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Medal of Honor for Work
Verified 02 novembre 2020 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Additional cases ? For a Public Service Officer
An employee may, subject to conditions, receive the labor medal as a reward for the length of service and the quality of the initiatives taken in his work.
Persons concerned
To obtain the medal of honor for the work, you must be:
Employee
The employee must have worked:
- in France (for French or foreign employers)
- or abroad at a French employer
In exceptional cases, employees residing or working abroad for foreign companies can obtain the medal of honor for their work if their professional activities have contributed particularly to the good reputation of France.
There is no nationality requirement.
Warning : an employee who is eligible for another type of medal cannot obtain the medal of honor for work (example: agricultural medal of honor, ...).
The medal of honor of work may be awarded posthumously to the employee who is in one of the following conditions
- He had the required length of service at the time of his death. The application must be made within 5 years of the date of death.
- He was the victim of a fatal accident while practicing his profession. He was awarded the gold medal posthumously, without condition of service. The application must be made within 5 years of the date of death.
Retired
The pensioner must have worked:
- in France (for French or foreign employers)
- or abroad at a French employer
Exceptionally, a retired person who has resided or worked abroad for foreign companies can obtain the medal of honor for work if his or her professional activities have particularly contributed to the good reputation of France.
There is no nationality requirement.
In principle, certain categories of persons are not eligible for the medal of honor for work. These include:
- Magistrate
- Public servant. There are specific honors..
Calculation of seniority
The medal is of several types (grades), which depend on the length of service performed.
Medal of Honor for Work | Service Aging |
|---|---|
Silver medal | 20 years |
Vermeil medal | 30 years |
Gold medal | 35 years |
Great gold medal | 40 years |
The services taken into account in calculating seniority may have been performed by an unlimited number of employers.
Periods of unemployment do not count.
Certain periods of absence are considered to be periods of work. These are:
- Time spent on national service
- Maternity leave and adoption leave (up to one year of service)
- Paid traineeships for vocational training, learning, individual training leave (Cif), conversion blendsfixed-term contracts concluded under the employment policy
Please note : years in the public sector are not taken into account in obtaining this medal, except for pensioners who are no longer eligible for a seniority medal the public body in which they worked.
Some people may obtain the medal without the required seniority:
- Employees of French nationality who have resided overseas or abroad for periods of activity exercised outside the metropolitan territory
- Mutilated Work with a disability rate of at least 50 %
- Employees whose activity has a hardship that justifies the possibility of early retirement
The approach varies according to the employee's place of residence.
General case
According to the employee's department of residence, the request is managed:
- by the Regional Directorate for Enterprise, Competition, Consumption, Labor and Employment (Direct)
- by the prefecture
- or by the sub-prefecture
At least one of these organizations (Direct, Prefecture or Sub-Prefecture) should be contacted to find out:
- If the request is to be made online or sent by mail
- And when the request can be made by mail, to which body it should be sent
Online
Use the following remote service:
Request for a medal of honor for work
Ministry of Economy
The following supporting documents must be provided:
- Photocopy of an identity document (two sides)
- Photocopies of each employer's work certificates
The certificate of work may be replaced by a certificate drawn up by 2 witnesses and referred to by the mayor of the commune of residence, who will certify the reason why a certificate cannot be provided. - Recent certification from last employer
- For persons who have performed military (or similar) services, certification of services performed under the national service or photocopy of the military register
- For disabled workers, photocopy of the statement of annuities
By mail
The employee must file with the following documents:
- Form cerfa n°11796*01 completed, dated and signed
- Photocopy of an identity document (two sides)
- Photocopies of each employer's work certificates
The certificate of work may be replaced by a certificate drawn up by 2 witnesses and referred to by the mayor of the commune of residence, who will certify the reason why a certificate cannot be provided. - Recent certification from last employer
- For persons who have performed military (or similar) services, certification of services performed under the national service or photocopy of the military register
- For disabled workers, photocopy of the statement of annuities
In Pas-de-Calais
The employee must apply online, using this service:
Request for a medal of honor for work - Pas de Calais
Ministry of Economy
The following supporting documents must be provided:
- Photocopy of an identity document (two sides)
- Photocopies of each employer's work certificates
The certificate of work may be replaced by a certificate drawn up by 2 witnesses and referred to by the mayor of the commune of residence, who will certify the reason why a certificate cannot be provided. - Recent certification from last employer
- For persons who have performed military (or similar) services, certification of services performed under the national service or photocopy of the military register
- For disabled workers, photocopy of the statement of annuities
In Paris
Parts to supply
The employee must file with the following documents:
- Form cerfa n°11796*01 completed, dated and signed
- Photocopy of an identity document (two sides)
- Photocopies of each employer's work certificates
The certificate of work may be replaced by a certificate drawn up by 2 witnesses and referred to by the mayor of the commune of residence, who will certify the reason why a certificate cannot be provided. - Recent certification from last employer
- For persons who have performed military (or similar) services, certification of services performed under the national service or photocopy of the military register
- For disabled workers, photocopy of the statement of annuities
Sending folder
The file must be sent to the decorations department of the prefecture of Paris.
Who shall I contact
Decoration department of the prefecture of Paris
By mail (file)
Prefecture of the Ile-de-France region, prefecture of Paris
Office of the Prefect
Cabinet Office
Office of Protocol and Travel
Decorations section
Honor medal pole
5 Leblanc Street
75911 PARIS cedex 15
By phone or email (for additional information)
Telephone: 01 82 52 41 27, Monday to Friday, from 9am to 12pm and from 2pm to 4.30pm
Email: pref-info-decorations@paris.gouv.fr
Abroad
Parts to supply
The employee must file with the following documents:
- Form cerfa n°11797*01 completed, dated and signed
- Photocopy of an identity document (two sides)
- Photocopies of each employer's work certificates
The certificate of work may be replaced by a certificate drawn up by 2 witnesses and referred to by the town hall of the commune of residence, which will indicate the reason why a certificate cannot be provided. - Recent certification from last employer
- For persons who have performed military (or similar) services, certification of services performed under the national service or photocopy of the military register
- For disabled workers, photocopy of the statement of annuities
Sending folder
The file must be sent to the embassy:
Who shall I contact
Deadline to send the folder
The medal shall be awarded by order of the Minister of Labor or, on delegation, of the Prefect on the occasion of the 1to January and 14 July each year.
The file must reach the addressee:
- To get the medal on July 14, before the 1to May
- To get the medal on 1to January, before 15 October of the previous year
Please note : seniority is calculated on the date of 1to January or July 14, not the date the application was sent.
Time
The time between the sending of the file and the delivery of the medal varies.
The work medal holder shall receive:
- Ribbon or rosette
- Diploma recalling the services for which he is awarded
A medal may be struck and engraved at the expense of the holder or his employer (if the latter agrees), by order sent to the Monnaie de Paris or to a private manufacturer.
Who shall I contact
Depending on what is written in the collective agreement or collective agreement, the employer may:
- Pay a sum of money to reward the medal holder's services
- Or grant one or more days off
If the amount paid by the employer is less than the amount of 1 monthly salary, it is not part of taxable income..