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Employing someone in France from the UK: law, social security and Brexit

Olivier Niel, founder of Eagle RocketUpdated

In short

  • A UK company with no French entity can employ directly and pay French contributions through URSSAF.
  • French mandatory employment law applies to someone who habitually works in France, whatever law the contract chooses (Rome I, article 8).
  • A local hire pays French social security; a British national needs a right to work in France since Brexit.

Yes, a UK company can employ a salesperson in France without a French subsidiary. It registers with the URSSAF foreign employer service, pays French social contributions and gives the employee a contract that respects French mandatory rules. Brexit changed who may work in France without a permit, not the employer's ability to hire there.

Which employment law applies?

The Rome I Regulation, article 8, governs the law of employment contracts in France. The parties can choose the law, but that choice "may not have the result of depriving the employee of the protection" of the mandatory rules of the country where the employee habitually works. Without a choice, the law of that country applies.

For a salesperson based in France, that means French rules on probation, working time and holidays, the minimum wage and dismissal apply whatever the contract says. A UK-law contract does not save you work; it adds a second legal system to manage.

French or UK social security?

SituationSocial securityEmployer action
Salesperson recruited in France to work in FranceFrenchRegister with URSSAF (foreign employer service if no French establishment), French payroll
UK employee sent temporarily to France, up to 2 yearsCan stay in UK National Insurance with an HMRC certificate of coverageApply to HMRC for the certificate
UK employee moving to France for goodFrenchAs for a local hire

Sources: GOV.UK, Paying National Insurance if you're going to work in the EU, EEA or Switzerland; URSSAF, service Firmes étrangères; both checked 21 October 2026. Next check: January 2027.

French rules also frame a temporary posting: a company established outside France can post employees to France temporarily only if the employment contract with them continues during the posting (L1262-1). This guide focuses on the local hire, which is the usual case for a sales role.

Does the employee need the right to work in France?

Yes, as in any country. Since Brexit, British nationals no longer have free movement. According to the GOV.UK Living in France guidance (updated 2 October 2026), a British national who moved to France before 1 January 2021 and has lived there legally since then has rights under the Withdrawal Agreement and should hold a Withdrawal Agreement Residence Permit (WARP). Others need a visa or residence permit that allows work. For a French national, the question does not arise.

Can the salesperson work from home?

Yes. A salesperson for a UK company without French premises usually works from home and on the road. French law defines remote work (télétravail) as work that could be done on the employer's premises but is done elsewhere, voluntarily, using digital tools (L1222-9). Without a collective agreement or a company charter, employer and employee can simply agree on it (service-public.gouv.fr, fiche F13851). Put the arrangement and the expense rules in the contract.

What are the steps?

  1. Decide the employer structure: direct hire, employer of record or entity, see employer of record in France.
  2. Register with the URSSAF foreign employer service if you hire directly.
  3. Draft a French contract, usually a CDI, with the commission plan.
  4. File the pre-hiring declaration (DPAE) before the first day (L1221-10).
  5. Set up French payroll.

The structure is the easy part; finding a salesperson who opens doors in France is the hard one. We recruit sales staff in France for UK companies and can start the search while you set up the employer side. See the full guide to hiring sales staff in France for costs and contract rules.

What we cannot tell you

  • The tax position of your UK company once it has a salesperson in France, including the risk of a permanent establishment, and the employee's personal income tax: these are questions for a tax adviser in each country.
  • Which visa or residence permit a specific non-French candidate needs: it depends on their nationality and situation. The French government visa wizard and the prefecture are the authorities.
  • Posting rules for a UK employee sent temporarily to France beyond the points cited here, which involve declarations we did not cover in detail.

Hiring a salesperson in France?

We find and qualify sales staff in France for UK companies: direct approach, two interviews per candidate, fixed fee paid only when your hire starts.

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Frequently asked questions

Can a UK company employ someone in France after Brexit?

Yes. A UK company with no establishment in France can employ a person who works in France, declare them and pay French social contributions through the URSSAF foreign employer service (service Firmes étrangères). French employment law protections apply because France is where the employee habitually works.

Can I use a UK employment contract for an employee in France?

You can choose UK law, but under article 8 of the Rome I Regulation the choice cannot deprive the employee of the mandatory protections of French law, since France is where they habitually work. In practice you need a contract that complies with French rules on probation, working time, holidays and dismissal, so most employers simply use a French contract.

Does a UK employee working in France pay National Insurance?

Usually not. Workers normally pay social security contributions in the country where they work. A UK-based employee sent to work temporarily in an EU country for up to 2 years can stay in UK National Insurance if HMRC issues a certificate of coverage (GOV.UK, checked 21 October 2026). A person recruited locally in France pays French contributions.

Does a British salesperson need a visa to work in France?

Since Brexit, a British national needs a visa or residence permit that allows work, unless they moved to France before 1 January 2021 and hold a Withdrawal Agreement Residence Permit (WARP), according to the GOV.UK Living in France guidance updated on 2 October 2026.

Sources and method

Every rule, rate and amount on this page was checked at the source on the date shown. I update the page when a source changes.

Olivier Niel

Olivier Niel, Founder and Managing Director, Eagle Rocket

Olivier founded Eagle Rocket in 2020, a sales recruitment firm on a human scale. The firm works for a single fixed fee paid on success, and holds two in-depth interviews with each candidate before presenting them to a client.

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Rules and figures are checked against official French and UK sources (service-public.gouv.fr, the French Labour Code, URSSAF, gov.uk) on the date shown. Published by Eagle Rocket SARL (RCS Évreux 883 581 803). This guide is general information, not legal advice.