Apprenticeship Contracts in France

This guide is for internationals who have recently moved to France and want to understand how the contrat d’apprentissage (apprenticeship contract) works, whether they are considering one themselves or hiring an apprentice. After reading, you will know who can sign one, how long it runs, how pay is calculated and what the employer has to provide.

• Who can sign an apprenticeship contract
• How the contract is signed and registered
• How long the contract lasts
• How apprentices are paid
• What the employer must provide
• FAQ

Who can sign an apprenticeship contract

An apprenticeship contract is an employment contract. The apprentice alternates between periods of work in a company and periods of study at a centre de formation d’apprentis or CFA (apprentice training centre). According to the official Service Public page on apprenticeship contracts, last checked on 8 September 2026, the minimum age is 16. Cross-border apprenticeships are not covered by that page.

Two exceptions allow a younger start. A young person aged at least 15 can sign if they have completed lower secondary schooling, up to the end of 3e (the final year of collège). A young person who turns 15 between the start of the school year and the end of the calendar year can also begin, provided they have completed 3e and are enrolled, with school status, at a lycée professionnel (vocational secondary school) or a CFA on a course leading to a qualification registered in the RNCP (national register of professional qualifications).

The upper limit is 29 completed years, meaning 30 minus one day. It rises to 35 completed years (36 minus one day) in three situations: the apprentice signs a new contract to reach a higher qualification level than one already held, or a previous contract ended for reasons beyond their control, or it ended because of temporary physical unfitness. In each case, no more than one year may pass between the two contracts.

No upper age limit applies to an apprentice recognised as a disabled worker, to someone planning to create or take over a business that requires the qualification, to a registered high-level athlete, or to someone who failed their diploma and signs a new contract with a different employer to sit the exam again.

The page does not say whether a foreign national needs a particular titre de séjour (residence permit) or work authorisation to sign. That is decided under immigration rules, so anyone with a question about their own status can contact the prefecture or a migration advice service.

How the contract is signed and registered

The contract must be in writing and is drawn up on form cerfa n°10103. It has to include certain details, among them the employer’s name or company name, the size of the workforce, the diploma or title being prepared, the salary for each year of the contract, and the name and date of birth of the maître d’apprentissage (the workplace mentor who supervises the apprentice). The employer must also certify that the mentor meets the professional competence requirements, and the contract sets out how any benefits in kind are deducted.

The employer and the apprentice both sign. If the apprentice is a minor, their legal representative signs too. Each side keeps a copy. Where the employer is a parent or grandparent of a minor apprentice, a simple declaration can replace the contract, signed by the apprentice and the CFA director.

Within five working days of the contract starting, the employer sends it to the opérateur de compétences or OPCO (the body that funds vocational training in each sector), along with the convention de formation (training agreement) and, where training is shortened or extended, a tripartite agreement. This can be done online, including by scan, and costs nothing. The OPCO has 20 days to decide whether to fund the contract. If it does not reply in that time, the request counts as refused. If the contract does not comply, for example on the apprentice’s age, the pay or the mentor’s competence, the OPCO refuses funding and sends its reasons to the employer, the apprentice and the CFA. The OPCO then files the contract online with the ministry responsible for vocational training.

How long the contract lasts

The contract can be a contrat à durée limitée or CDL (fixed-term contract) lasting between six months and three years. It can also be a contrat à durée indéterminée or CDI (permanent contract), in which case it opens with an apprenticeship period during which the apprentice works towards the qualification.

In both cases, the length matches the training cycle for the qualification, which varies by profession. It can be shortened or extended to reflect the apprentice’s level or existing skills, through a tripartite agreement between the CFA, the employer and the apprentice. The contract starts on the first day of training at the CFA or at the employer. For disabled workers and high-level athletes, the maximum can be extended to four years.

How apprentices are paid

Apprentices earn a percentage of the Smic (the national minimum wage), which depends on their age and year of training. The page gives these minimum gross monthly amounts:

• Aged 16 to 17: 27% of the Smic (€504.09) in year one, 39% (€728.14) in year two, 55% (€1,026.86) in year three.
• Aged 18 to 20: 43% (€802.82), then 51% (€952.18), then 67% (€1,250.90).
• Aged 21 to 25: the higher of 53% of the Smic (€989.52) or 53% of the minimum salary set by the relevant collective agreement in year one, rising to 61% (€1,138.88) and then 78% (€1,456.27) on the same basis.
• Aged 26 and over: the higher of the Smic (€1,867.02) or the collective agreement minimum, in every year.

Apprentices under 16 are paid at the 16 to 17 rate. Someone preparing a one-year licence professionnelle (vocational bachelor’s degree) is paid at the second-year rate. A collective agreement in the company can set higher amounts. When an apprentice moves into a new age band, the higher rate applies from the first day of the month after their birthday.

Pay rises by 15 percentage points when the contract lasts one year or less and prepares a qualification at the same level as one already held, in a directly related field. This increase does not apply to collective agreement minimums. If the training cycle is shortened, the apprentice is paid as though it had not been. If it is extended, pay during the extra time matches the final year of the contract.

What the employer must provide

The employer appoints a qualified maître d’apprentissage, pays at least the minimum rate and handles the OPCO paperwork within the deadline. Deductions for food or housing written into the contract are capped at 75% of the salary. The employer covers the apprentice’s travel costs between home and work, and overtime is paid on the same terms as for other staff.

No payment of any kind can be asked of the apprentice or their legal representative when the contract is signed, filed or ended. For contracts signed from 1 July 2025, the employer must contribute to the training costs of certain apprentices. The page does not say here which apprentices that covers.

FAQ

Does a foreign national need a residence permit to sign an apprenticeship contract?

The Service Public page on apprenticeship contracts does not cover residence or work authorisation. Those questions fall under immigration rules, and the prefecture or a migration advice service can answer them for an individual case.

Can an apprentice be charged a fee for the contract?

No. No payment can be requested from the apprentice or their legal representative when the contract is signed, filed or ended, and sending the contract to the OPCO is free.

When does pay go up after a birthday?

The higher rate starts on the first day of the month after the birthday. An apprentice in year one who turns 21 in March moves from 43% to 53% of the Smic on 1 April.

What happens if the OPCO does not reply?

The OPCO has 20 days to decide on funding. If it says nothing within that time, the funding request counts as refused.

Sources: service-public.fr

Last verified: 24 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the responsible authority always has the final word.

This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. For your own situation, ask the prefecture of your département, a recognised migration advice service or a lawyer (avocat).