Resignation letter (France)
Published byDocMuse
This document is in French
The PDF you download is in French — that is the language it has to be filed in, so it is not translated. Everything on this page is here to tell you what it says.
The French labour ministry's site code.travail.gouv.fr offers a free model resignation letter. This document is a resignation letter for an employee on an open-ended contract (CDI) in mainland France or an overseas department other than Mayotte: it gives notice of resignation, refers to the notice period set by the collective agreement, the contract or custom, can ask to be released from working it, and asks for the end-of-employment documents. French law prescribes no form; send it by registered post with proof of receipt or hand it over against a signed receipt, to prove the day the notice starts. In French.
- Made for use in France
- Last updated October 13, 2026
When to use this document
- You want to quit your permanent job in France and need to tell your employer in writing.
- You have found a new job and want to ask to be released from working your notice.
- You want to be able to prove the day your notice period starts.
- You want a resignation letter that also asks for your leaving documents.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Employee
- Employee's address
- How the letter is delivered
- Employer
- Employer's postal address (department if any, street, postcode and town)
- City
- Date
- Position
- Date of hiring
- Notice period
- Date of termination
- Notice: worked in full, or a request to be released from it
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- Does a resignation in France have to be sent by registered post?
- No. French law prescribes no form: a resignation only has to show a clear and unequivocal intention to leave. Some collective agreements do require writing, or even registered post. Registered post with proof of receipt, or handing the letter over against a signed receipt, proves the date the employer received it, and so the day the notice starts. The labour ministry's Code du travail numérique (code.travail.gouv.fr) also has a free model.
- What notice period applies to a resignation in France?
- The one set by statute for certain professions, by the collective agreement or, failing that, by local and professional custom (article L. 1237-1 of the French Labour Code); the contract may also specify it. Notice runs from the day the employer receives the letter. You can ask to be released from it; if the employer agrees, the part not worked is not paid. In Alsace-Moselle, articles L. 1234-15 to L. 1234-17-1 of the Labour Code set notice periods of their own for those three departments.
- Does resigning in France give a right to unemployment benefit?
- As a rule, no: the benefit (ARE) requires involuntary loss of employment. The unemployment-insurance rules do recognise legitimate resignations, for example to follow a spouse who moves to take up a new job, and resigning for a career-change project approved in advance can open the right to benefit, subject to conditions (article L. 5422-1 of the Labour Code). Walking out without resigning means that, after a formal notice of at least fifteen days, you are presumed to have resigned, with no benefit (article L. 1237-1-1).
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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