You may entrust volunteers with a mission of general interest under the civic service scheme if you meet the necessary conditions. 

A commitment under the civic service scheme may also take the form of:

- Volunteer work with an association;

- International administrative volunteer work;

- International business volunteer work;

- International solidarity volunteer work;

- European voluntary service;

- Volunteer work in the armed forces;

- A voluntary work contract for insertion, or a service contract in a public-sector insertion establishment in the defence sector.

The collaboration contract you conclude with the volunteer is not covered by the French labour code (‘Code du Travail’). As a result, you should not draw up a DPAE.

You must nevertheless fulfil the usual obligations of an employer in respect of the volunteer in terms of registration, and payment and declaration of contributions to the social security scheme (including the declaration of any accidents).

In cases where civic service or international volunteer work is carried out in mainland France or in an overseas departement, the volunteer must be registered with the French social insurance scheme by default.

Thus a volunteer you have entrusted with a mission must be registered with the primary healthcare fund (‘Caisse Primaire d’Assurance Maladie’ - CPAM)

- In case of civic service scheme, this formality is incumbent on the civic service agency;

- In case of civic service (or other) volunteering, it is up to you to carry out this formality: there is no specific form to fill in to register the volunteer: you only need to send a signed copy of the civic service contract to the office of the fund that covers the volunteer.

 Principal texts