Working in France from Brazil: Visa, Permit, Costs (2026)

If you are a Brazilian worker looking for legal trade work in Europe, France offers genuine opportunities, but you must be prepared for strict rules and a clear administrative process. Moving to France for manual or skilled work is more complex than moving to a Portuguese-speaking country like Portugal, because France requires an approved work permit from a French employer before you can even request a visa from Brazil.

If you do not speak basic French or do not have a specific French job offer yet, Portugal or other EU destinations with lighter language barriers may offer a faster path. However, if a French employer wants to hire you for a trade on France's official shortage list, the legal pathway from Brazil is clear and structured.

Visa and work permit routes from Brazil to France

To work legally in France as a Brazilian national, you cannot simply apply for a work visa on your own. The application process starts with your employer in France obtaining official permission to hire you.

• Labor Market Authorization (Autorisation de travail): This is the official permit that your French employer must apply for online through the French Ministry of Interior. For shortage occupations (métiers en tension), the employer does not need to prove that no local or French worker was available for the job.
• Long-stay work visa (VLS-TS - Visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour): Once your employer receives the approved autorisation de travail, you apply for a VLS-TS in Brazil. For jobs lasting 12 months or longer, you apply under the category 'salarié'. For jobs lasting between 3 and 12 months, you apply under 'travailleur temporaire'. This visa allows you to enter France and acts as your official residency permit once validated online after arrival.
• Seasonal worker permit (Travailleur saisonnier): Used primarily in agricultural harvesting and seasonal hospitality. This permit allows you to work in France for up to 6 months in any 12-month period. Your primary residence remains in Brazil, and your employer in France must secure the seasonal work authorization first.

Where to apply in Brazil

Brazilian applicants must complete a two-step process to submit their visa application in Brazil after the employer secures the work authorization.

• France-Visas online portal: You must create an account on the official France-Visas website to fill out your visa application form, upload mandatory document details, and generate your application receipt.
• Visa Application Centers in Brazil: After finishing the online form, you must book an in-person appointment at an official visa processing center managed by VFS Global. Visa submission centers operate in major Brazilian cities including São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Brasília.
• In-person submission: At the visa application center, you submit your physical document file, pay the visa fee, and provide your biometric data (fingerprints and digital photo).

Required Brazilian documents and legalizations

France requires specific paperwork from Brazil, and public documents must be properly legalized to be accepted by French authorities.

• Valid passport: Issued by Brazil, valid for at least 3 months beyond the expiration date of your intended visa, with at least two blank pages.
• Approved Autorisation de Travail: The official confirmation document sent to you by your French employer once approved by the French labor ministry.
• Brazilian police record (Certidão de Antecedentes Criminais): Issued online by the Polícia Federal in Brazil to prove a clear criminal record.
• Hague Apostille (Apostila de Haia): Because Brazil and France are signatories to the Hague Apostille Convention, your Brazilian public documents (such as police clearances and school diplomas) must be apostilled at a Brazilian cartório.
• Sworn translation (Tradução juramentada): All documents issued in Portuguese must be translated into French by an officially certified sworn translator (traducteur assermenté or tradutor juramentado).
• Proof of experience and trade skills: Course certificates from recognized institutions like SENAI or work records from your Carteira de Trabalho (CTPS) demonstrating your hands-on experience in your trade.

Costs, timelines, and legal protections

Understanding the costs on both sides helps you plan your relocation without falling into financial traps.

• Official visa fee: The official fee for a French long-stay work visa is set by France and is approximately 99 EUR (paid in Brazilian Reais at the visa center's official daily rate).
• Processing times: Processing at the visa center in Brazil typically takes approximately 2 to 6 weeks. However, obtaining the initial autorisation de travail in France can take your employer approximately 4 to 12 weeks depending on the regional department.
• Out-of-pocket expenses in Brazil: You should expect to spend approximately 600 BRL to 1,800 BRL (around 100 EUR to 300 EUR) for document apostilles at a cartório and sworn French translations.
• Flight and medical insurance: Airfare from Brazil to France generally costs between 3,500 BRL and 7,000 BRL (approximately 600 EUR to 1,200 EUR). Temporary travel health insurance covering your first few weeks until social security registration is complete costs approximately 200 BRL to 500 BRL (35 EUR to 85 EUR) per month.
• Placement fee protections: European and French labor regulations state that no employer or recruitment agency may legally charge a worker a fee for a job placement. The employer pays for the work authorization fee in France. Be extremely cautious of individuals in Brazil claiming to sell French work visas or charging upfront 'job processing fees' - these are illegal scams targeting workers.

Trades genuinely hiring from Brazil

France actively hires international trade workers in several key sectors where local labor supply is insufficient.

• Construction and building trades: French construction firms recruit qualified welders, electricians, masons, and heavy equipment operators through authorized recruitment channels to support infrastructure projects.
• Hospitality and culinary services: Restaurants and hotels throughout France hire line cooks, kitchen assistants, and maintenance staff, particularly in tourist regions during high-demand seasons.
• Agricultural and seasonal work: Vineyards and commercial farms rely heavily on international seasonal workers for fruit harvesting, pruning, and field maintenance during peak agricultural cycles.

Myths vs facts

• Myth: You can travel to France as a tourist from Brazil and legally start working while you apply for a work permit.
  Fact: While Brazilians can enter the Schengen area without a visa for short tourist visits, working on tourist status is illegal and results in immediate deportation and a re-entry ban.
• Myth: You can apply for a French work visa at the consulate in Brazil without having a job offer first.
  Fact: You cannot apply for a work visa independently; your French employer must apply for and receive an approved autorisation de travail from French authorities before you can book your visa appointment.
• Myth: You do not need to speak any French if you work in manual labor or on a construction site.
  Fact: While basic trade skills are essential, having conversational French is critical for workplace safety, understanding instructions, and managing daily administrative life in France.
• Myth: You must pay a fee to a Brazilian agency to get your official French work permit.
  Fact: Paying for job placement is illegal under French law, and official visa fees are paid directly to the authorized visa application center, never to a third-party agency.

Before you sign

• Verify your job contract: Ensure you have a signed work contract (CDI for permanent or CDD for fixed-term) detailing your wages, work location, weekly hours, and exact trade title.
• Confirm the work permit approval: Request a copy of the official autorisation de travail document issued by the French Ministry of Interior from your employer before booking travel.
• Check passport validity: Verify that your Brazilian passport is valid for at least 3 months after your intended contract end date or visa expiration.
• Apostille and translate your files: Get your Polícia Federal background check and trade certificates apostilled at a cartório and translated into French by a certified sworn translator.
• Prepare initial relocation funds: Secure enough savings in Reais or Euros to cover your first month of food, initial housing deposit, and local transit before your first French paycheck arrives.

Build your Workuro profile for France

To connect with French employers who sponsor international trade workers, make sure your Workuro profile clearly lists your trade, your hands-on experience, and your current documents. Specify your level of French language ability, upload details of your professional trade certificates (such as SENAI courses or CTPS history), and indicate whether you are ready to apply for an autorisation de travail. Having these details visible helps employers match you to shortage occupations quickly. Workuro is free for workers - employers pay to search the register, and nobody may charge you for a job.