This page has been automatically translated. Please refer to the page in French if needed.
Can a job applicant residing in Europe look for work in France?
Verified 29 septembre 2020 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Yes. As a resident of the European Union, European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you are allowed to come to France to look for work as a job seeker. You must apply to the Employment Center and receive unemployment benefits, subject to conditions. The Employment Center and the European Eures network can help you find a job.
You can come to France to look for a job there for a period ranging from 3 months minimum to 6 months maximum.
If you wish to stay more than 3 months in France, you must apply for an extension of the authorization to the national employment service of the country in which you lost your job. Your request must be made as soon as possible, before the end of the first 3-month period. The authorization may be extended from 3 to 6 months.
You must:
- Provide proof of the steps you took during the first 3 months to find a job in France
- Demonstrate that you have a better chance of finding a job if you extend your stay in France
- Provide information about your employment opportunities in a short time (for example, if you hold a sought-after professional qualification or have a promise to hire).
Warning : foreign nationals can seek employment in France for 3 months. To settle and work in France beyond this period, they must apply for a residence permit from the prefecture of their place of residence in France.
Upon arrival in France, you must register as a job seeker.
You must contact the employment agency on which your home depends.
You can enjoy the same rights as European citizens:
- Access to employment
- Employment services assistance
- Financial assistance to help you find work
Register for Job Pole
Employment center
If you received unemployment benefits in another European country, you can continue to benefit in France.
Before leaving for France, you must meet the following 2 conditions:
- Have been registered for at least 4 weeks as an unemployed person with the employment service of the country in which you lost your job (exceptions are possible),
- Requesting a U2 portable document (maintenance of unemployment benefits) with the organization paying your unemployment benefits.
With this document, you will be able to register as a job seeker at the employment office on which your home in France depends.
You must do it within 7 days after the date of your termination as an applicant for employment in the country you left.
Your allocations can be maintained for 3 months (possible extension to 6 months maximum), within the limits of the rights open to you in the European country concerned.
To do this, you must meet the following 2 conditions:
- Be unemployed completely (not partially or intermittently)
- Be entitled to unemployment benefits in the country where you lost your job.
Warning : in order to retain your unemployment benefit rights in France, you must renew your rights, before they expire.. You must apply to the national employment service of the country in which you lost your job. Ask before you leave for France.
You can consult the job offers on the Pôle emploi website.
Search for a job offer on Pole emploi
Employment center
You can also consult the database of job offers on the Eures website.
Search for a job in Europe
European Commission