Procedure and formalities for hiring a private sector employee

Verified 01 January 2026 - Entreprendre Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Before hiring an employee, regardless of the nature and duration of the contract, the employer must comply with various formalities, including the pre-employment declaration (DPAE). How to declare an employee and what information to communicate to him? We're taking a look at the regulations.

Step-by-step approach

The content of a job offer must comply with certain rules. It must be written in French (with some exceptions) and be dated. The advertisement must not mention discriminatory criteria under penalty of prosecution.

The grounds of discrimination in relation to the job offer also apply during interviews.

France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi) offers recruitment support tools:

The employer is not obliged to inform France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi) of recruitment offers. It can use other sources, for example: press ads, professional social networks, online media, recruitment agencies, temporary work agencies, fairs or forums.

The employer who wishes hire a foreigner employee must check that the foreigner holds a certificate enabling it to pursue an activity as an employed person.

Pre-Employment Declaration (PRE-EMPLOYMENT DECLARATION)

When hiring an employee, the employer must declare it. This declaration is made by means of the Pre-Employment Declaration (PRE-EMPLOYMENT DECLARATION).

The DPAE: titleContent is already integrated where the employer uses one of the following devices:

  • Job title company service (TESE)
  • Associative employment voucher (CEA)
  • Simplified Agricultural Employment Title (TESA).

Please note

The employer does not have to make an EAPD when signing a probationary agreement.

Hiring formalities vary depending on whether the employee depends on the general regime or agricultural sector.

Where the employer occasionally employs intermittent performers, he declares them at the one-stop shop for occasional shows (Guso).

Employee of the general scheme

The formalities vary depending on whether the employer uses the DPAE on the Net-companies.fr website, the TESE or the CEA.

Pre-employment declaration (DPAE) on the Net-companies.fr website

What is the purpose of the DPAE?

The EAPD allows the employer to make the following declarations and requests:

  • Declaration of 1re hiring in an establishment
  • Registration of the employer in the general social security scheme and in the unemployment insurance scheme, in case of hiring a 1er employee
  • Application for registration of the employee at the CPAM: titleContent (when the latter already has a Social Security number)
  • Employer's membership in an occupational health service
  • Request for information and prevention visit or request for a medical examination for suitability for employment
  • Pre-establishment of the annual social data declaration (DADS).
What is the mandatory information in the EAPD?

The DPAE shall include the following particulars:

  • Company name of the company (or name and forenames of the employer) and address of the establishment
  • Code EPA: titleContent of the company
  • Siret number the establishment (or the package number issued by the company formalities center, if registration is in progress)
  • Contact details of the occupational health service on which the employer depends
  • Name, surname, gender, date and place of birth, employee's Social Security number (if already registered)
  • Expected date and time of hire
  • Nature, duration of contract and trial period for DTA: titleContent and the FIXED-TERM CONTRACT: titleContent greater than 6 months.
When and how to transmit the DPAE?

It must be forwarded to theUrssaf: titleContent before hiring and at the earliest 8 days before.

The declaration by electronic means is mandatory for companies who have more than 50 job postings in the previous calendar year.

Pre-employment declaration (PRE-EMPLOYMENT DECLARATION) online

For other companiesHowever, online reporting is preferred, but employers can fill out a paper declaration.

It is sent by fax or by post RAR: titleContent.

It must be forwarded to theUrssaf: titleContent on which depends the establishment where the employee works before hiring and at the earliest 8 days before.

Please note

The Urssaf no longer addresses an accused to employers who send their EAPD by post or fax.

Pre-employment declaration (PRE-EMPLOYMENT DECLARATION)

TESE

The TESE: titleContent is a device Urssaf: titleContent intended to simplify certain formalities to be carried out by the employer.

Join the service Job title service company (Tese)

CEA

The CEA: titleContent is a device Urssaf: titleContent intended to simplify certain formalities to be carried out by the employer of the associative sector.

Chèque emploi associatif (CEA) - employer area

Employee in the agricultural sector

The formalities vary depending on whether the employer uses the DPAE-MSA on the Net-companies.fr website or the TESA.

Pre-employment declaration (DPAE-MSA) on the Net-companies.fr website

What is the purpose of the DPAE?

The DPAE: titleContent-MSA: titleContent allows the employer to make the following declarations and requests:

  • Registration of the employee at the MSA caisse
  • Affiliation of the employer to the unemployment insurance scheme
  • Application to join an occupational health service
  • Request for information and prevention visit or request for a medical examination for suitability for employment
  • Declaration for the affiliation of agricultural employees to supplementary pension institutions
  • Application for exemptions from employer contributions for the employment of a casual worker
  • Application for certain employment measures.
What is the mandatory information in the EAPD?

The DPAE shall include the following particulars:

  • Company name of the company (or name and forenames of the employer) and address of the establishment
  • Code EPA: titleContent of the company
  • Siret number the establishment (or the package number issued by the company formalities center, if registration is in progress)
  • Address of the establishment
  • Contact details of the occupational health service on which the employer depends
  • Name, surname, gender, date and place of birth, social security number of the employee (if already registered)
  • Expected date and time of hire
  • Nature, duration of the contract and the trial period for permanent contracts and fixed-term contracts longer than 6 months.
When and how to transmit the DPAE?

It must be forwarded to theUrssaf: titleContent before hiring and at the earliest 8 days before.

The declaration by electronic means is mandatory for companies who have more than 50 job postings in the previous calendar year.

Pre-employment declaration online for agricultural employees (DPAE-MSA)

For other companiesHowever, online reporting is preferred, but employers can fill out a paper declaration.

It is sent by fax or by post RAR: titleContent.

It must be sent to the cash register MSA: titleContent on which depends the establishment where the employee works before hiring and at the earliest 8 days before.

The MSA no longer sends acknowledgement of receipt to employers who send their DPAE by post or fax.

Pre-employment declaration (DPAE) for an agricultural employee

TESA

The TESA: titleContent is a device of the MSA: titleContent intended to simplify certain formalities to be carried out by the employer.

TESA

Guso

Employers who occasionally employ one or more intermittent performers shall report them to the one-stop shop for occasional shows (Guso).

FYI  

The employer must first establish the DPAE even if the employee is not yet registered. He must then ask the employee to carry out the procedures with the CPAM: titleContent (or the MSA: titleContent for an agricultural employee) from his place of residence to obtain his social security number (or NIR: titleContent).

If the employer does not make an EAPD, it is subject to various sanctions:

  • Civil penalty: regularization by the Urssaf of unpaid social security contributions due to lack of declaration
  • Administrative penalty: penalty of €1,275 per employee concerned
  • Criminal sanction: the intentional absence of DPAE is a offense of work concealed by concealment of salaried employment.

In the event of concealment of paid employment, the employer may be convicted by the criminal court. In this case, the cumulative penalty is:

  • €45,000 fine and 3 years imprisonment for a natural person
  • €225,000 of a fine and a placement under judicial supervision for a legal person.

Other prior declaration

In addition to DPAE: titleContent, the employer must make a prior declaration persons recruited by registered letter addressed to the labor inspectorate:

  • When new hires are made at an establishment that has ceased to employ staff for at least 6 months
  • When declaring a change in company (change of operator, industry or trade, or geographical transfer).

The receipt for the registered letter must be presented by the employer at the request of the labor inspectorate at 1re visit of this one.

Document to be given to the employee to attest to the declaration

A copy of the DPAE or acknowledgement of receipt must be provided to the employee.

This obligation is considered fulfilled if the employee has a written employment contract, indicating the body to which the declaration is addressed.

The employer must give the employee a written employment contract depending on the nature of the contract.

The employer must inform the employee of the collective schemes of employee savings in the company and give him a savings account.

The employer must provide the employee with a complete notice of the guarantees available when pension scheme is in place in the company.

The employer must inform the employee that he will have a professional interview every two years.

The employer must provide specific information on the occupational risks and their prevention.

The employer must provide the employee with one or more written documents containing the main information concerning the employment relationship.

The time limit for communication, expressed in calendar day or month, varies according to the information.

Information given to the employee no later than the 7th calendar day after hiring

The information that must be given to the employee within 7 days is as follows:

  • Identity of the parties to the employment relationship
  • Place (or places) of work and, if different, address of the employer
  • Job title, duties, socio-professional category or employment category
  • Date of hire
  • For a FIXED-TERM CONTRACT: titleContent, the end date of the contract or its expected duration
  • Duration and conditions of the trial period, if any
  • Remuneration items separately indicated (including overtime increments) and the periodicity and procedures for payment of such remuneration
  • Daily, weekly, monthly working hours or the way in which working hours are arranged where they exist
  • Conditions under which the employee may be required to work overtime or overtime.

Information given to the employee no later than 1 calendar month after hiring

The information that must be given to the employee at the latest 1 month after his hiring is as follows:

  • Right to training provided by the employer as part of the training plan
  • Duration of the paid leave to which the employee is entitled, or method of calculating that duration
  • Procedure to be followed by the employer and the employee in the event of a breach of the employment contract
  • Collective agreements and conventions applicable to the employee in the company
  • Compulsory schemes to which the employee is affiliated
  • Mention of pension and health care contracts that employees collectively benefit from, as well as the seniority conditions to benefit from these contracts.

Please note

When the employee is a acting, in addition to other information, the employer shall specify the identity of the user company, when known and as soon as known.

The newly hired employee must be registered on the single register of staff.

The maintenance of this register is mandatory from 1er employee hired (or upon arrival of an intern).

The employer has the obligation to affiliate its employees to the institutions of supplementary pensions of theAgirc-Arrco: titleContent.

This affiliation is made by the single and dematerialized transmission of the registered company declaration (DSN) to all the bodies which manage the social protection of employees.

The employer must organize a information and prevention visit or a medical examination for suitability for employment.

Employers who fail to comply with their medical obligations are liable to the following penalties:

  • Fine of €1,500
  • Prison sentence of 4 months and fine of €3,750 in case of recurrence.

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