French Visas and Work Permits
Our tax guide for freelance contractors working in France
France imposes no work restrictions on nationals of the older EU Member States as well as the New Member States which joined on 1 May 2004. The restrictions concerning the citizens of the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia have been abolished since 1 July 2008.
For citizens of Bulgaria and Romania, a work permit is still required in order to carry out paid employment during the 2nd transitional period (1 May 2006 - 30 April 2009) and any individual working more than three months also requires a residence permit. The type of residence permit and work permit depends on the length of the employment contract.
The four assessment criteria for obtaining a work permit as follows:
1. the job situation on the French labour market. This criterion does not apply to certain key occupations where a shortage of labour has been recognised;
2. compliance by the employer with employment regulations;
3. equality of treatment in terms of pay;
4. accommodation conditions of the employee.
In terms of procedure, a job seeker cannot spontaneously come to France to look for a job, since as the French labour market is not open, it is impossible to register with the French employment services.
For all other nationalities, a work permit must be acquired and it is fair to say that the expansion of the EU has made obtaining a permit for non-EU nationals even more difficult.