Letter ending the probation period (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 free model letters ending the probation period, for the employee and for the employer. This document is a letter by which the employer or the employee ends the employment contract during the probation period (période d'essai) in mainland France or an overseas department other than Mayotte: it says who is ending it, refers to the notice period of article L. 1221-25 (employer) or L. 1221-26 (employee) of the Labour Code and gives the end date. No reason has to be given. Hand it over against a signed receipt or send it by registered post with proof of receipt, before the probation period ends. In French.
- Made for use in France
- Last updated October 13, 2026
When to use this document
- You started a new job in France and want to leave during the probation period.
- You hired someone who is still on probation and it is not working out.
- The probation period ends soon and you want to end the contract in writing before then.
- You want a letter ending the probation period, whether you are the employer or the employee.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Party ending the contract (name or company name)
- Address of the party ending the contract
- How the letter is delivered
- Other party, to whom the letter goes (name or company name)
- Other party's postal address
- City
- Date
- Date of the contract
- Position
- Who ends the contract during probation
- Date of termination
Preview
This document is produced for you. Your answers are typed into it and the finished PDF is yours to keep.
Common questions
- What notice is needed to end a probation period in France?
- The employer must give the employee at least twenty-four hours' notice under eight days of presence, forty-eight hours between eight days and one month, two weeks after one month and one month after three months (article L. 1221-25 of the Labour Code). The employee gives the employer forty-eight hours, or twenty-four hours if present for less than eight days (article L. 1221-26). The notice does not extend the probation period.
- Does ending a French probation period need a reason?
- No: either party can end it without giving a reason and without compensation, provided it is done before the probation period ends. The ending must not, however, rest on a discriminatory ground, or on a ground unrelated to assessing the employee's abilities. An employer who does not give the required notice owes the employee, except for gross misconduct, pay for the notice not given (article L. 1221-25 of the Labour Code). An employer ending it for misconduct must follow the disciplinary procedure, and ending the probation of an employee with protected status needs the labour inspectorate's authorisation.
- How and when should a letter ending a French probation period be delivered?
- Hand it over against a signed receipt — the receipt is at the foot of the document — or send it by registered post with proof of receipt, early enough for the other party to receive it before the last day of the probation period. A contract that continues after the probation period ends becomes final. Without renewal, probation on an open-ended contract lasts at most two months for workers and clerical staff, three for technicians and supervisors and four for managers (article L. 1221-19 of the Labour Code).
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
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