A valid-looking residence permit is not proof of the right to work. Since 2026, checking the authenticity of every non-EU permit through a QR code scan is a sanctionable requirement, and skipping it is a compliance failure on its own. The autorisation de travail is your company's legal responsibility, so the fine lands on employer, not the employee.
Here is exactly how to verify employee work authorisation in France, and what to file afterwards.
Which employees you need to verify
EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals work in France freely. For them, you only check an identity document.
Everyone else needs an autorisation de travail. That means non-EU hires holding a VLS-TS, an "employee" or "temporary worker" card, a Talent Passport, or a work authorisation certificate. Each of these carries a QR code you must authenticate.
The 3 Step Process
Use our OFII validation after arrival checklist to understand the key post-arrival steps, deadlines, and compliance requirements for France.
Step 1: Scan the QR code
France now offers two official tools to authenticate permits digitally.Both read the code and confirm the document against government records in seconds.
- Contrôle Travail portal : The desktop route, also used for the pre-hire declaration to the prefecture.
- France-Auth mobile app : scan the QR code on the permit or work authorisation certificate directly from your phone.
Reading the scan result
The scan returns one of three outcomes. Know what each means before the employee starts.
| Result |
What it means |
Your action |
| Valid |
The document is authentic and active. The result shows the holder's name, permit type, and validity dates matching the physical card. |
Proceed. Save the confirmation. |
| Expired or revoked |
The permit exists but is no longer active, or has been withdrawn by the authorities. |
Do not onboard. Ask for a current document or renewal receipt. |
| Not found / mismatch |
The code returns nothing, or the on-screen details do not match the card in front of you. |
Stop. Treat as unverified and escalate. |
If the scan fails, do not let the person start work, and confirm status through the prefecture before going further. Onboarding on a failed or mismatched result is exactly the scenario that triggers the fines below.
What if the document has no QR code?
Not every document you'll see carries a scannable QR code. Permits issued before the 2026 rollout, and some ANEF documents, present differently. Here's the fallback in each case.
- Older-format physical cards : Where the card predates the QR rollout, the prefecture authenticity request (Step 2) becomes your primary verification route. Send it and keep the acknowledgement.
- ANEF digital documents : The QR code often sits on the ANEF attestation de prolongation d'instruction or the décision favorable, not on the plastic card. Scan the code on the attestation itself.
- No code anywhere : Verify entirely through the prefecture request. The 2-working-day rule still gives you a compliant path.
This comes up most when you're verifying existing staff or a recent hire whose card was issued under the old format. The absence of a QR code never removes the obligation, it just changes which route proves it.
Explore our France work visa services for expert guidance on managing the immigration process.
Step 2: Send the prefecture authenticity request
The QR scan does not replace the older legal duty for new hires. You must still request confirmation of authenticity from the prefecture of the place of employment.
Prefecture verification timing rules
| Rule |
What It Means for You |
| Submit Early |
Send the work authorisation verification request to the prefecture
at least 2 working days before the employee's intended
start date.
|
| No Reply from the Prefecture |
If the prefecture does not respond within 2 working days,
the employer's verification obligation is considered fulfilled.
|
| Jobseeker Exemption |
No verification request is required if the employee is registered
as a jobseeker with France Travail.
|
Step 3: File and retain the receipt
The "receipt" is your proof that verification happened. It's the confirmation the tool or prefecture returns, and it's what an inspector asks for first.
What to store
- The verification confirmation : The scan result or the prefecture's reply (or proof of your request plus the expiry of the 2-working-day window).
- A copy of the permit : Front and back, or the ANEF document verified.
- The scan timestamp : The date and time you ran the check.
- The prefecture reference : The request number or acknowledgement, where you used that route.
Keep all of it in the employee's personnel file for at least 5 years after the employment ends.
A note on data protection
Under the GDPR, immigration documents are personal data, so hold only what compliance requires and no longer than the 5-year rule justifies. Store copies securely, limit access to HR, and delete them once the retention period lapses. Retaining permit copies indefinitely "just in case" is itself a data-protection risk, not a safe default.
Why this matters: the cost of getting it wrong
Administrative fines run from €20,750 to €62,250 per unauthorised worker, with criminal penalties up to €30,000. Both figures apply per person, not per incident. Repeat offenders can be banned from hiring foreign workers for up to five years.
Honestly, the verification itself takes minutes. The exposure comes from doing it inconsistently across a growing team, or forgetting to re-verify at renewal. (That second one trips up more HR teams than the initial hire.) For the full penalty framework, see our guide to France employer immigration fines.
What to do if you discover an employee isn't authorised
If a check comes back negative for someone already working, act quickly and document every step. Panic and inaction both make it worse.
- Stop the work : Suspend the employee from duties until status is resolved.
- Take legal advice : Before you terminate or report, get immigration-law guidance on your position.
- Assess regularisation : In some cases a pending renewal or fresh application can restore authorisation.
- Cooperate with inspection : Engaging with the labour inspectorate is treated far more favourably than concealment.
- Document corrective steps : Record what you found, when, and every action taken.
The exposure runs beyond fines. Employers face criminal liability, bans on hiring foreign workers for up to five years, and reputational damage that outlasts any penalty. Demonstrating that you verify systematically, and that you acted the moment you found a problem, is your strongest mitigation.
See our employer compliance under France's 2026 work permit reforms, which explains how employers can navigate France work permit applications.
Building it into your process
Verification is not a one-time task. You repeat it at every permit renewal and whenever a role, salary, or work location changes. Tie each check to your onboarding and renewal workflows so nothing slips.
🚀 Managing more than a handful of non-EU staff in France?
Manual tracking becomes a liability fast. see how Jobbatical automates permit verification, receipt storage, and renewal alerts across your team.
Disclaimer: Immigration rules change quite frequently; please verify with official sources or contact us for the latest info before making any decisions.
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