Medal of Honor of Labor
Verified 29 October 2021 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
The Labor Medal is an honorary award. It aims to reward the seniority of an employee's services, the quality of his initiatives taken in the exercise of his profession or its efforts to acquire a better qualification. The employee can make the request himself.
Data subjects
The employees or retired workers may, subject to conditions, obtain the medal of honor for the work.
Employee
The employee duty to have worked:
- in France (for French or foreigners employers)
- or abroad at a French employer.
Exceptionally, employees residing or working abroad for foreign companies may be awarded the Medal of Honor of Work if their professional activities have particularly contributed to the good reputation of France.
There is no nationality requirement.
Warning
an employee who is eligible for another type of medal (e.g. the agricultural medal of honor) cannot obtain the labor medal of honor.
The Medal of Honor for Work may be awarded posthumously an employee who is in any of the following situations:
- He had the number of years of seniority required at the time of his death.
- He was the victim of a fatal accident in the exercise of his profession. He was awarded the Grand Gold Medal posthumously, with no terms of service.
In the 2 cases, the request must be made within 5 years according to the date of death.
Retired
The retired worker duty to have worked:
- in France (for French or foreigners employers)
- or abroad at a French employer.
Exceptionally, pensioners who have resided or worked abroad for foreign companies may be awarded the Medal of Honor of Work if their 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 judges and civil servants. There are for them specific honors.
Seniority calculation
The labor medal consists of 4 steps. They depend on the length of service provided:
- Silver medal: 20 years
- Vermeil medal: 30 years
- Gold Medal: 35 years
- Great gold medal: 40 years
The services taken into account for the calculation of seniority may have been provided to an unlimited number of employers.
Periods of unemployment do not count.
Some periods of absence are considered to be periods of work. These are:
- Time spent on national service
- Maternity leave, paternity leave and adoption leave (up to a maximum of one year)
- Paid traineeships for vocational training, learning, the individual training leave (Cif), the conversion holidays, the CSDs concluded within the framework of employment policy
Please note
years spent in the public sector are not considered for this medal. An exception exists for pensioners who are no longer eligible for a seniority award the public body in which they worked.
However, the following persons may obtain the medal without having the required seniority:
- Employees of French nationality who have resided abroad or abroad for periods of activity outside France
- Mutilated labor with a disability rate of at least 50%
- Employees whose activity is of a hardship that justifies the possibility of early retirement
The approach varies according to the employee's place of residence.
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
In the Pas-de-Calais
The employee must apply online using the following online service:
Request for medal of honor of work - Pas de Calais
The following supporting documents must be attached:
- Photocopy of an ID (double-sided)
- Photocopies of each employer's work certificates
The work certificate can be replaced by a certificate drawn up by 2 witnesses and endorsed by the mayor of the municipality of residence, who will certify the reason why a certificate cannot be provided. - Recent certification by the last employer
- For persons who have performed military (or similar) services, attestation of services performed under the national service or photocopy of the military booklet
- For mutilated at work, photocopy of the statement of annuities
In Paris
Documents to be provided
The employee must file a file and attach the following documents:
- Form cerfa no. 11796 completed, dated and signed
- Photocopy of an ID (double-sided)
- Photocopies of each employer's work certificates
The work certificate can be replaced by a certificate drawn up by 2 witnesses and endorsed by the mayor of the municipality of residence, who will certify the reason why a certificate cannot be provided. - Recent certification by the last employer
- For persons who have performed military (or similar) services, attestation of services performed under the national service or photocopy of the military booklet
- For mutilated at work, 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
- Decorations Department of the Prefecture of Paris
By post (file submitted)
Prefecture of the region of Île-de-France, Prefecture of Paris
Office of the Prefect
Cabinet Department
Office of Protocol and Travel
Decorations Section
Honor Medals Pole
5 Leblanc Street
75911 PARIS cedex 15
By phone or email (for more information)
Telephone: 01 82 52 41 27, Monday to Friday, 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 4.30pm
Email: pref-info-decorations@paris.gouv.fr
In another department
Depending on the employee's department of residence, the application shall be considered by one of the following bodies:
- Departmental Directorate for Employment, Labor and Solidarity (DDETS or DDETS-PP, ex-Direct)
- Prefecture
- Sub-prefecture
You should consult the websites of these organizations, or contact at least one of them, to find out:
- If the request must be made online or sent by mail
- And, where the request may be made by mail, to which body it must be sent
Online
The following online service shall be used:
Application for the Medal of Honor of Labor
You must provide the following proof:
- Photocopy of an ID (double-sided)
- Photocopies of each employer's work certificates
The work certificate can be replaced by a certificate drawn up by 2 witnesses and endorsed by the mayor of the municipality of residence, who will certify the reason why a certificate cannot be provided. - Recent certification by the last employer
- For persons who have performed military (or similar) services, attestation of services performed under the national service or photocopy of the military booklet
- For mutilated at work, photocopy of the statement of annuities
By mail
The employee must file a file with the following documents:
- Form cerfa no. 11796 completed, dated and signed
- Photocopy of an ID (double-sided)
- Photocopies of each employer's work certificates
The work certificate can be replaced by a certificate drawn up by 2 witnesses and endorsed by the mayor of the municipality of residence, who will certify the reason why a certificate cannot be provided. - Recent certification by the last employer
- For persons who have performed military (or similar) services, attestation of services performed under the national service or photocopy of the military booklet
- For mutilated at work, photocopy of the statement of annuities
Who shall I contact
Who shall I contact
Who shall I contact
Abroad
Documents to be provided
The employee must file a file and attach the following documents:
- Form cerfa no. 11797 completed, dated and signed
- Photocopy of an ID (double-sided)
- Photocopies of each employer's work certificates
The work certificate may be replaced by a certificate drawn up by 2 witnesses and endorsed by the municipality of the municipality of residence, which will indicate the reason why a certificate cannot be provided. - Recent certification by the last employer
- For persons who have performed military (or similar) services, attestation of services performed under the national service or photocopy of the military booklet
- For mutilated at work, photocopy of the statement of annuities
Sending folder
The file must be sent to the embassy.
Who shall I contact
Deadline for submission of the dossier
The medal is awarded by decree of the Minister of Labor or, on delegation, of the Prefect on the occasion of the 1er January and July 14 of each year.
The file must reach its addressee:
- To get the medal on July 14, before the 1er May
- To get the medal on the 1er January, before 15 October of the previous year
Please note
seniority is calculated on the date of 1er January or July 14, not the date the request was sent.
Deadline
The delay between the submission of the file and the presentation of the medal varies.
The person who receives the work honor medal (the medal holder) obtains a ribbon (or rosette) and a diploma recalling the services for which he is rewarded
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
Following the publication of the prefectural decree, a diploma is also awarded to the candidate.
The diploma is sent to the town hall of his residence, which is responsible for redistributing it.
In practice, the City Hall sends a letter to the holder of the medal, inviting him to come and collect his diploma.
Warning
it is not possible to obtain a duplicate diploma.
Depending on what is set out in the collective agreement or company collective agreement, the employer may pay a sum of money to reward the services of the medal holder or grant one or more days off.
If the amount paid by the employer is less than the amount of a monthly salary, it is not included in the taxable salaried income.
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
To help you in your efforts
National Federation of Labor Decorates of FranceBy email
Access to contact form
- Decree No. 84-591 of 4 July 1984 on the Medal of Honor for Work
- Order of 30 June 1948 on the Medal of Honor for WorkDate of taking into account seniority (Article 8)
- Bofip-Taxes n°BOI-RSA-CHAMP-20-50-40 relating to national recognition income tax exemptions
- General Tax Code: Articles 156 to 163d CaArticle 157 6°
- Ministerial reply of 27 December 2011 on the inclusion of part-time work in the award of the medal of honor for work