The mobility of posted or seconded employees in France
Posted or seconded employees are employees temporarily sent to France by an employer established abroad, without termination of their employment contract. This page outlines the procedures for posting or secondment, the applicable regulations and the obligations to be met.
What is a posted or seconded employee?
A posted or seconded employee is temporarily sent to France by their employer based abroad, while retaining their original employment contract. Posting or secondment can occur within the framework of:
- Intra-group mobility.
- A service provision.
- Or a mission carried out on behalf of the employer.
Beyond three months, nationals of countries outside the European Union (EU), European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland must apply for a long-stay visa or a corresponding residence permit.
How to post an employee to France?
An employer established outside France may temporarily second an employee to French territory to carry out a specific mission, without terminating the existing employment contract or the relationship of subordination.
The terms of the secondment vary depending on the nature of the project and the relationship between the companies involved.
Two main situations can be distinguished: posting or secondment within an intra-group framework and posting or secondment outside intra-group mobility, particularly within the framework of a service provision.
Employees posted on intra-group mobility
The secondment of an employee belonging to an international group can take place within the framework of intra-group mobility, between the parent company and a group entity located in France.
Posted or seconded employees outside of intra-group mobility
Secondment outside of intra-group mobility applies in particular to employees sent to France to provide services or to carry out a specific assignment for their employer.
Submit a prior declaration of posting or secondment
Any employer established outside France who posts employees to French territory must, before the start of the assignment, make a prior posting declaration to the competent labor inspectorate, via the SIPSI (Information System for International Service Provision) online service.
The statuses available to posted or seconded employees
Public | Eligibility requirements | Residence permit | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign employee on intra-group mobility — employer outside the European Union, without a French contract | An employee residing outside the European Union and posted or seconded by an employer established outside the EU must provide proof of:
No employment contract is concluded with the host business in France. | Multi-year residence permit “Intra-Company Transfer: posted or seconded employee” | Up to three years, non-renewable |
| Foreign employee on intra-group mobility — non-EU employer, prior posting to another Member State | An employee posted or seconded to France by an employer established outside the EU, after an initial posting to another Member State, must provide proof of:
| Multi-year residence permit “Mobile Intra-Company Transfer: posted or seconded employee” | Up to three years, non-renewable |
| Other seconded employee | The seconded employee, outside intra-group mobility or not eligible for the “Intra-Company Transfer: posted or seconded employee” residence permit due to their seniority or the nature of their assignment in France, must provide proof of:
| Temporary residence permit “Temporary worker” | Duration of the assignment, up to a maximum of 12 months. Renewable under certain conditions. |
| Intra-Company Transfer Intern | Employee on an intra-group mobility assignment in France to complete an internship within the group, for a maximum duration of 12 months, under an internship agreement. | Long-stay visa “Intra-Company Transfer: Intern on Secondment” | 12 months |
| Employee of Algerian nationality | The employee must provide proof of:
| Certificate of residence bearing the mention “Temporary worker” | One year, renewable |