Working in France? Discover all obligations: SIPSI, Carte BTP and A1. Current checklist for companies in the technical sector.
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Country guide for construction & technical installation
SIPSI declaration, Carte BTP and representative with a date per worker. You file, the software checks. One subscription per country.
Your electrical engineers start a project in Lyon next month. The assignment runs 8 weeks, 4 people. What you may not know: before that first day in France there are at least four obligations you need to have in order — and fines for those who forget can reach €4,000 per employee . This guide gives you the complete list, including deadlines, costs and associated risks.
Updated: July 2026
Sector: Construction · Installation · Engineering
Status Verified 3 July 2026
Source: service-public.fr · travail-emploi.gouv.fr
Obligations at a glance
Thirteen obligations for most assignments. The sections below explain each point.
Obligation
When
Who
Status
Posting notification (SIPSI) Online notification system — Labour Inspectorate
Before work starts
All sectors, employees + subcontractors
Required
Representative Contact person reachable in France during the posting
Via SIPSI, at notification
Everyone
A1 certificate Social security declaration per employee
Before departure — apply via your national social security authority
All posted employees
Construction sector ID card (Carte BTP) Personal card per construction worker
After SIPSI; activate per assignment
Construction sector
Professional qualification recognition (JQPA) Chambre de Métiers
Before start, annual renewal
Electrical · gas · heating · air conditioning · PV
Sector-dep.
Grid connection inspection report (CONSUEL) Safety inspection for electrical installations
Before commissioning
Electrical installations connected to the grid
French minimum wage + regional construction sector CBAs
During assignment
RC Décennale (ten-year liability insurance) Required for construction work · check your own policy
Before construction work starts
Construction and building works
Construction waste registration Required in quotes/specifications since 1 July 2021
When preparing the quote
Construction, renovation and demolition works
Loi Toubon (French language law) Quotes, invoices and documents in French
At first contact with a private client
B2C · service providers to private individuals
B2C-dep.
Document package on site Present at the work location during inspections
At the start of work
All assignments
Subcontractor verification Check SIPSI + documents
Before start (SIPSI + representative, every contract) · from €5,000: documents at signature and every 6 months
As main contractor
Air quality sticker (Crit'Air) Required in low-emission zones, 40+ urban areas (2026)
Before driving in a low-emission zone
Every company vehicle
In LEZ
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Before departure — three obligations for most assignments
For most temporary work with posted employees these three steps are mandatory before the start. Exceptions exist — always verify the specific scenario.
Fulfil the notification obligation via SIPSI
Via sipsi.travail.gouv.fr you register the posting with the French Labour Inspectorate. One declaration can cover several work locations with the same start and end date; the portal limits the number. You receive a confirmation code to bring to the work site.
→ sipsi.travail.gouv.fr · free of charge
⚠ Not notified? Fine of €4,000 per employee.
Appoint a representative
During the SIPSI notification you appoint a représentant : someone who is reachable in France throughout the entire posting and acts as the point of contact for the inspectorate. This can be an employee, the client, or an external service provider.
Apply for an A1 certificate per employee
The A1 proves that your employee remains socially insured in your home country and does not need to pay French social security contributions. Apply via your national social security authority — but setting up your national social security portal account (first time) is the real bottleneck and can take weeks. Already have an account? Adding an employee is quick.
→ Per employee · bring throughout the entire posting · self-employed: different form, own implementing body
Plan ahead
Tackle SIPSI, A1 and Crit'Air at the same time. SIPSI is ready as soon as you know the start date and location; you can then apply for the construction sector ID card (construction) and arrange the professional qualification recognition (installation).
→ SIPSI step by step
Taking a company vehicle?
Are you driving through or in cities such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse or Strasbourg? Then you need an air quality sticker (Crit'Air) on every vehicle. Cost: €3.85 including postage within France ; delivery to a foreign address adds postage (current price on certificat-air.gouv.fr). Order a few weeks ahead. Fine without sticker: €68 (car) to €135 (lorry), increased up to €450. In 2026 more than 40 urban areas operate a low-emission zone (ZFE); the abolition voted by Parliament in April 2026 was annulled by the Conseil constitutionnel on 21 May 2026, so the zones remain.
On site — what must always be present
The French Labour Inspectorate can arrive unannounced. Make sure your document package is complete.
SIPSI confirmation code Per assignment · available immediately after notification
A1 certificate Per employee · on paper or digitally, available at once
Employment contract (translated into French) Per employee
Pay slips Per employee · for postings of 1 month or more; shorter: proof that the French minimum wage was paid (R1263-1)
Working time records Per employee · kept up to date
Construction sector ID card (Carte BTP) Per construction worker · activated for this assignment
Trade certificates and qualifications Where applicable (electrical, gas, welding etc.)
Note — inspection
The Inspection du travail can also inspect outside office hours. Make sure documents are present at the work site, not just at your company's office. Missing or untranslated documents: the same fine as for a missing declaration, up to €4,000 per worker (Code du travail L1263-7, L1264-1).
Sector-specific obligations
In addition to the basic obligations, supplementary requirements apply per type of work.
Construction — Carte BTP
Every employee carrying out construction work needs a personal identification card (Carte BTP) (Code du travail R8291-1). €9.80 per card, valid for 5 years, activate per assignment via cartebtp.fr.
Required for construction sector
Electrical, gas & climate — JQPA
Professional qualification recognition with the Chambre de Métiers required for electrical, gas, heating, air conditioning and photovoltaic work. Annual renewal required. See the detailed section below.
Electrical · gas · HVAC · PV
Grid connection — CONSUEL
Before commissioning electrical installations connected to the grid, an inspection report (CONSUEL) is required. Applies to residential and commercial buildings.
Electrical installations
Construction work — RC Décennale
Statutory ten-year liability insurance for works affecting the structure or habitability of a building. An ordinary general liability policy usually does not cover this; check your policy. See the detailed section below.
Construction works
Regulated trades in France — JQPA (proof of craft qualification) and EU professional qualification certificate
For certain trades an additional notification with the regional Chambre de Métiers is required before the first working day.
If you carry out work in France in a regulated trade , you must — before the first working day — submit a notification to the regional Chambre de Métiers et de l'Artisanat at the work location. This is in addition to the SIPSI notification and completely separate from it.
Regulated trades in the construction and installation sector include:
Gas and plumbing work
Heating and climate control systems (HVAC)
Photovoltaic installations
Maintenance and repair of machines and installations in the above areas
How does the JQPA notification work?
Obtain an EU professional qualification certificate
Before notifying the French Chambre de Métiers, you need an EU certificate for professional qualifications . This certificate is an attestation from the competent authority in your home country that you lawfully practise the trade there and are qualified (Directive 2005/36, art. 7).
⚠ Is the trade not regulated in your home country? Then you must show two years of professional experience in the last ten years (Directive 2005/36, art. 7(2)); ask your chamber of commerce or the Chambre de Métiers which body issues that attestation. Apply in good time — this can take several weeks.
Submit the JQPA form (Justification de Qualification Professionnelle Artisanale) to the regional Chambre de Métiers
With the EU certificate, submit the JQPA form to the Chambre de Métiers of the département where the work takes place. Submit this before the first working day (décret 2022-1169).
→ Find the competent Chambre de Métiers at: artisanat.fr
Annual renewal
The JQPA recognition must be renewed annually. If you regularly carry out assignments in France, schedule this renewal in your administrative calendar.
CONSUEL — inspection report for electrical installations connected to the grid
Are you connecting an electrical installation to the French electricity grid? Before commissioning, a CONSUEL conformity certificate is required. CONSUEL ( Comité National pour la Sécurité des Usagers de l'Électricité ) carries out the safety inspection.
What you need for the CONSUEL application:
EU professional qualification certificate from the home-country chamber
Certified French translation of trade certificates (journeyman/master or equivalent)
Liability insurance — also documented in French
Practical tip
Apply for the EU certificate as soon as you know you will be working in France — not just at the first assignment. Combine this with the JQPA notification so you are immediately set up for the annual renewal cycle for all assignments that year.
RC Décennale (ten-year liability insurance) — mandatory for construction works in France
One of the most underestimated obligations for foreign contractors. An ordinary general liability policy usually does not cover this ten-year liability; in France you must be able to show that your insurance covers the French statutory liability (Code des assurances L241-1).
The Assurance Responsabilité Civile Décennale (RC Décennale) is a statutory compulsory insurance for everyone carrying out construction works in France that may affect the structural integrity or habitability of a building. The insurance covers liability claims from the client for 10 years after completion of the work.
When is the RC Décennale required?
The insurance is required if the works relate to:
New construction or structural alterations
Carpentry and joinery affecting the structure
Pipework (sanitary, heating, climate) built into the structure
Electrical installations structurally integrated into the building
Roofing works
Other works where defects could endanger habitability or structural integrity
Purely cosmetic defects fall outside the scope — but when in doubt, taking out the insurance is always safer than not doing so.
Costs and policy structure
Note — annual policy, not per project
The RC Décennale is an annual policy , not a project insurance. You take it out per year and it covers all eligible works that year. Indicative costs: 0.5–3.5% of the contract value , depending on the trade. This percentage can vary significantly — obtain quotes from multiple insurers.
What must appear on quotes and invoices?
Once you have an RC Décennale policy, you are required to state the following details on all your quotes and invoices for covered works:
The policy number of the RC Décennale insurance
The contact details of the insurer (name and address)
The geographical coverage of the policy (confirm that France is included)
Critical warning
An ordinary general liability policy usually does not cover the RC Décennale in the way French law requires. Check with your insurer whether your policy includes explicit coverage for "construction liability France / Assurance RC Décennale". If not: take out a supplementary or separate French policy before starting the works.
Construction waste — mandatory entries in quote and specification (since 1 July 2021)
A forgotten item in the quote? That can cause problems in France.
Since 1 July 2021 , contractors carrying out construction, renovation and demolition works on buildings in France are required to include the following waste data in the quote or specification:
Estimated total volume of waste
Provide a realistic estimate of the total waste volume the works will generate (in volume or weight per waste stream).
Disposal method and separate collection
Describe how the waste will be removed, including which streams are collected separately (wood, rubble, metal, hazardous waste etc.).
Name of the waste processing facility
State the name of the landfill, recycling centre or approved processor where the waste will go.
Associated costs
Specify the costs for disposal and processing as a separate line item in the quote — these may not be hidden costs.
Hazardous waste
Do you produce hazardous waste (asbestos, paint, chemicals, certain insulation materials)? Then additional rules apply:
Strict storage requirements at the work site
Mandatory accompanying documents ( bordereau de suivi des déchets dangereux ) with every transport
Disposal exclusively via certified processors
Practical advice
The waste entries on the quote are your own duty as the company carrying out the work (Code de l'environnement D541-45-1); the project's waste register is kept by the building owner. Include the mandatory entries in your standard quote template — that way you never forget and automatically comply with the requirement for every assignment.
Loi Toubon (French language law) — what it means for your company
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