Dismissal letter for personal reasons, disciplinary or not (France)
France · in French · for employers
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Decree no. 2017-1820 of 29 December 2017 publishes free model dismissal letters on Légifrance, whose outline this document follows. It is the letter by which a French employer notifies an employee of dismissal for personal reasons (misconduct, serious or gross misconduct, professional inadequacy) in mainland France or an overseas department other than Mayotte: precise reasons, notice, suspension, end-of-contract documents and the request for details (articles L. 1232-6 and R. 1232-13 of the Labour Code). Sent by registered post with proof of receipt, at least two working days after the meeting and, for misconduct, within one month. In French.
- Made for use in France
- Last updated October 27, 2026
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- You have held the meeting with your employee in France and decided to dismiss them.
- The employee did not turn up to the meeting and you are going ahead with the dismissal.
- You are dismissing someone for serious misconduct and need to state the facts precisely.
- You want a dismissal letter that sets out the reasons, the notice and the final documents.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Employer
- Employer's registered address
- Employer's SIRET number
- Employee
- Employee's postal address (street, then postcode and town)
- City
- Date
- Date of the letter inviting the employee to the preliminary meeting
- Date of the preliminary meeting (at least 5 working days after the letter is presented)
- How the preliminary meeting went
- Reasons for the dismissal: precise, dated and verifiable facts
- Nature of the grounds and effect on notice
- Notice period
- Working out the notice (leave empty for serious or gross misconduct)
- Date the precautionary suspension was notified (leave empty if none)
- Pay for the precautionary suspension period
- Non-compete clause (leave empty if the contract has none)
- Person signing for the employer
- Capacity in which they sign for the employer (e.g. sole director)
Common questions
- When should the dismissal letter be sent after the preliminary meeting in France?
- No sooner than two working days after the date set for the meeting (article L. 1232-6 of the Labour Code) and, for a disciplinary dismissal, no later than one month after the day set for the meeting: after that, the sanction can no longer be imposed (article L. 1332-2). The letter goes by registered post with proof of receipt, and the date it is first presented starts the notice period (article L. 1234-3).
- What notice and severance does a dismissed employee in France receive?
- Except for serious or gross misconduct, one month's notice after six months' service and two months after two years, unless the collective agreement, contract or custom gives more; below six months, it depends on the collective agreement or custom (article L. 1234-1 of the Labour Code). Statutory severance pay is due after eight months' unbroken service: a quarter of a month's pay per year up to ten years, a third beyond (articles L. 1234-9 and R. 1234-2). Pay in lieu of untaken leave is due even for serious or gross misconduct.
- What can an employee in France do on receiving the dismissal letter?
- Ask for details of the reasons within fifteen days of notification (article R. 1232-13 of the Labour Code), then challenge the dismissal before the employment tribunal (conseil de prud'hommes) within twelve months of notification (article L. 1471-1). The letter, as made precise if need be, sets the limits of the dispute as to the reasons (article L. 1235-2): precise, dated and verifiable facts are therefore essential in it.
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.
Related documents
- Request for details of the reasons for dismissal (France)
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