Carte BTP application for work in France: who needs it, what it costs, which steps to follow, and what changed from April 2024.
New rules as of 1 April 2024
The Carte BTP is no longer applied for per assignment — the card is now valid for 5 years and is personal, and is activated per posting. Read below what this means for you.
SIPSI declaration, Carte BTP and representative with a date per worker. You file, the software checks. One subscription per country.
Blog · Registration Cards · France
Working in the French construction sector? All your employees must carry a Carte BTP on site. The card is personal, costs €9.80, and is applied for by you as the posting employer — not by the employee themselves.
Updated: July 2026
Sector: Construction (BTP)
Source: cibtp.fr, cartebtp.fr
Webinar clip: Carte BTP — who needs it, how to apply, and costs — from the WorkAdministration webinar
What is the Carte BTP?
The Carte BTP ( carte d'identification professionnelle du BTP ) is a mandatory professional card for every employee performing construction work in France, including workers posted by a foreign employer (Code du travail L8291-1). Self-employed persons without staff do not need it. The card shows the employee's name and photo, the words 'salarié détaché' and the expiry date; through the code on the card the inspector sees whether a posting is currently active (Code du travail R8292-1, R8292-2). An inspector on site can verify the card instantly via the QR code on the card.
Cost € 9.80
Validity 5 years
Portal cartebtp.fr
Applied for by Employer
Which activities fall under the BTP?
The Carte BTP is mandatory for everyone who performs work on a French construction or public works site that falls under the BTP sector (Article R8291-1 Code du travail). The BTP sector covers a broad range of activities:
Groundworks and foundation works
Construction, building, and civil engineering works
Assembly and disassembly of prefabricated elements
Interior and exterior finishing (plasterers, floor layers, tilers)
Renovation and refurbishment
Demolition and dismantling
Maintenance works on structures
Painting and cleaning of buildings
Directly related support activities
Construction supervision, site management, and planning
Installers (plumbing, electrical, heating, ventilation)
Construction engineers and site managers
Who does not need a Carte BTP?
The law exempts only these professions (Code du travail R8291-1):
Architects
Building surveyors (diagnostiqueurs immobiliers)
Quantity surveyors (métreurs)
Health-and-safety coordinators (coordonnateurs SPS)
Drivers and delivery staff
Land surveyors (géomètres-topographes)
Every other employee who performs, directs or organises construction work on site needs the card.
Unsure? If you cannot confirm with certainty that an employee qualifies for an exemption, apply for the Carte BTP anyway. The fine for non-compliance is €4,000 per person — the application costs just €9.80.
Step-by-step application
Submit the SIPSI notification first
The Carte BTP is applied for after the SIPSI notification, because you need the SIPSI transmission number. Make sure SIPSI is complete before you start here.
Register your company on the portal
Go to www.cartebtp.fr and select "FOREIGN company: standard case". Register with your company name, VAT number (without country prefix) and legal representative.
→ www.cartebtp.fr
Import the SIPSI notification
After email confirmation: go to "Manage PDP" → "IMPORT PDP FROM SIPSI". Enter your email address and the SIPSI transmission number. Note: a notification can only be imported once.
Upload passport photos per employee
One passport photo per employee in JPG format:
Size: 96×125 to 360×468 pixels
Face covering 70–80% of the image, light neutral background
No glasses, no hat
Enter the delivery address
The card is only sent to a French address — the portal does not accept a foreign delivery address. Use the address of your client or work site. Plan well in advance: physical delivery can take several days.
Pay and receive the temporary certificate
Pay by credit card: a temporary PDF certificate is available immediately — it counts as the card until the physical card has reached you or your representative, and for at most 72 hours after that (Code du travail R8294-2). By bank transfer: available after approximately 2–3 business days.
✓ Done — physical card follows by post to the specified French address
Activating the card per posting
Since 1 April 2024 the card is personal and is no longer tied to a specific employer or assignment. The card is valid for 5 years but is deactivated between posting periods . Each new posting receives a new online number.
Process: once you have submitted the SIPSI notification for a new assignment, link that SIPSI number in the portal to the employee's existing card. Changes to the duration are automatically synchronised the following day.
Common mistake
An employee has a card from a previous assignment, but the employer forgot to activate it for the new posting. The card is then not active — and this can attract the same fine as a missing card.
Fines
€ 4,000
per employee without an (active) Carte BTP
€ 8,000 for a repeat offence within 2 years · € 500,000 in total at most (Code du travail L8291-2)
Also required for construction work: RC Décennale
If you carry out construction works that affect the structural integrity of a building — such as structural work, carpentry, or installations that form part of the structure — an Assurance RC Décennale (ten-year liability insurance) is also required alongside the Carte BTP. This insurance covers defects that compromise the soundness of the work or prevent its intended use, for 10 years after completion.
The insurance applies to the main contractor; subcontractors are not automatically covered. Policy details, including the policy number and insurer's contact details, must be stated on quotes and invoices.
→ Complete checklist for work in France — all obligations at a glance
Carte BTP in your France checklist
In WorkAdministration's software the Carte BTP is a step in the France checklist, after the SIPSI declaration and the representative: you apply for the card on cartebtp.fr, the app checks per construction worker that the card is uploaded and activated for this assignment.
More about Carte BTP
Get in touch
This article is based on French law and official sources (Code du travail, cibtp.fr; as of: July 2026). It constitutes general information and not legal advice. Regulations may change; when in doubt, consult a specialist adviser.
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