Regulations
French labor law is strict regarding the employment of children under the age of 16 : “Any person wishing to hire or produce a child under the age of sixteen years for a specific performance or production in a film, radio, television or sound recording company, must first apply for authorization from the prefect of the Department where the company has its headquarters” (article R 7124- 1 and following of the Labor Code). This authorization is required regardless of the child’s nationality as long as the filming takes place in France and must be obtained prior to employment.
The individual authorization is granted upon the approval of a commission (called “Commission des enfants du spectacle”). Usually, there is only one each month.
International productions
For production companies based abroad, the request must be filed with the DRIEETS Paris (Direction Régionale Interdépartementale de l’Economie, de l’Emploi, du Travail et des Solidarités).
However, the application must be in French and this is why we recommend to work with a french production services company.