A posting is not the same as hiring the employee in France
When an employer established outside France temporarily sends employees to carry out work in France, the foreign employer normally remains the employer. France can nevertheless impose prior declarations, local representation and document-availability obligations during the assignment.
Review whether a SIPSI declaration is required before the assignment starts
For many service postings, the employer must submit a prior declaration using the SIPSI online service before work begins in France. The declaration identifies the employer, workers, French client or location, assignment and other required information.
There are exceptions. For example, certain own-account postings can be exempt from the prior declaration and representative requirement. Short-duration or sector-specific situations can also have special rules, so the assignment should be classified before a declaration is filed.
The France-based representative is part of the compliance structure
Where representation is required, the employer designates a person or organisation in France who can communicate with the relevant control authorities and make required documents available. The SIPSI declaration includes the representative details.
Prepare the inspection file before workers arrive
The employer or representative may need to produce documents concerning employment, remuneration, working time, social-security coverage and, where relevant, work authorisation. The precise documents depend on the workers and assignment. Preparing the file after an inspection request is a much weaker operating model than preparing it before the posting begins.
Construction and other regulated contexts can add another layer
Some sectors have additional requirements. In construction and public works, for example, the professional identification card process can interact with the posting declaration. The operational checklist should therefore reflect the actual sector and project rather than only the SIPSI form.
Keep SIPSI, representation and project dates consistent
Changes to dates, workers or the assignment can require updates. The posting file, representative appointment and supporting documents should therefore be managed as one project rather than separate administrative tasks.
See Francosetup’s posting workers to France service for the full posting setup, or the dedicated posted-worker representative service if the local representative role is the immediate requirement.