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France
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See if you qualify →Last updated May 3, 2026
## Summary France's standard salaried-work route is for a non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizen who has a real job with an employer established in France. It is the ordinary route when the job does not fit one of France's Talent permit categories. The exact label depends on the contract. A permanent employment contract usually points to a residence permit marked "employee." A fixed-term employment contract usually points to a residence permit marked "temporary worker." This is not a general job-seeker route and not a remote-work visa. The employer normally has to support a work-authorization process before the worker can use that approval for the visa or residence-permit step. ## Eligibility You may be a fit if: - You are not already French, an EU/EEA citizen, or Swiss. - You have, or are close to getting, a specific role with a French employer. - The role is salaried employment in France, not remote work for an employer outside France. - The French employer can request the required work authorization. - Your contract type fits the employee or temporary-worker category: permanent role for "employee," fixed-term role for "temporary worker." - Any labor-market review, regulated-profession rule, or role-specific requirement can be satisfied. - You can complete the visa or residence-permit process tied to the approved work authorization. Some work permits are more attractive than this standard route. If the role is highly qualified, highly paid, research-based, artistic, entrepreneurial, or otherwise in a Talent category, France's Talent permit may be a better fit. ## What This Route Allows This route lets you live in France and work in the role covered by the authorization and residence status. The authorization can be tied to the employer, role, contract, and place of work, so changes in employment may require a new approval. The route can also be part of a longer France plan. Time lawfully living and working in France may matter later for longer-term residence or naturalization, but those later steps have separate requirements. ## What This Route Is Not - A visa for looking for work in France. - A remote-work or digital-nomad route. - A general right to work for any French employer. - A substitute for Talent, EU Blue Card, intra-company transfer, or posted-worker routes when those categories are the better legal fit. ## Next Steps 1. Confirm whether the French role is a permanent contract, fixed-term contract, or another arrangement. 2. Ask the employer whether they can support the work-authorization process. 3. Check whether the role is better handled under a Talent permit, EU Blue Card, intra-company transfer, posted-worker route, or another category. 4. If the standard employee or temporary-worker route fits, have the employer prepare the work-authorization request. 5. Use the approved work authorization for the visa or residence-permit step, depending on whether you are applying from abroad or changing status in France. ## Sources - [Welcome to France — Temporary residence permits marked "Temporary worker" and "Employee"](https://www.welcometofrance.com/en/fiche/temporary-residence-permits-marked-temporary-worker-and-employee) - [Welcome to France — Work permit application fact sheet](https://www.welcometofrance.com/en/fiche/fact-sheet-work-permit-application) - [Service-Public — Work of a foreigner in France: employee / temporary worker residence card](https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F15898?lang=en) - [Service-Public — Apply online for work authorization to hire a foreigner](https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/R58908?lang=en)
France's standard salaried-work route is for people hired by a French employer who do not fit a Talent permit. A permanent contract generally points to the employee permit, while a fixed-term contract generally points to the temporary-worker permit.