How to work in France as a freelancer on a WHV

Chapter 1 of 6

As work-from-anywhere becomes more common, freelancing has also become more popular. But if you’re on a working holiday in France, is it even possible to become a freelancer?

Yes, it is possible if you work in a liberal profession! You also need to be of majority age, have a mailing address in France, and have working authorization in France. A few examples of liberal professions include social media manager, writer, translator, web developer, design, and consulting.

This guide explains how you can create your own micro-enterprise for free through URSSAF (Union de recouvrement des cotisations de sécurité sociale et d’allocations familiales). According to URSSAF, there is no exhaustive list of unregulated liberal professions. Rather, it is a category that covers everything not classified as a commercial activity, an artisanal activity, an agricultural activity, or a regulated liberal profession. Source.

Note that if you are a working holiday maker looking to exercise:

• A commercial profession, it is the Chambre du Commerce et de l’Industrie that will process your application. We do not know if WHVers are permitted to exercise this kind of activity.
• An artisanal profession, the same application steps apply, except that your application will be reviewed by the Chambre de Métiers et de l’Artisanat, not by URSSAF. According to former WHVers, the Working Holiday Visa is not accepted by CMA as a sufficient work authorization, leading to refusals.

Continue to the next chapter to learn how to become a freelancer in a liberal profession as a WHV holder in France.