been approved, if your route requires one, you can start your visa application through France-Visas. The exact supporting documents are generated by the Visa Wizard according to your nationality, country of residence, length of stay, and work category. They will typically include:

• A valid passport or other accepted travel document
• Recent passport photos that meet the required standards
• Evidence of the purpose of your work stay, such as the approved work authorization where required, an employment contract, or a business-event invitation
• Any additional documents requested for your route, which may include evidence of financial resources such as bank statements, details of accommodation, or proof of health insurance

Next, book an appointment with the visa application center responsible for your country of residence. Appointment availability and processing times vary by country and visa type, so follow the country-specific instructions on France-Visas rather than relying on a fixed two-week deadline.

Appeals and complaints about work visas

If your visa application is refused, the refusal must be reasoned. You can challenge it within 30 days. For a long-stay visa, the mandatory prior appeal goes to the Visa Appeals Board (Commission de recours contre les décisions de refus de visa – CRRV). For a short-stay visa refused on or after 1 January 2023, the mandatory prior appeal goes to the Deputy Director of Visas. The appeal must be reasoned, written in French, signed, and sent by post.

If the mandatory administrative appeal is rejected, you can challenge the decision before the Administrative Court of Nantes, generally within two months of the explicit or implicit rejection. In long-stay cases, you may also ask the consulate to reconsider its decision, but this discretionary request does not replace the mandatory prior appeal.

Useful resources

• France-Visas – the official visa website for France
• OFII – the French public body responsible for several professional and family immigration, integration, asylum-reception, return, and medical procedures
• OFPRA – the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons, which examines applications for international protection and protects recognized refugees, stateless persons, and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection
• Ministère de l’Intérieur – the French interior ministry that oversees immigration, integration, and citizens’ rights
• Service-Public – work authorization – official guidance and access to the online procedure for employers applying to hire a foreign worker
• Service-Public – the official French public-service information portal