The companies established abroad that do not have a permanent establishment in France, and wishing to test the French market prior to a potential establishment, have the possibility to hire an employee in France in the form of a RFE (Representative of Foreign Firm). There are prior steps to take, including the registration of the company so that it is recognized in the country where the employee will be working.
Before January 1, 2024, when a company established abroad without a permanent establishment in France wanted to hire an employee to conduct business activities on French territory, a paper registration form had to be completed, providing all the necessary information about the company and its main activity.
The form had to be sent by email to the Urssaf Service Foreign Firms (SFE). It took about a month to complete the registration process.
Since January 1, 2024, these procedures have been entirely digitized and the processing times have been shortened.
Registration formalities are now carried out through the Single Window.
Thus, foreign companies without an establishment in France must:
- Create an online account on the dedicated website ;
- Provide various information, including their main activity, the company’s date of establishment abroad, their legal representative, etc.
After reviewing the application, foreign companies will be assigned:
- A registration number («SIRET number») to identify the company with social security organizations.
- A NAF (French Business Nomenclature) code corresponding to the company’s activity, used to determine the collective agreement applicable to its activity.
The company registration must precede the hiring of the employee.
These new online procedures do not change the obligations regarding the declaration and payment of social contributions and contributions to the Urssaf Foreign Firms Service.
The transmission of periodic declarations to social protection organizations will continue to be carried out through the Nominative Social Declaration (DSN).
Our Labor Law department is available to assist you in completing these procedures and in your project to recruit an employee in France, to ensure compliance with current regulations and secure your hiring.
