Employment contract in France: Template, Key Clauses and Local Law (2026)

What a French employment contract has to get right An employment contract in France (contrat de travail) is governed by the Labour Code (Code du travail), by case law, and almost always by a sector collective bargaining agreement (convention collective) that can set more favourable minimums than the law. The default and preferred form is the open-ended contract (contrat a duree indeterminee, or CDI). A fixed-term contract (contrat a duree determinee, or CDD) is the exception, allowed only for specific legally permitted reasons and subject to strict rules. French employment law is protective of employees, and much of it is mandatory, so a generic foreign template will usually be wrong on trial periods, the collective agreement, non-compete and the end of a fixed term. This article is general guidance, not legal advice. The applicable collective agreement often changes the detail, so have a French employment lawyer review a contract before you rely on it. ## What local law requires in 2026 - CDI versus CDD. A CDI is the default and does not legally need to be in writing to exist, though it should be, and a collective agreement may require writing. A CDD must be in writing, state a permitted reason and a term, and be given to the employee within two working days, or it risks being treated as a CDI.

• Written statement of terms. Under the EU transparency directive, transposed by an ordinance of 2 November 2023, the employer must give the employee a written statement of the essential terms of the job within seven calendar days of hiring.
• Trial period (periode d'essai). For a CDI the statutory maximum is two months for workers and employees, three months for supervisors and technicians, and four months for managers (cadres), renewable once only if the branch collective agreement expressly allows. The trial period must be written into the contract, or it does not exist. For a CDD it scales with length: one day per week of contract, capped at two weeks for a CDD of six months or less and one month for a longer CDD.
• Notice during the trial. During the trial the employer must give the employee short notice that grows with time served, for example 24 hours under eight days and 48 hours after eight days, with longer periods near the end of the trial.
• CDD end-of-contract indemnity. When a CDD ends and is not continued as a CDI, the employee is generally owed an end-of-contract indemnity (prime de precarite) of 10 percent of total gross pay, with limited exceptions.
• Non-compete (clause de non-concurrence). A post-contract non-compete is valid only if it protects a legitimate business interest, is limited in time and geography, is specific to the role, and provides a financial counterpart (contrepartie financiere) paid to the employee. Without the financial counterpart the clause is null, and the amount is often set by the collective agreement. A clause with no payment exposes the employer to damages.
• Minimum wage (SMIC) and collective agreement. Since 1 June 2026 the SMIC is 12.31 euro gross per hour, or 1,867.02 euro gross per month for a 35-hour week. The sector collective agreement may set a higher minimum, and its terms apply automatically where more favourable. ## French employment contract template Copy the block below and fill the bracketed fields. ``` EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT (CONTRAT DE TRAVAIL) This contract is made on [DATE] BETWEEN: [EMPLOYER NAME], [address], [SIRET number] ("Employer") AND [EMPLOYEE NAME], [address] ("Employee") 1. TYPE AND START This is a [CDI (open-ended) / CDD (fixed-term) for the permitted reason: [state reason], to [END DATE]]. The Employee starts on [DATE]. 2. ROLE AND CLASSIFICATION The Employee is engaged as [job title], classification [level/coefficient under the convention collective], at [location]. 3. COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT The applicable convention collective is [name], which prevails where more favourable to the Employee. 4. TRIAL PERIOD A trial period of [2 / 3 / 4] months applies [renewable once if the convention collective allows]. [For a CDD, use the day-per-week scale.] 5. WORKING TIME The working week is [35 hours / fixed-day forfait for cadres]. [Overtime and rest rules per law and the convention collective.] 6. REMUNERATION Gross salary is [AMOUNT] per month, at or above the SMIC and the convention collective minimum. [Bonus, 13th month, benefits if any.] 7. PAID LEAVE The Employee accrues paid leave under the Labour Code (generally 2.5 working days per month worked) plus public holidays as applicable. 8. CONFIDENTIALITY The Employee keeps the Employer's confidential information private during and after employment. 9. NON-COMPETE [If used:] For [N] months after the contract ends, within [area], for [defined activities], the Employee will not compete. The Employer will pay a financial counterpart of [amount per the convention collective]. [Without this payment the clause is null.] 10. NOTICE AND TERMINATION After the trial, notice follows the law and the convention collective. Dismissal requires a real and serious cause and the statutory procedure. 11. GOVERNING LAW French law applies. The labour court (conseil de prud'hommes) has jurisdiction. Signed: Employer ____________ Employee ____________ Name / date Name / date

- **Collective agreement (clause 3).** Identify the right convention collective, because it can raise the minimum wage, set classifications, extend notice and fix the non-compete counterpart. It applies automatically where more favourable than the contract.
- **Trial period (clause 4).** Write it into the contract or it does not exist, keep within the statutory and collective maximums, and only renew if the agreement allows. An absent or over-long trial is a frequent and costly error.
- **Non-compete (clause 9).** The clause is null unless it is limited in time and space, specific to the role, justified by a legitimate interest, and paid for with a financial counterpart. Foreign templates routinely omit the payment, which makes the clause worthless and exposes the employer. ## Red flags to avoid - A CDD with no valid permitted reason, no written term, or late delivery, which can become a CDI.
- A trial period not written into the contract, which means there is no trial at all.
- A non-compete with no financial counterpart, which is null and can trigger damages.
- Ignoring the convention collective, which can override the contract on pay, notice and classification.
- Forgetting the CDD end-of-contract indemnity of 10 percent, where it applies.
- Dismissing without a real and serious cause and the statutory procedure, which the labour court can sanction. ## Where a contract workspace helps A template gives you a sound French contract. The harder work is everything that follows: confirming a CDD has a valid reason and a written term, checking that any non-compete carries the financial counterpart the collective agreement sets, aligning pay and notice with the right convention collective, and tracking trial-period ends and CDD expiry dates so nothing is missed. Drafting a French employment contract, checking a non-compete for its financial counterpart, and watching CDD and trial-period dates can sit in one AI workspace tuned to how your company hires. [Adira](https://adiralaw.com) is built around that idea: it drafts from your template, models the contract as linked clauses so it can flag a non-compete with no counterpart or a trial period over the statutory limit, lets you edit in plain language, and keeps trial-end and CDD dates on one timeline. Adira is India-first today, and deeper France-specific coverage, including the convention collective detail, is on its roadmap rather than a settled claim, so treat it as a drafting and review aid and keep a French adviser for the local-law call. The template above is enough to put a fair contract in place on its own. Last verified October 2026.