Working in France for a week

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P675

Original Poster:

357 posts

39 months

Tuesday 12th March
quotequote all
Hi all,

So I work for a UK company, live in the UK and am UKish. I will have to go to another site which is part of the global umbrella company, this is in France. Do I need a visa or something, or just turn up, do my work for a week and go home?

Thanks.

Sycamore

1,924 posts

125 months

Tuesday 12th March
quotequote all
The latter

abzmike

9,290 posts

113 months

Tuesday 12th March
quotequote all
If anyone askes you are not there for 'work', you are visiting for 'business meetings'.

P675

Original Poster:

357 posts

39 months

Tuesday 12th March
quotequote all
abzmike said:
If anyone askes you are not there for 'work', you are visiting for 'business meetings'.
Meetings.. got it..

vaud

52,374 posts

162 months

Tuesday 12th March
quotequote all
P675 said:
Meetings.. got it..
Internal business meetings.

RedWhiteMonkey

7,242 posts

189 months

Tuesday 12th March
quotequote all
What you choose to do is up to you but here is the actual real answer:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-to-france-for-w...

CHLEMCBH

409 posts

24 months

Tuesday 12th March
quotequote all
Isn't the company sorting all of this out?

blank

3,578 posts

195 months

Tuesday 12th March
quotequote all
This is a nightmare since Brexit.

To do it by the book, you probably do need a work permit.

There are exceptions for things like training, meetings, and conferences.

The rule of thumb we use is if someone (e.g. an end client) is paying for it, you need a permit. If it's an internal thing, you don't.

The permits are relatively easy to do.


Your HR dept (or whoever) should really be sorting it.
I would question any company saying "just say it's internal meetings" when it isn't, as they're effectively telling you to enter the country illegally.

P675

Original Poster:

357 posts

39 months

Tuesday 12th March
quotequote all
My boss is in the US so probably thinks France is down the road.

Vasco

17,364 posts

112 months

Tuesday 12th March
quotequote all
P675 said:
My boss is in the US so probably thinks France is down the road.
Well, it is for many who live in Kent.

vaud

52,374 posts

162 months

Tuesday 12th March
quotequote all
blank said:
This is a nightmare since Brexit.

To do it by the book, you probably do need a work permit.

There are exceptions for things like training, meetings, and conferences.

The rule of thumb we use is if someone (e.g. an end client) is paying for it, you need a permit. If it's an internal thing, you don't.

The permits are relatively easy to do.


Your HR dept (or whoever) should really be sorting it.
I would question any company saying "just say it's internal meetings" when it isn't, as they're effectively telling you to enter the country illegally.
Pragmatically for a week I don't think either side care.

I go to Paris a lot for internal meetings (genuinely, I haven't been client side for years) and my passport is full of stamps. I speak pretty good French and the customs guy asked where my "Carte d'identité" was... then laughed and waved me through.


abzmike

9,290 posts

113 months

Tuesday 12th March
quotequote all
Nothing wrong, as far as I know, with ‘internal business meetings’, and ‘external business meetings’. But if it is billable work, I’d agree it needs paperwork.

blank

3,578 posts

195 months

Tuesday 12th March
quotequote all
vaud said:
Pragmatically for a week I don't think either side care.

I go to Paris a lot for internal meetings (genuinely, I haven't been client side for years) and my passport is full of stamps. I speak pretty good French and the customs guy asked where my "Carte d'identité" was... then laughed and waved me through.
I agree, in the real world noone gives a fig. And I go to France a fair bit too.

However I'd never tell any of my team to do it without the paperwork.


There's also the added complication if you're taking any significant "professional" equipment with you, that you either need to import it (either fully, paying the duty if applicable, or temporarily) or have a carnet.

vaud

52,374 posts

162 months

Tuesday 12th March
quotequote all
blank said:
I agree, in the real world noone gives a fig. And I go to France a fair bit too.

However I'd never tell any of my team to do it without the paperwork.

There's also the added complication if you're taking any significant "professional" equipment with you, that you either need to import it (either fully, paying the duty if applicable, or temporarily) or have a carnet.
I'm just a suit and genuinely never go client side - our HR have a flowchart of visa scenarios so I'd just point my team to that... smile

That said I'm looking at finding some convenient client work in La Rochelle, Toulouse and Biarritz in the warmer months so I should probably read up now...

K50 DEL

9,352 posts

235 months

Monday 18th March
quotequote all
I'm another who's lucky enough to head to Paris pretty regularly (I spent close to a week every month there last year)
All internal work though, I run the IT for a group of Companies, one of which is in Paris.

I've only ever been asked the purpose of my trip once, I replied "business" and that was that.

Much the same on my US trips, though I only go there 3/4 times a year for a couple of weeks at a time.

i4got

5,733 posts

85 months

Monday 18th March
quotequote all
blank said:
This is a nightmare since Brexit.

To do it by the book, you probably do need a work permit.

There are exceptions for things like training, meetings, and conferences.

The rule of thumb we use is if someone (e.g. an end client) is paying for it, you need a permit. If it's an internal thing, you don't.

The permits are relatively easy to do.


Your HR dept (or whoever) should really be sorting it.
I would question any company saying "just say it's internal meetings" when it isn't, as they're effectively telling you to enter the country illegally.
Its not a nightmare pre or post Brexit. Same as its not a problem in US, HK, Singapore or most other major countries. You just state you're there for business. Only country I ever needed a visa for was India.

CivicDuties

6,147 posts

37 months

Monday 18th March
quotequote all
i4got said:
blank said:
This is a nightmare since Brexit.

To do it by the book, you probably do need a work permit.

There are exceptions for things like training, meetings, and conferences.

The rule of thumb we use is if someone (e.g. an end client) is paying for it, you need a permit. If it's an internal thing, you don't.

The permits are relatively easy to do.


Your HR dept (or whoever) should really be sorting it.
I would question any company saying "just say it's internal meetings" when it isn't, as they're effectively telling you to enter the country illegally.
Its not a nightmare pre or post Brexit. Same as its not a problem in US, HK, Singapore or most other major countries. You just state you're there for business. Only country I ever needed a visa for was India.
Seems like it shouldn't be a problem for the OP, but it absolutely is a nightmare if you are something like self-employed and are actually wanting to "work" in the EU, rather than just attend business meetings - take for example the music industry.

We have shot so many of our creative exports in the head it's ridiculous. That's just one example.

Mortarboard

7,685 posts

62 months

Tuesday 19th March
quotequote all
P675 said:
Hi all,

So I work for a UK company, live in the UK and am UKish. I will have to go to another site which is part of the global umbrella company, this is in France. Do I need a visa or something, or just turn up, do my work for a week and go home?

Thanks.
Internal work is generally fine, and as stated by others it's "internal business meetings"

Work on client sites is generally subject to work visa requirements.

M.

4.7AMV8

2,176 posts

173 months

Wednesday 20th March
quotequote all
I work for a French company, have done for over 3 years. You just show your passport, get it stamped and walk through. I go once a month usually and been asked once my purpose of visit. I said im attending a business meeting, which 90% of the time i am.