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Developer, data engineer, DevOps: French Tech recruits skilled profiles through Passeport Talent and skilled employee status.

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Developer at her screens in a Parisian tech open space

Full-stack developer, DevOps engineer, data engineer, data scientist, cybersecurity expert, product manager: French Tech is hiring massively from abroad. France is the second-largest tech ecosystem in Europe with over 1,000 funded startups and 25 unicorns, and benefits from accelerated visa schemes — Passeport Talent — Skilled Employee (CESEDA Art. L421-9), Passeport Talent — EU Blue Card, or Innovative Young Company status. Lead times are short (typically 2 to 8 weeks) and the procedure is fully digital. On ObjectiFrance, your tech profile is presented to verified companies (scale-ups, IT services firms, SMEs, large groups) actively sponsoring visa and relocation. Market-rate salaries, frequent remote work, full administrative support included.

Data engineer reviewing dashboards in a French tech open space
—Data & analytics
Tech team in a meeting around a shared screen in a French scale-up
—Product & collaboration
DevOps engineer at a terminal next to data-centre servers
—Infra & DevOps
Why France

Three reasons to join French Tech.

  • — I

    Europe's #2 tech ecosystem

    Over 1,000 funded startups, 25 unicorns (Doctolib, Mistral AI, Back Market, Contentsquare, Qonto). €8.3 billion raised in 2024 — behind the UK but ahead of Germany.

  • — II

    Passeport Talent in weeks

    Passeport Talent — Skilled Employee (CESEDA Art. L421-9) is issued in 4 to 8 weeks. Valid 4 years, renewable. Family included from day one — spouse with automatic work authorization.

  • — III

    Quality of life & remote work

    Hybrid or full-remote work very common in French tech. Universal healthcare, 5 weeks paid leave, RTT (extra days), subsidized childcare. Strong legal framework (right to disconnect).

Legal framework

Tech benefits from accelerated, digital-first visas. Below are the texts your ObjectiFrance advisor applies.

  • — CESEDA Art. L421-9

    Passeport Talent — Skilled Employee

    4-year residence permit for employees with a Master's degree (or equivalent) and pay of at least 1.8 SMIC (~€41,000 gross/year). Procedure is fully digital.

  • — CESEDA Art. L421-11

    Passeport Talent — EU Blue Card

    For Bachelor's degree minimum with a contract of at least 1 year and pay equivalent to 1.5 times the average annual salary (~€53,000 gross/year). Easier mobility to other EU countries.

  • — CESEDA Art. L421-10

    Passeport Talent — Innovative Young Company

    For employees of a JEI-labelled company (Ministries of Economy and Research). Eased salary criterion (1.5 SMIC). Widely used by deeptech startups.

  • — Syntec Agreement — IDCC 1486

    Engineering and consultancy

    Covers IT services firms, scale-ups and software vendors. Minimum salaries by tier, holiday bonus, continuous training, right to disconnect.

2026 salaries

How much do you earn in French tech?

Indicative gross monthly figures in euros, excluding variable pay and stock options. Tech salaries have grown by 30% since 2020. Source: Maki, Talent.io, Numeum panels.

RoleMinimumMaximum
Junior developer (0-3 yrs)€3,000€4,200
Senior developer (5-8 yrs)€4,500€6,500
Data engineer€4,000€6,500
DevOps / SRE€4,500€7,000
Lead / Staff engineer€6,000€9,000
Engineering manager€6,500€10,000

— Source: Numeum, Talent.io Salary Report 2025, APEC panels. BSPCE/stock options can double total compensation in high-growth scale-ups.

Hiring regions

Where French Tech hires.

Paris concentrates 60% of the French tech ecosystem, but six regional metropolises offer better quality of life and comparable salaries.

  • Île-de-France & Paris

    — Station F, Saclay, La Défense

    Continental Europe's leading tech hub. Doctolib, Mistral, Qonto, Back Market, Alan: unicorns hire massively from abroad. Highest pay range.

  • Lyon & Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

    — Tech for good, AI, biotech

    Dynamic ecosystem around Esker, Algolia, Tagpay. Quality of life and housing costs 30% below Paris. Good work-life balance.

  • Toulouse

    — Aerospace & space

    European aerospace capital (Airbus, ArianeGroup, Thales). Strong demand for embedded software, scientific computing, space cybersecurity.

  • Bordeaux

    — Scale-ups, e-commerce

    Cdiscount, Webhelp, Smile: tertiary and tech ecosystem in expansion. Exceptional quality of life — metropolis + ocean + vineyards.

  • Nantes & Atlantic

    — Responsible tech, fintech

    French Tech capital since 2014. Lengow, iAdvize, Akeneo: solid scale-ups. Tight-knit tech community, frequent events (Web2day).

  • Sophia Antipolis & French Riviera

    — Deeptech, applied AI

    Europe's first technopole (3,000 tech companies). IBM, Amadeus, Renault Software Labs. Year-round exceptional climate.

With ObjectiFrance

Three steps to your tech role.

  1. 01

    Build your candidate file

    Primary tech stack, secondary stack, years of experience, key projects, GitHub, portfolio. Contract preferences: city, remote, type of company.

  2. 02

    Get visible to tech companies

    Your profile is presented to startups, scale-ups, IT services and large groups verified through the Recherche Entreprises API. Several remote technical interviews — decision in weeks.

  3. 03

    Prepare your arrival

    Digital Passeport Talent application (4 to 8 weeks), long-stay visa, OFII, social security, bank, housing. Family included on arrival with spouse work permit.

Foreign candidates

Applying from the Maghreb?

Consular procedures, work authorisation and qualification recognition vary by country of origin. Check the dedicated guide for your nationality and the official channels (OFII, ANAPEC/ANEM/ANETI, France-Visas).

— By country of origin

— Process & support

Frequently asked

Everything you need to know before leaving.

  • What is the difference between Passeport Talent and EU Blue Card?

    Passeport Talent — Skilled Employee (Art. L421-9) requires a Master's or equivalent and a salary ≥ 1.8 SMIC. EU Blue Card (Art. L421-11) requires a Bachelor's and a salary ≥ 1.5 times the French average annual wage. Both grant a 4-year renewable card with family included.

  • Is my foreign degree recognized for Passeport Talent?

    Yes, provided it is a recognized Master's-level (Bac+5) qualification in your home country. The ENIC-NARIC France centre can issue a comparability certificate if your degree is in an equivalent discipline. ObjectiFrance supports this.

  • How much does a developer earn in France in 2026?

    A junior developer (0-3 years) earns €3,000-€4,200 gross/month on average. A senior (5-8 years) earns €4,500-€6,500. A lead/staff engineer €6,000-€9,000. Paris salaries are 15% to 30% above the regions, but so is the cost of living.

  • Is remote work really common in French tech?

    Yes, very common. Most startups and scale-ups offer hybrid (2-3 days/week) or full-remote work. The right to disconnect is enshrined in law (Labour Code Art. L2242-17). Traditional IT-services firms are less flexible.

  • Are BSPCE / stock options worth it?

    Very, in high-growth scale-ups. BSPCEs (founder warrants) are tax-efficient and can double total compensation at 4-7 years. Always ask for full details (strike price, vesting, cliff).

  • Do I need to speak French to work in tech?

    English is the working language at most international scale-ups and startups (Doctolib, Mistral, Alan…). French becomes useful for daily life and for traditional IT-services firms. A2 sufficient on arrival, B1 advised after 1 year.

  • How long does the Passeport Talent procedure take?

    Digital procedure: 4 to 8 weeks on average between submission and visa issue. EU Blue Card: 4 to 6 weeks. ObjectiFrance centralizes the steps: ANEF, consulate, OFII, bank, housing.

  • Can my spouse work in France during my Passeport Talent?

    Yes, automatically. The spouse of a Passeport Talent holder gets a Vie Privée Familiale permit with built-in work authorization. No additional procedure required — one of the major perks of the scheme.

  • Are there any fees to pay to ObjectiFrance?

    Applying is free and unlimited for every candidate. If you want an advisor to prepare your file and send your applications with you, France ★ costs €89 (6 months), or France ★★ at €490 with your arrival in France (12 months), with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Nobody should sell you a contract, a job or a guaranteed visa: anyone asking you for an upfront payment in our name is a scammer — report them to us.

  • Can I become French after a Passeport Talent?

    Yes. Five years of regular French residency grant the right to apply for naturalization (Civil Code Art. 21-15), provided you master French (B1) and prove republican integration. Passeport Talent fully counts toward this duration.

— Apply now

Join French Tech.

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