How to become a real estate agent in France

In France, the right to negotiate property for others belongs to the holder of a carte professionnelle, issued by the local chamber of commerce. Everyone else who sells, salaried or self-employed, works under that holder’s name with a personal authorisation. That makes the entry door wide: you can start without a diploma, inside an agency or a network, and aim for your own card later. Here is how it fits together in October 2026.

The short version

The loi Hoguet (law n° 70-9 of 2 January 1970) and its decree n° 72-678 of 20 July 1972 require a carte professionnelle to negotiate, sell, let or manage property for others. For sales, it is the carte T.
The card is issued by the CCI of the head office, is valid three years, and costs €160 the first time and €130 to renew at CCI Bretagne.
The holder needs professional aptitude (a bac+3 or equivalent, or salaried experience), good character, RCP insurance and, if it holds client funds, a financial guarantee.
Salaried négociateurs and self-employed agents commerciaux need no card. They need an attestation d’habilitation, requested by the card holder from the CCI (€55) before they start.
An agent commercial must also be on the RSAC, hold their own RCP insurance and may never hold client money.
Everyone who negotiates must train 42 hours over three years, including ethics and non-discrimination.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens work freely. Non-EU nationals need a residence permit that allows the status they choose.

The card holder

According to CCI Bretagne, the card has three possible mentions: T for transactions, G for property management and S for managing apartment buildings. There is one card per company. The application is filed online through the CCI’s register of real estate professionals, on form Cerfa 15312*03 (Le Campus Immo2).

Professional aptitude

Le Campus Immo2 summarises the decree’s routes:

A bac+3 in law, economics or business, or a title of that level, a BTS Professions immobilières, an RNCP level 6 title or the ICH diploma.
With the baccalauréat: three years as an employee in a Hoguet activity with a card holder.
Without a diploma: ten years as an employee, or four years in an executive role.
VAE, validation of experience, toward a recognised diploma.

Confirm the exact wording on Légifrance or with your CCI before you apply.

Guarantee and insurance

The financial guarantee is compulsory for property management and building management, and for transactions only if the agency holds client funds. An agency that declares it holds none gets the mention “non-détention de fonds” and needs no guarantee (CCI Bretagne). Commonly quoted minimums are €110,000, or €30,000 in the first two years, but we could not verify them on Légifrance, so ask your guarantor. RCP professional liability insurance is compulsory for the holder.

Fees and renewal

Item at CCI Bretagne	Fee
First card	€160
Renewal	€130
Update	€68 (€160 to add a mention)
New establishment receipt	€96
Attestation d’habilitation, per collaborator	€55

Renewal must be requested two months before expiry, with proof of continuing training. Fees may differ slightly between CCIs.

Working under someone else’s card

Most newcomers start here. CNACIM, a training body, set out the rules in October 2026.

The attestation d’habilitation is a named document, tied to one card holder, that lets you negotiate within the powers it grants. The holder requests it on form Cerfa 15315. It must exist before you start, and it is redone when the card is renewed, when you change agency or when your details change. It does not let you work for anyone else.

As a salaried négociateur, you need the attestation. Your employment contract does not replace it.

As an agent commercial immobilier, the self-employed “mandataire”, you need:

Registration on the RSAC, the register of commercial agents kept by the commercial court registry.
An agent commercial contract with the card holder.
A valid attestation d’habilitation.
Your own RCP insurance.

RSAC registration does not replace the attestation. Most agents commerciaux use the micro-entreprise regime. An agent commercial cannot receive or hold client funds, run an agency or establishment, carry out missions reserved to the card holder or go beyond the powers delegated.

Continuing training

CCI Bretagne sets the duty at 14 hours a year, or 42 hours over three years, with at least 2 hours of ethics and 2 hours on non-discrimination in access to housing over the period. It comes from decree n° 2016-173 of 18 February 2016, under the loi ALUR. It applies to card holders, legal representatives, establishment directors and everyone who negotiates, salaried or independent. Without proof of training, the card cannot be renewed.

Rules you work under every day

Written mandate first. No negotiation without a signed mandate stating the duration, the fees and who pays, the parties, the property, any exclusivity and how to end it. The DGCCRF treats irregular mandates as misleading practices.
Registre des mandats. Every mandate goes in a chronological register. The DGCCRF has found registers on loose sheets or in pencil.
Exclusivity. Its irrevocability is capped at three months. Presenting a simple mandate as exclusive, or charging the seller when he finds the buyer himself, is not allowed.
Fees on display. TTC, with who pays and, since 1 April 2022, a maximum rate, in the window, inside and on the website.
Off-premises mandates. The client must receive a withdrawal form.

In a 2019 survey of 2,175 establishments, the DGCCRF found anomalies in 64% and sent 114 criminal reports. Checks are real.

Work rights: EU and non-EU

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can work in France and register as micro-entrepreneurs freely, without a residence permit (LegalPlace, June 2026).

Non-EU nationals need a permit that allows the activity. For self-employed work as an agent commercial, LegalPlace lists the carte de résident, the résident longue durée-UE, the passeport talent “créateur d’entreprise”, “vie privée et familiale” and “entrepreneur / profession libérale”. Student and salaried permits do not allow self-employed work. The entrepreneur card lasts one year, and at renewal the prefecture checks income of at least the annual minimum wage, about €21,876 in 2026.

For a salaried job, the general rule is that you need a permit allowing salaried work, with the employer handling the work authorisation. Check the details with the prefecture or an immigration lawyer.

Language. No French test is required by law, but every mandate, compromis and CCI document is in French. In practice you need fluent French.

How agents are paid

There is no legal fee scale. Agence Immobilière France, an industry blog, puts fees between 3% and 10% of the price, lower for higher prices, with networks often cheaper than traditional agencies. The fee belongs to the card holder. Your share depends on your status:

Networks. Maformationimmo (March 2026) gives base splits of 69% at IAD, 70% at Safti and 72% at Capifrance, rising with turnover, plus monthly packs of about €159 to €205 excluding VAT. MeilleursRéseaux reports at least 75% at eXp France, and 100% after €80,000 of commissions in the year.
Salaried négociateurs. Under IDCC 1527, Kohen Avocats sets the minimum for a non-executive négociateur VRP at €1,500 gross a month, €19,500 a year over 13 months, which can be an advance on commissions.

See Real estate agent commission in France for worked examples.

Where the work is

About 949,000 existing homes changed hands in the 12 months to May 2026 (MesFraisNotaire, citing Notaires de France). La Maison des Mandataires counted 47,000 network advisers at the end of 2025, handling 28% of intermediated sales. FNAIM says it has about 10,000 member agencies.

Paris: the highest prices in the country, with prestige agencies such as Barnes, Daniel Féau, Kretz and Junot, and a dense network of franchises.
Côte d’Azur: the most international market. An older notaires study, using 2017 data, found non-resident foreigners behind about 7% of purchases in the Alpes-Maritimes. Agencies there include Michaël Zingraf Christie’s, Côte d’Azur Sotheby’s International Realty, John Taylor and Engel & Völkers.
Lyon: a large local market, with Barnes, Lyon Sotheby’s International Realty and Engel & Völkers among the prestige brands.
Bordeaux: local and national buyers, with Barnes, Émile Garcin and Engel & Völkers next to Orpi, Laforêt and independent agencies.

How to choose an agency or a network

Ask who holds the carte T, which CCI issued it and when it expires.
Make sure your attestation will be issued before your first day of negotiation.
Compare salaried and agent commercial offers honestly: security against split.
Get the split, the pack and its notice period in writing.
Ask who pays for training hours, portals and photos.
If you are non-EU, confirm your permit allows the status.

Red flags

Being asked to negotiate before the attestation is issued.
An agency that cannot name its card holder or show its fees TTC with who pays.
A request to collect a deposit or cash as an agent commercial.
A “mandataire” offer to someone on a student permit.
Fee clauses charging a seller who sells alone, or a fee without a sale.
A network pack you cannot stop without a long notice.

France licenses the business that holds the card, and authorises each salesperson individually. This guide was checked on the date shown above. It is general information, not legal, tax or immigration advice. CloserPass is not affiliated with the CCI, FNAIM or any government body in France.

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