Landing in France with a WHV — a guide to your first steps

The “autorisation provisoire de travail” (temporary work permit)

Find out if you need to apply for an “autorisation provisoire de travail” (temporary work permit)

Citizens of the following countries do not have to apply for an “autorisation provisoire de travail” (temporary work permit) and can start working right away:

• Argentina
• Australia (if the WHV was issued after March 1, 2016)
• Canada
• Chile
• Colombia
• South Korea
• Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
• Japan (if the WHV was issued after June 9, 2016)
• Mexico
• New Zealand (if the WHV was issued after March 10, 2017)
• Taiwan
• Uruguay

If you hold a passport from one of the countries listed above, your visa shouldn’t state that you need to get a work permit or an “autorisation provisoire de travail” from the DIRECCTE.

Citizens of the following countries have to apply for an “autorisation provisoire de travail” (temporary work permit) when they find a job, before starting to work:

• Russia
• New Zealand (if the WHV was issued before March 10, 2017)
• Australia (if the WHV was issued before March 1, 2016)
• Japan (if the WHV was issued before June 9, 2016)

On your visa, it will be mentioned that you need to get a work permit or an “autorisation provisoire de travail” from the DIRECCTE.

I do! How do I apply for the “autorisation provisoire de travail” (work permit)?

Before starting to work, you have to submit an application at your local DIRECCTE in France. To learn more about it, read How do I apply for an “autorisation provisoire de travail” (“APT”)? (chapter 3)