International service provider
Date of update
You are coming to France for service provision purposes
Employees who are EU, EEA or Swiss nationals may carry out their activity under the same conditions as French nationals, without any other administrative procedures. British citizens must now also apply for a residence permit as provided below for any arrival after January 1, 2021. Algerian citizens are covered by the stipulations of the French-Algerian agreement; please check the separate fact sheet.
A foreign company without an establishment in France may temporarily post its employees on French territory to perform a service under a subcontracting agreement. The relationship of subordination with the employer based outside France is maintained.
| Good to know: in the absence of a social security agreement between France and the country where the employer is established, employees seconded for the purpose of service provision must be registered with the French Social Security system. Their employer must pay contributions to fund their social protection with the Bas-Rhin URSSAF.
For more details, view our section on “Social Protection” |
Conditions
Foreign workers performing a service in France on behalf of their employer, under their original work contract, must apply for a residence permit. This requirement does not apply to citizens of the EU, EEA and Switzerland.
| Good to know: employees seconded for the purpose of providing a service are not eligible for multi-year “Talent passport” and “ICT seconded employees” residence permits. |
Temporary residence permits do not allow their bearer to legally work in France.
The foreign worker’s employer must request a prior work permit that should be included in the employee’s application for a residence permit.
The work permit thus issued is only valid for the host company listed in the work permit application.
More information can be found in our fact sheet about “service provision and work permits”
Authorised length of stay
Duration equal to the duration of the service, not to exceed 12 months.
Seconded service providers must request a long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit (VLS-TS) marked “temporary worker” or temporary residence permit marked “temporary worker”.
Procedure
Where to apply ?
If the employee resides outside France, apply with the French diplomatic consular authorities of the employee’s usual place of residence.
If the employee resides in France, apply with the prefecture of the employee’s place of residence.
The exact list of documents shall be provided to the applicant on the website or on the premises of the authority responsible for processing the case.
Contact the consular and diplomatic authority or prefecture for the list of required documents.
| For guidance purposes only, you may download the list of documents required in support of an application for a temporary residence permit for “Temporary workers”. |
Once in France, employees must validate their VLS-TS online with the OFII via the dedicated platform: administration-etrangers-en-france. For the first year of their stay, such employees are not required to apply for a resident permit with the Prefecture.
They are informed of the date of their mandatory medical check-up and/or welcome visit.
When does the procedure need to be started?
| The procedure must be initiated no earlier than 3 months before the date of arrival in France. If the applicant already resides in France, the procedure must be initiated 2 months before the expiry of the previous residence permit. |
Documents required
The exact list of documents required in support of an application for residence permit shall be provided to the applicant on the website or on the premises of the authority responsible for processing the case.
For guidance purposes, you may download the list of documents required in support of a “Temporary Worker” residence permit application.
Cost of the residence permit
VLS-TS marked “temporary worker”: €99 visa fees.
Temporary residence permit marked “Temporary worker”: Applicants must pay a tax to the OFII in the amount of €200 upon issuance of the permit. A stamp duty of €25 on residence permits is added to the amount of the tax.
Extend your stay
The renewal application must be submitted within 2 months before expiry of the residence permit.
Applications filed by employees seconded for service provision purposes must be filed with the prefecture of their place of residence.
Find the appropriate Prefecture
The “temporary worker” residence permit may be renewed for a period equal to that of:
- the remaining period of the fixed-term contract or secondment; or
- new fixed-term contract or extended secondment.
This renewal may not exceed one year.
No multi-year residence permits can be granted for workers in this category.
Is your family with you?
Families accompanying foreign talent residing in France with this status cannot benefit from a simplified procedure but can apply for a residence permit independent from that of the main applicant (visitor status, employee status where the applicant has found a job in France for example).
Otherwise, families have the option of coming to France under family reunification procedures. Family reunification is open to foreign nationals who have been in the country legally for at least 18 months and wish to bring their spouse and children to France.
More details on the family reunification procedure can be found on the French authorities’ website.