Homepage > Work in France: administrative procedures

Work in France: administrative procedures

Tour eiffel éclairée
Are you an international student willing to find a job or an internship in France? Every year, Sciences Po Careers invites experts to share advices about the French job market and regulations. Find below the key elements delivered by Mr Stéphane Halimi, lawyer at Héritier & Halimi.

Presentation of the 04/03/2025 conference by Stéphane Halimi, Immigration Lawyer (PDF)

Working during studies

As a foreign student, if you hold a 12-month residency card, you can work in France. The conditions are:

  • Have a valid residency card as a student;
  • Quota of 964 hours per year of validity of your residency card. If the card is valid for less than 12 months, the number of hours is calculated on a pro-rata basis (for example for 3 months: 241 hours).

How to process?

  • Make a declaration to the Prefecture;
  • Make a declaration by the employer at least 2 days before the beginning of the contract.
For all non-EU nationals, a Temporary Resident Permit is required to get a contract for “Contrat de professionalisation”.

DOING AN INTERNSHIP DURING STUDIES

An internship Agreement “Convention de Stage” is required. Its provisions and the conditions of the trainee’s status must respect French legal requirement.

  • If you are a non-EU student living in France who already holds a valid residency card as a student, no need for a prior agreement from the Labour Agency “DIRECCTE”.
  • Internship can be mandatory or elective but must be a part of the Academic Program.

Working after studies

You must submit to the Prefecture the application for a change of status (student to employee) according to your residency place. Examination by the Prefecture:

  • Labor Agency (“DIRECCTE”) agreement
  • Employment situation to be checked unless eligible to specific statuses (APS, European Blue card, Passport talent qualified Employees)
  • Professions listed as facing recruitment difficulties

What is a Temporary Resident Permit?

Temporary Resident Permit (Carte de séjour - Recherche d'emploi/création d'entreprise "RECE" - previously “Autorisation provisoire de séjour” or “APS”) is a document that allows foreign students to stay in France for a year (can be more or less) after their studies to get a job or prepare for the creation of a company in a field corresponding to their training. It can not be renewed.

The Temporary Resident Permit is accessible to foreign students who:

  • Have a professional Bachelor's degree;
  • Have a Master's-level degree or equivalent such as an Engineering degree, a degree from an institute of political studies (IEP, like Sciences Po), a higher accounting and management degree, a veterinary degree, etc;
  • Have a specialist Master's;
  • Have a Master's of Science (MSc) certified by the Conférence des Grandes Ecoles;
  • Wish to start their own company.
If the conditions mentioned are fulfilled but the RECE was not obtained, a change of status remains possible without examination of employment situation if the monthly salary exceeds 2.405 Euros and the job matches with the last degree. In addition, RECE can lead to a new status as employee but can also lead to the incorporation of a company.

What is “Passport Talent”?

It is a resident's permit of a maximal duration of 4 years, and if necessary for the family of the beneficiary, has objective to make more readable the right for the stay of the talents that France welcomes. It concerns:

  • Young graduates considered employees or employees of a young innovative company;
  • Highly qualified workers (European blue card);
  • Entrepreneurs;
  • Carriers of an innovative economic project.

Conditions:

  • Student holding a French Master degree or equivalents or a degree of Level 1 issued by the ‘’Conférence des Grandes Ecoles’’;
  • Job matching the degree and salary amounting to at least 38 474.90 Euros per year.

Characteristics:

  • No prior agreement from the Labor Agency – decision by the Préfecture;
  • Residency card for up 4years (depending on the duration of the employment contract).

What is a European Blue Card?

The European Blue Card aims at facilitating the entrance, the stay and the work in France of the highly qualified workers.

Conditions:

  • Be a national of a third country to the European Union;
  • Be a holder of a diploma of at least 3 years of higher education delivered by an institution of higher education recognized by the State in which he is situated;
  • Work as a paid employee - the EU Blue Card does not apply to self-employed work or entrepreneurs;
  • Present a work contract or binding job offer in an EU country for at least one year;
  • Perceive a monthly remuneration at least equal to 1,5 the average reference gross salary fixed annually by order of Minister of Immigration (53 836 Euros per year).

Characteristics:

  • No prior agreement from the Labor Agency – decision by the Prefecture;
  • Residency card for up 4years (depending on the duration of the employment contract).

References:
Based on Héritiers & Halimi’s work and conference

Submitting an online application for a residence permit

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

About RECE on the Campus France website

about french administration

Coming to France
French Administration FAQ (in French)

France Visas

Last modified 2025-04-02
03.02.2025
Vous vous sentez intéressé par la fonction publique mais vous manquez d'information sur ses voies d'accès ? Retrouvez les conseils de recruteurs du MEAE, de la DGAFP et du Ministère de la Transition Écologique
03.02.2025
Do you wish to work in management consulting after your studies at Sciences Po? CaseCoach offers courses, interview analyses, and case studies to help you prepare.
Read more news