The Hosting Agreement allows foreign nationals from outside of the European Union, the European Economic Area, or Switzerland :

  • to carry out their research
  • or to teach university-level classes

in establishments authorized by the Minister of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation.

The Hosting Agreement is the only document that attests to the researcher’s abilities, the purpose of their research, the length of their stay in France, and their right to work as a researcher / teacher-researcher.

specimen convention d'accueil

Talent Chercheur status is obtained through the establishment of a hosting agreement (convention d’accueil). This status allows :

  • the exemption from a work permit (Autorisation Provisoire de Travail – APT)
  • a streamlined process for partners and children of researchers allowing them to enter and stay in France.

Hosting Agreement Eligibility Requirements

  • You must have the equivalent of a master’s degree or higher
  • The purpose of your stay in France is to carry out research and/or teach at the university level
  • Your research activity or teaching position must take place in an establishment authorized for this purpose by the Ministry for Higher Education, Research, and Innovation *
  • If you are a postdoc, teacher/researcher, or professor: the hosting agreement is required for you to be employed by the host establishment. It also applies to you if you are not employed in France, but are employed by an establishment in your home country or your country of residence during your stay in France. You can also ask for a hosting agreement if you are recipient of a research scholarship at least equal to the amount of the doctoral contract (see updated amount on the website of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research).
  • If you are a PhD student working on a thesis in France (PhD program or international joint thesis program): you can only benefit from a hosting agreement if you are employed in France in the context of your thesis (PhD contract, teaching assistantship, CIFRE contract…). You can also ask for a hosting agreement if you are recipient of a research scholarship whose amount is at least equal to the amount of the doctoral contract (see updated amount on the website of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research).

 

* Approval from the Researcher’s Host Establishment

Conditions for approval of establishments are defined in the decree of the 27th of August 2019. Public or private organizations must have a research or higher education mission. For example, universities and research organizations are automatically and unconditionally accredited by law, without any condition as to duration.

The CERFA form of the Convention d’accueil (hosting agreement) is avaible on the Service Public web site.

Implications for the admission of researchers

The hosting agreement allows researchers to be granted: