What are the formalities for hiring an employee in France?
After hiring an employee, the employer must complete several formalities to finalize the hiring: pre-hiring declaration, registration in the personnel register, social security procedures and information obligations. These steps ensure the recruitment complies with regulations.
In a nutshell
- The employer must make a pre-hiring declaration of employment (DPAE) before the arrival of any employee.
- Some formalities can be simplified through dedicated mechanisms for employers (foreign firms service (TFE), employment-business service (TESE)).
- Specific rules apply when hiring an employee who is not a national of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland.
The pre-hiring declaration
Before hiring, the employer must submit a pre-hiring declaration form (DPAE) if the employee is covered by the French social security system. This formality applies regardless of the type of employment contract, its duration or the employee’s position.
The declaration is made to URSSAF (Unions de recouvrement des cotisations de sécurité sociale et d’allocations familiales), the body responsible for collecting social security contributions.
The DPAE allows several administrative formalities to be completed in a single step. In particular, it enables the employer to:
- Declare the first hiring in the establishment.
- Register the employer with the social security system when recruiting their first employee.
- Join an occupational health service.
- Register the employee with health insurance when starting a business in France.
- Request the medical information and prevention visit.
What is the deadline for submitting the DPAE?
The DPAE must be completed within eight days prior to hiring. It can be done online via a teleservice accessible after business authentication using the Siret number
The case of employers without an establishment in France
Businesses whose headquarters are located abroad, but which employ an employee covered by the French social security system, must also make hiring declarations.
The foreign firms service (TFE) simplifies administrative procedures.
The TFE scheme enables foreign employers without an establishment in France to centralize their social security obligations.
This service allows businesses to:
- Calculate and pay social security contributions.
- Prepare the employee’s payslip.
- Send mandatory social security declarations.
To learn more, consult the guide for employers without a physical establishment in France.
The employment-business service (TESE)
The employment-business service (TESE) is an optional service that simplifies the social security formalities related to hiring and the administrative management of employees. It enables businesses, whether or not they have a physical establishment in France, to:
- Make employee declarations.
- Calculate social security contributions.
- Edit administrative documents related to employment.
Membership of a supplementary pension fund
When a business hires its first employee, it must join a supplementary pension fund to ensure supplementary pension coverage for its employees.
This affiliation is achieved by sending the nominative social security declaration (DSN) to social security organizations.
For further information, you can visit the Agirc-Arrco website or our website in the section dedicated to retirement.
Employee registration in the personnel register
Every employer must keep a single personnel register from the moment the first employee is hired.
This register makes it possible to identify all employees working in the business and to guarantee the transparency of working relationships with regard to control authorities, such as the Labor Inspectorate.
It can be kept in paper or digital format.
The register must include a list of employees and key information about them.
For each employee, the following must be included:
- Their identity.
- Their nationality.
- Their job and qualifications.
- The date on which they joined the business.
- The type of employment contract (permanent contract / fixed-term contract, etc.).
The information must be kept for at least five years after the employee leaves.
For foreign employees, the register must also include:
- The residence permit number authorizing work.
- A copy of the document authorizing the professional activity.
- The request to verify the authenticity of the residence document, if applicable.
Employees posted or seconded to France
In the case of temporary postings or secondments to France, the declarations for the posted employees must be attached to the personnel register. For further information, please consult our dedicated factsheet.
The single personnel register allows the authorities to verify the regularity of hiring and facilitates administrative controls.
It also helps to protect the employer in the event of an audit.
Inform the employee upon hiring
At the time of hiring, the employer must provide the employee with several pieces of information regarding their employment relationship. These obligations guarantee contractual transparency and a clear understanding of each party’s rights and obligations.
Upon hiring, the employer must provide the employee with one of the following documents:
- A copy of the pre-hiring declaration form (DPAE).
- The acknowledgement of receipt issued by the body receiving the declaration.
This obligation is deemed to be satisfied when the employee has a written employment contract mentioning the organization to which the declaration is addressed.
The employer must provide the employee with several essential pieces of information relating to their job and working conditions.
Information to be provided within seven days of hiring
- The identity of the parties to the employment relationship.
- The workplace and the employer’s address.
- The job title, the functions performed, the socio-professional category or the employment category.
- The hiring date.
- The duration of the contract when it is for a fixed term.
- The components of remuneration.
- The duration of work and its organizational arrangements.
- The conditions for completing overtime or additional hours.
Information provided within one month of hiring:
- The right to vocational training.
- The duration of paid leave to which the employee is entitled, or the method of calculation.
- The procedure dedicated to the termination of the employment contract.
- The applicable agreements and conventions.
- The mandatory schemes to which the employee is affiliated.
- Insurance contracts.
- The name of the user business for temporary employment contracts.
Additional information must be provided when the employee is required to work abroad or in another European state.
The employer must arrange an information and prevention visit with occupational health services within three months of hiring. This visit verifies that the employee can perform their work in good health conditions.
At the end of the visit, a certificate of completion is given to the employee and the employer.
A new visit is organized within five years following this first visit or a mandatory check visit following a work stoppage of more than three months.
Recruiting an employee who is not a national of the European Union, European Economic Area or Switzerland
France allows businesses to recruit international talent within a suitable framework. To work in France, employees who are nationals of a third country must have a residence permit or a work permit.
Migration status
Depending on the candidate’s profile and the nature of the position:
- Some residence permits directly allow the holder to engage in paid employment.
- Others require a prior work permit.
For more information on residence permits available to employees recruited by a French business, please consult our dedicated section.
Preliminary check
Before hiring, the employer must verify the authenticity and validity of the work permit. This verification must be carried out with the relevant prefecture at least two working days before the hiring date. Only then can the hiring formalities be finalized.
Employer tax
In certain situations, the employer must pay a tax to the tax authorities when hiring a foreign employee.
For further information on the recruitments concerned, the amount and the different cases of exemption, visit our dedicated page.
This page explains the hiring formalities for an employee in France. It is based on institutional sources such as the Ministry of Labour, URSSAF, Service-public.fr and Agirc-Arrco. It presents information covering declaration obligations, administrative procedures and hiring-related formalities. It uses the example of an employer completing the necessary steps to recruit an employee in compliance with French regulations.