Hire employees and manage payroll in France

When hiring in France it is customary, but not obligatory, to register a local company, or a branch of an international company, when employing in France.

A foreign employer not registering a local company is known as a SEF (“sans établissement en France”). Regardless of legal form the employer is obliged to contact the managing authority for French social security known as URSSAF (Union de recouvrement des cotisations de Sécurité sociale et d’allocations familiales). This is to ensure alignment with mandatory health insurance, retirement pensions and family allowances for employees. It is also obligatory to register with a pension organization, depending on the field of business activity.

Before the hiring takes place, minimum 48 hours in advance the company must complete a so-called DPAE (Déclaration Préalable à l’Embauche) which allows the employer to administer all formal activities in one go. It is found and submitted on the URSSAF website. The following components are necessary: copy of employee ID (and residence permit if not a Schengen area citizen), social security certificate, medical examination (obligatory for everyone and includes the employer’s registration with a local occupational health center (“centre de médecine du travail”).