How to Write a French CDD (Fixed-Term) Contract

The Contrat à Durée Déterminée (CDD) is the French fixed-term employment contract — a tightly regulated alternative to the open-ended CDI (Contrat à Durée Indéterminée). Unlike many jurisdictions where fixed-term work is the default form for project-based hires, French law presumes the CDI as the standard and permits CDD only on enumerated grounds under article L.1242-2 of the Code du travail. Mistakes in drafting CDDs frequently result in requalification en CDI by the Conseil de Prud’hommes (CPH), with retroactive backpay and severance. This how-to guides you through drafting a defensible CDD.

Step 1 — Confirm a Statutory Ground (Article L.1242-2)

A CDD can only be used in cases enumerated by law:

1. Replacement of an absent employee (sickness, maternity, training, holidays, dismissal pending replacement, suspension)
2. Temporary increase of activity (tâche occasionnelle, surcroît d’activité)
3. Seasonal employment (saisonnier — sectors with cyclical activity such as tourism, agriculture, sport)
4. Specific contracts under public-policy schemes (CDD d’usage in defined sectors; CDD for elderly, integration contracts, etc.)
5. Replacement of a non-salaried (e.g., medical replacement, family business owner absence)

Using a CDD outside these grounds = automatic requalification en CDI.

Primary source: https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/texte_lc/LEGITEXT000006072050/

Step 2 — Confirm Maximum Duration

Under article L.1242-8 Code du travail and applicable conventions:

The CDD can be renewed up to 2 times within these limits. Each renewal must be in writing and signed before the prior period expires.

Step 3 — Draft the Mandatory Clauses (Article L.1242-12)

The CDD must be in writing and contain (article L.1242-12):

1. Specific motif — invoking the article L.1242-2 ground precisely (e.g., “remplacement de Mme X, en congé maternité du 15 mars au 31 août 2026”)
2. Date of beginning and end of contract OR minimum duration if end is event-linked (e.g., “until return of Mme X”)
3. Description of post
4. Convention collective applicable
5. Trial period duration (limits in article L.1242-10: max 1 month for ≤6 months; max 1 month for >6 months CDD beyond first 1 month per ratio)
6. Salary, including “indemnité de précarité”
7. Pension and social welfare arrangements
8. Position in classification grid of convention collective

Failure to put the contract in writing = automatic requalification en CDI and damages.

Step 4 — Specify the Trial Period

Under article L.1242-10:

The trial period must be in writing in the CDD itself; no implied trial period under CDD law.

Step 5 — Set Salary and Indemnité de Précarité

The CDD employee is paid the same salary as a comparable CDI employee for the same role (article L.1242-15 — equality of treatment).

In addition, on contract end, the employee receives an indemnité de fin de contrat (also called “indemnité de précarité”) under article L.1243-8:

• 10% of total gross salary earned over the CDD
• Reduced to 6% by collective agreement in some sectors (with training compensation in return)

The indemnité de précarité is NOT owed if:

• The CDD is converted to CDI immediately
• The CDD is terminated for faute grave by the employer
• The CDD is terminated by the employee resigning to take up CDI elsewhere
• The CDD is for seasonal work in some defined cases

Step 6 — Apply Equality of Treatment

CDD employees have equal access to:

• Salary parity with CDI
• Workplace facilities
• Health and safety
• Anti-discrimination protection
• Training rights
• Trade union representation

Article L.1242-14 prohibits less favourable treatment.

Step 7 — Manage the Successive CDDs / Carence Period

To prevent serial CDD use, article L.1244-3 requires a carence period (gap) before re-hiring the same employee or the same post:

• 1/3 of the previous CDD duration if the CDD was 14 days or longer
• 1/2 of the previous CDD duration if the CDD was less than 14 days

Calculated in jours ouvrables. Failure to respect the carence = requalification en CDI.

Reference: https://travail-emploi.gouv.fr/droit-du-travail/les-contrats-de-travail/article/le-contrat-a-duree-determinee-cdd

Step 8 — Sign Within 2 Working Days

Article L.1242-13 requires the CDD to be transmitted to the employee within 2 working days of effective hire. Late transmission = requalification en CDI by recent Cour de cassation interpretation.

Best practice: sign the CDD before the employee starts.

Step 9 — Run Mandatory Pre-Hire Steps

Like all hires:

• DPAE (Déclaration Préalable à l’Embauche) to URSSAF before start
• Visite d’information et de prévention (VIP) with occupational health within 3 months
• Registry entries (registre du personnel, journal des entrées et sorties)

Step 10 — End of CDD Procedure

Term-End (Normal)

• Pay all due salary, paid leave indemnity, and indemnité de précarité
• Issue: certificat de travail, attestation France Travail, reçu pour solde de tout compte
• Document portability of mutuelle/prévoyance

Termination Before Term-End

A CDD cannot be terminated before its term except:

• Mutual agreement (rupture amiable)
• Faute grave (employer or employee)
• Force majeure
• Employee finds a CDI position (article L.1243-2)
• Inaptitude (medical)

Terminating outside these grounds = damages owed for unrealised CDD plus indemnité de précarité.

Common Mistakes — Gyoseishoshi View

Step 11 — Notify the Employee of Status at End

If converting CDD to CDI: simple new contract or amendment.

If not converting and employee continues working past term: contract is automatically deemed CDI from the day after the term — the employer cannot then dismiss without normal CDI procedure.

If terminating: deliver all end-of-employment documents within 8 days under jurisprudence.

Special CDD Variants

CDD d’Usage

Permitted in sectors listed by Décret (e.g., entertainment, catering, sport, certain audiovisual). Less restrictive on motif but subject to convention collective rules.

CDD à Objet Défini

For engineers and cadres, length 18-36 months tied to a defined mission/project (article L.1242-2 6°).

CDD Senior

For employees aged 57+, recruited as a step toward retirement. Maximum 18 months, renewable once.

CDD Tremplin / Insertion

For inclusion programmes — special conditions, public funding.

CDI Conversion — When and How

A CDD can be converted to CDI:

• Automatically at term-end if both parties continue
• By mutual agreement with new CDI contract or amendment
• By tribunal order following requalification

Once converted, the period in CDD counts toward seniority for severance, paid leave, and other length-based rights.

Conclusion — A Tightly Boxed Contract

CDD is not a flexible alternative to CDI — it is an exception to the CDI default, permitted only in defined cases for limited durations with strict procedural rules. Employers that respect the L.1242 framework can use CDDs effectively for replacement, seasonal, and project work. Those that try to stretch the format face automatic requalification with retroactive financial impact.

A Gyoseishoshi cannot represent French employers before the CPH. Scrib🐮 produces compliant CDD templates with each statutory motif scenario, indemnité de précarité computation, and end-of-contract document packs.

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Disclaimer

Legal information, not legal advice. MmowW Scrib🐮 is operated by a licensed Gyoseishoshi (行政書士) office in Japan. We are not avocats.

Sources

• Code du travail (CDD): https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/codes/texte_lc/LEGITEXT000006072050/
• Travail-emploi.gouv.fr (CDD): https://travail-emploi.gouv.fr/droit-du-travail/les-contrats-de-travail/article/le-contrat-a-duree-determinee-cdd
• Service-public.fr (CDD): https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F40
• URSSAF DPAE: https://www.urssaf.fr/portail/home/employeur/declarer-lembauche.html