Hiring sales staff in France: the guide for UK companies
In short
- A UK company can employ a salesperson in France without a French entity, by registering with the URSSAF foreign employer service.
- For someone who works in France, French mandatory employment rules apply whatever law the contract names (Rome I, article 8).
- The biggest differences with the UK: dismissal and notice, the 35-hour legal week, paid non-compete clauses, and employer contributions of about 38% on a 40,000 euro executive salary.
To hire a salesperson in France, a UK company needs three things settled: who legally employs the person (your UK company, an employer of record or a French entity), a French employment contract that respects French mandatory rules, and the payment of French social contributions. This guide takes each step in turn and compares the French rules with the UK rules you already know.
Can a UK company hire in France without a French entity?
Yes. When a company has no establishment in France and hires an employee who falls under French social security, it must declare and pay French social contributions through the URSSAF foreign employer service (service Firmes étrangères), which handles registration, declarations and payments (URSSAF, page updated 31 March 2025, checked 21 October 2026). You can also use an intermediary or set up a local structure:
| Option | Who is the employer | Suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct hire, URSSAF foreign employer service | Your UK company | A first salesperson, long term | You run French payroll (or pay a provider) and apply French employment law yourself |
| Employer of record (EOR) | The EOR provider | Testing the market fast | French law bans profit-making labour lending outside authorised schemes (L8241-1). Read our EOR guide |
| Umbrella company (portage salarial) | The portage company | Independent experts on a time-limited assignment | Only for occasional tasks or expertise you lack, 36 months maximum (L1254-3, L1254-4) |
| French subsidiary or branch | Your French entity | A team, or a long-term commitment | Set-up and running costs, French accounting and tax filings |
Sources: URSSAF service Firmes étrangères; Code du travail, articles L8241-1, L1254-3 and L1254-4 (code.travail.gouv.fr), checked 21 October 2026.
Which law applies to a salesperson working in France for a UK company?
The Rome I Regulation (article 8) lets employer and employee choose the law of the contract, but that choice cannot deprive the employee of the protection of the mandatory rules of the country where they habitually work. A salesperson based in France and covering French customers habitually works in France. In practice, you write a French contract, in French, and apply French rules on working time, minimum pay, notice and dismissal. Writing an English-law contract does not change that.
Does the salesperson need a work permit?
- French, EU and EEA nationals: no work permit.
- UK nationals: since 1 January 2021, they may need a work permit or work visa, unless they lived in France legally before that date and hold rights under the Withdrawal Agreement (GOV.UK, Living in France, updated 2 October 2026).
- Other nationals: a work authorisation is required. Employing someone without one exposes the employer to criminal penalties.
Where does the employee pay social security?
Under the UK-EU arrangements, a worker pays into one country's scheme at a time, usually the country where they work. A salesperson hired to work in France pays French contributions, and so does the employer. The exception is a UK employee sent temporarily to France for up to two years, who can stay on UK National Insurance with an HMRC certificate of coverage (GOV.UK, Paying National Insurance if you're going to work in the EU, checked 21 October 2026). Our article on employing someone in France from the UK covers both cases.
How does French employment law differ from UK law?
| Topic | France | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Standard contract | Permanent contract (CDI); fixed-term (CDD) only for listed temporary reasons, 18 months maximum by default | Permanent or fixed-term; no list of permitted reasons |
| Probation | Set by law: 4 months maximum for executives, renewable once to 8 months if the branch agreement allows | No statutory maximum; set by the contract |
| Notice from the employer | 1 month between 6 months and 2 years of service, 2 months from 2 years (or more under the collective agreement) | 1 week up to 2 years, then 1 week per year, 12 weeks maximum |
| Severance | Legal minimum from 8 months of service: a quarter of a month's pay per year (a third from year 10) | Statutory redundancy pay from 2 years, in redundancy only |
| Unfair dismissal | Protection from day one; compensation scale by length of service | Qualifying period of 2 years, falling to 6 months for dismissals from 1 January 2027 |
| Working time | 35-hour legal week, overtime paid at +25% then +50%; 218-day yearly cap for executives on forfait jours | 48-hour average maximum, opt-out possible |
| Paid holiday | 2.5 working days per month, 30 working days (5 weeks) a year | 5.6 weeks (28 days for a 5-day week) |
| Non-compete | Valid only with financial compensation, limited in time and place | Enforceable if reasonable; no compensation required |
| Employer charges | 38.5% on a 40,000 euro executive salary (URSSAF simulator), after the general reduction | 15% NIC above £5,000 plus 3% minimum pension |
Sources: Code du travail L1242-8-1, L1221-19, L1221-21, L1234-1, L1234-9, R1234-2, L1235-3, L3121-27, L3121-36, L3121-64, L3141-3 (code.travail.gouv.fr); service-public.gouv.fr F1910; GOV.UK pages on notice periods, redundancy pay, dismissal, holiday entitlement, working hours and employer rates for 2026 to 2027, and the Employment Rights Act timeline update of 14 October 2026; all checked 21 October 2026. Next check: January 2027.
Each row has its own guide: CDI vs CDD, probation, notice and dismissal, working time and holidays, non-compete clauses and sales commission.
How much does a salesperson cost in France?
Start from the market salary, then add employer contributions. Median base salaries on French job offers range from about 28,500 euros for inside sales to 65,000 euros for sales directors (France Travail offers, 21 October 2026, see sales salaries in France). Employer contributions then add 38.5% for an executive on 40,000 euros in a company of 30 staff (URSSAF simulator, 21 October 2026). Our employer cost calculator does the sum for your role and compares it with a UK hire, in pounds.
What are the steps to hire a salesperson in France?
- Choose the employer structure (direct hire via URSSAF, EOR, entity) and, if you hire directly, your payroll provider.
- Identify your collective agreement. It sets minimum salaries, probation, notice and some benefits for your sector.
- Find and assess candidates. This is where we come in: we recruit sales staff in France for UK companies by direct approach.
- Write the contract in French: role, pay and variable, place of work, working time arrangement, probation, and any non-compete clause.
- Declare the hire before the start date. French law requires a pre-hiring declaration to the social security bodies before the employee starts (Code du travail, article L1221-10).
- Set up company health insurance (mutuelle), occupational health and payroll, then onboard.
What we cannot tell you
- Which collective agreement (convention collective) applies to your hire: it depends on your company's main activity, and it can change the probation period, notice, minimum salaries and extra benefits.
- Tax questions for your UK company, such as whether a salesperson in France creates a permanent establishment for corporation tax. That depends on what the person actually does (for example signing contracts) and needs advice from a tax adviser.
- Whether a specific candidate qualifies for a French work permit: the prefecture decides case by case.
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.
Recruit sales staff in France with usOr brief us directlyFrequently asked questions
Can a UK company employ someone in France without a French entity?
Yes. A company with no establishment in France can employ a salesperson directly by registering with the URSSAF foreign employer service (service Firmes étrangères), which collects French social contributions. The alternatives are an employer of record, an umbrella company (portage salarial) within its legal limits, or a French subsidiary or branch.
Does French or UK employment law apply to a salesperson working in France?
Under the EU Rome I Regulation (article 8), the parties may choose the law of the contract, but the employee keeps the protection of the mandatory rules of the country where they habitually work. For a salesperson based in France, that means French rules on notice, dismissal, working time and minimum pay apply in any case.
Do I need a work permit to hire a British national in France?
Usually yes. Since 1 January 2021 a UK national needs a work permit or work visa to work in France, unless they lived in France legally before that date and hold rights under the Withdrawal Agreement (GOV.UK, Living in France). EU and EEA nationals do not need one.
How long does it take to hire a salesperson in France?
Allow for the search itself, then for the notice your candidate owes their current employer. When a salesperson resigns, that notice is set by their collective agreement, their contract or local custom, so ask for it at the first interview: it usually decides the start date more than the search does.
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.
- URSSAF, service Firmes étrangères (foreign employers without an establishment in France), checked 21 October 2026. Page updated 31 March 2025
- Regulation (EC) No 593/2008 (Rome I), article 8, EUR-Lex, checked 21 October 2026
- GOV.UK, Living in France (working in France), checked 21 October 2026. Updated 2 October 2026
- GOV.UK, Paying National Insurance if you're going to work in the EU, checked 21 October 2026
- Code du travail (code.travail.gouv.fr): L1221-10, L1221-19, L1221-21, L1234-1, R1234-2, L3121-27, L3141-3, L8241-1, L1254-3, checked 21 October 2026
- Service-public.gouv.fr, fiches F1910 (non-compete clause), F2883 (resignation notice), F33886 (foreign employee without a work authorisation) and F2300 (Smic), checked 21 October 2026
- GOV.UK: Making staff redundant (notice periods), Dismissal, Holiday entitlement, Maximum weekly working hours, Rates and thresholds for employers 2026 to 2027, Employment Rights Act timeline update, checked 21 October 2026. Timeline update of 14 October 2026
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.