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For 16 common contracts: what the law provides in France, the formalities and the reference texts. Each card links to the full guide and to the template to generate.
The CDI is the normal and general form of employment; probation is optional and capped by category.
The CDI (open-ended contract) is the normal and general form of the employment relationship (Labour Code, art. L1221-2).
Probation is optional and must be set out in the contract, for a maximum of 2 months (employees/manual workers), 3 months (supervisors/technicians), 4 months (managers).
The Labour Code limits fixed-term contracts to specific, temporary grounds; an unlawful ground, no ground or an excess of duration may lead to reclassification as open-ended (art. L1245-1).
Use is limited to specific, temporary grounds (replacement, temporary increase in activity, seasonal work, customary use, etc.); never for a permanent job or to replace a striking employee.
General maximum duration of 18 months, renewals included; 9 or 24 months for certain grounds, unless a sector agreement provides otherwise.
In France, a workplace internship is not an employment contract: it rests on a mandatory internship agreement (convention de stage) governed by the Education Code.
An internship is not an employment contract; an internship agreement is mandatory, signed by the intern, host organisation, school, academic supervisor and workplace tutor.
Maximum duration: 6 months per host organisation per academic year, i.e. 924 hours of actual presence (7 hours = 1 day, 22 days = 1 month).
In France, resignation requires no legal form but must reflect a clear and unequivocal intention; notice is set by the collective agreement, the contract or custom.
No legal form: resignation may be oral or written, with no reason given, if the intention is clear and unequivocal; some collective agreements require a letter.
Notice set by the collective agreement, the contract or custom; it runs from notification. Waiver requested by the employee and accepted: no payment in lieu.
The service agreement falls under the contract for work (louage d'ouvrage) of the Civil Code and the general law of contracts.
The contract for work binds the provider to deliver a piece of work or a service for an agreed price (Civil Code, art. 1710); the provider acts independently.
A consensual contract: no writing is required for validity, but writing serves as proof above EUR 1,500 between non-traders.
The Civil Code (art. 1101 et seq.) governs the agreement on the principle of consensualism; writing is required as proof between the parties above €1,500.
Principle of consensualism: most contracts are formed by agreement alone, with no particular form.
Above €1,500, a legal act must be proved in writing between the parties (art. 1359 Civil Code, Decree 80-533).
In France, a registered freelancer is presumed not to be the client's employee, but the presumption falls where there is a permanent legal relationship of subordination.
A registered self-employed person (trade register, national business register, URSSAF) is presumed not to be an employee of the principal (Labour Code, Art. L8221-6).
The presumption is rebutted by a permanent legal relationship of subordination: power to give orders, supervise their execution and sanction (Cass. soc., 13 Nov. 1996, Société générale).
In France, trade secrets are protected by Articles L151-1 et seq. of the Commercial Code (Law No. 2018-670); an NDA can be one of the protective measures.
Trade secret (Article L151-1 Commercial Code): non-public information with commercial value, protected by reasonable measures.
A confidentiality agreement can be one of the reasonable protective measures whose existence is demonstrated in a dispute.
In France, the Civil Code governs sales and the Consumer Code protects consumer buyers; France has been a party to the CISG since 1 January 1988.
The sale is complete once the item and the price are agreed; ownership passes on conclusion, even before delivery or payment (Civil Code, arts. 1583 and 1196).
Risk is in principle tied to ownership; in consumer sales, it passes to the buyer when the buyer takes physical possession of the goods.
In France, Law No. 2023-451 regulates commercial influence: paid promotion (money or benefits in kind), by electronic means, of goods, services or causes to an audience in France.
Written contract mandatory since 1 January 2026 above EUR 1,000 excl. VAT (fees and benefits in kind, per advertiser, promotional objective and year).
Mandatory terms: identity and tax residence of the parties, tasks, fees or benefits, rights and obligations including intellectual property, French law if the audience is in France.
In France, the commercial lease regime applies to premises where a commercial, craft or industrial business is operated by a tenant registered with the RCS or RNE.
3-6-9 lease (minimum 9 years): tenant may give notice at each three-year break, at least 6 months ahead, unless otherwise agreed (leases over 9 years, offices, warehouses, single-use premises).
Short-term derogatory lease possible: successive leases limited to 3 years in total; if the tenant stays on without objection within a month, a commercial lease arises.
Above EUR 1,500, a loan is proven in writing; the acknowledgment bears the sum written by the debtor in words and figures.
A loan above EUR 1,500 is proven in writing: a loan agreement signed by both parties or an acknowledgment of debt.
The acknowledgment bears the debtor's signature and the sum written by the debtor in words and figures (art. 1376); without a compliant entry, it is only a commencement of evidence.
In France, a power of attorney is a Civil Code mandate, free in form unless the target act requires an authentic deed.
The mandate gives power to act in the principal's name; it is formed when the agent accepts, even tacitly, and its form is free (Civil Code, art. 1984-1985).
Special or general mandate; in general terms it covers administration only. Selling or mortgaging requires an express mandate (art. 1987-1988).
The guides cover 16 contracts: Permanent employment contract, Fixed-term employment contract, Internship agreement, Resignation letter, Service agreement, Agreement between two parties, Freelance contract, Non-disclosure agreement (NDA), Partnership agreement, Sale of goods, Influencer agreement, Residential lease, Commercial lease, Acknowledgment of debt, Car sale agreement, Power of attorney. Each one sets out the essential clauses, the rules in France and a template to customise online.
Each guide shows its last update date and its reference texts. This is general information and does not replace legal advice suited to your situation.
Open the contract guide, then generate the template on E-Tafakna: the questionnaire adapts the clauses, and the contract can then be signed online and archived.
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