France Salaried Employee Visa (VLS-TS Salarie) Employer-Managed by Jobbatical

The minimum salary for the standard France salaried employee visa (VLS-TS Salarié) in 2026 is the French SMIC, which rose to €1,867.02 gross per month on 1 June 2026 (from €1,823.03 on 1 January). Higher-salary Talent routes apply different thresholds: €39,582 per year for Talent – Salarié Qualifié and €59,373 for the EU Blue Card. Jobbatical verifies the applicable figure with service-public.gouv.fr before any offer letter is issued.

Jobbatical manages the full visa salarié France process for your HR team: eligibility screening, the France Travail labour market test or shortage-list exemption check, the DREETS work authorisation filed via the ANEF employer portal, consular VLS-TS application, and the mandatory ANEF validation within three months of arrival. Your team only confirms the role and signs the CDI or CDD offer letter—Jobbatical handles the rest.

A labour market test (opposabilité de l'emploi) is required for the standard France salaried employee visa unless the role qualifies for an exemption. Roles on the 2026 Métiers en Tension shortage list, Talent Passport categories, and French master's graduates hired into a related role are exempt. Where a test applies, the employer must advertise the role via France Travail for three weeks. Jobbatical checks exemptions first to save you weeks of processing time.

For a dossier visa salarié France, your company provides the signed CDI or CDD contract, the DREETS work authorisation, a company registration extract (Kbis/SIRET), a detailed job description, and proof the salary meets the 2026 SMIC or Talent threshold. Your employee provides their passport, degree certificate, CV, criminal record certificate, health insurance and proof of accommodation. Jobbatical sends a personalised documents visa France checklist and reviews everything before submission.

The France salaried employee visa typically takes 8–12 weeks with Jobbatical, versus 3–5 months for employers managing it alone. The main bottleneck is upstream: the DREETS work authorisation and any France Travail labour market test can take up to two months before the consular VLS-TS step. Employers should plan a three-to-four-month runway from offer to start date, or choose a Talent route to skip the labour market test.

For the France salaried employee visa, the main employer cost is the one-off OFII tax of 55% of the employee's first month's gross salary, capped at €2,506.63 for 2026 contracts of 12 months or more. The DREETS work authorisation is free at filing. Your employee pays the €99 consular visa fee and the €300 VLS-TS validation tax (increased on 1 May 2026). Verify all figures with service-public.gouv.fr, as fees and requirements may change.