What reserve can we commit to?
Verified 16 June 2023 - Legal and Administrative Information Directorate (Prime Minister)
Several reserve arrangements allow volunteers to engage in the service of the general interest: military reserve, police civilian reserve, citizen reserve, health reserve... Age and profile requirements vary depending on the engagement chosen. Some reserves only employ volunteers, others pay volunteers.
Type of reserve | Age | Volunteer Profile | Duration of contract | Duration of intervention periods | Compensation | Organization |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
From 17 years | Physically and medically fit volunteers | Contract between 1 and 5 years renewable | Maximum of 60 days per year. If necessary, the duration may be extended to 210 days per year. | Pay as grade varies | Armies and National Gendarmerie | |
Between 18 and 67 years old | Volunteers, retired police officers and former physically and medically fit security assistants | 1-5 year contract | Maximum of 90 days per year for volunteers and 150 days for retired police officers and former security assistants | Compensation varies by grade and duty station | National Police | |
Prison Civil Reserve | Maximum 65 years | Physically and medically fit pensioners | Minimum 1-year contract, renewable | Maximum of 150 days per year | Gross daily earnings of €105 | Prison Service |
From 17 years | Volunteers approved by the military authority on the basis of their skills, experience or interest in matters relating to national defense | 3-year license renewable | One-off interventions | No compensation or allowance (only travel expenses are compensated) | Armies and National Gendarmerie | |
From 18 years | No specific profile | No time limit | One-off interventions | No compensation or allowance (no reimbursement of expenses) | Schools and schools | |
Citizens' reserve for territorial cohesion | From 18 years | No specific profile | No time limit | One-off interventions | No compensation or allowance (no reimbursement of expenses) | Administrations, public bodies and associations |
Unconditional | No specific profile | Commitment of 1 to 5 years renewable | Maximum of 15 working days per year up to 24 hours per week | Compensation may be paid subject to conditions | Municipality | |
From 18 years | Volunteers meeting an administrative survey | 1 year renewable | Maximum 24 hours per week for recurring missions or more for one-off missions | No compensation or allowance | National Police | |
From 16 years | No specific profile | 1 year renewable | Occasional (one-off or recurring) missions | No compensation or allowance | Public services, communities or non-profit associations | |
Unconditional | Health professionals in active employment, unemployed or retired for less than 5 years, students in medicine, odontology, pharmacy or pursuing studies of midwives or medical assistants at the end of studies | 3-year contract, renewable | Maximum 45 cumulative days per calendar year (may exceptionally be increased to 90 days) | The salary of the employed reservist or official shall be maintained. Liberal reservists, unemployed, retired or student reservists receive compensation. | Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Facility (Epru) | |
Between 16 and 56 years (general case). Between 18 and 25 years old in Paris and Marseille. | Medically and physically fit volunteers | 5-year commitment, renewable (general case). In Paris: 10-month, non-renewable commitment. | Occasional (one-off or recurring) missions | Grade-specific allowance | Departmental Fire and Rescue Service | |
Fire and rescue services citizen reserves | From 16 years | Volunteers not criminally convicted | Commitment of 1 to 5 years renewable | Occasional (one-off or recurring) missions | No compensation or allowance | Departmental or territorial fire and rescue service |
Youth Judicial Protection Reserve (YJP) | Maximum 75 years | Volunteers and retirees of the civil service, not criminally convicted | 1 year renewable | Maximum of 150 days per year | Daily allowance (3 levels according to expertise) | PJJ Directorate or PJJ Interregional Directorate or PJJ National School |
In the event of a major crisis, volunteers from the following reserves may be summoned to the National Security Reserve:
- Military Operational Reserve
- National Police Civil Reserve
- Sanitary reserve
- Prison Civil Reserve
- Civil security reserve
It's 30 days. This period shall be renewable once.
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
To learn more about the Citizens' Reserve for Territorial Cohesion
National Agency for Territorial Cohesion (ANCT)
- Law n°2021-1520 of 25 November 2021 aiming to consolidate our model of civil security and value the volunteering of firefighters and professional firefighters
- Law No. 2009-1436 of 24 November 2009Articles 17 to 21
- Decree No. 2023-464 of 14 June 2023 laying down the procedures for implementing the Youth Judicial Protection Reserve
- Decree n°2021-1275 of 29 September 2021 on the implementation of the citizen reserve for territorial cohesion
- Decree No. 2011-740 of 27 June 2011 laying down the procedures for implementing the prison civil reserve
- Order of 27 September 2011 fixing the amount of the reserve allowance paid to the staff of the prison civil reserve
- Circular of 1 June 2012 on the implementation of the prison civil reserve within the services of the Ministry of Justice (PDF - 227.6 KB)
- Find a volunteer assignment
Search tools
- Volunteering for associations (PDF - 1.2 MB)Civic Service Agency