Prostitution laws in France criminalize the buyer, not the seller. Under Law No. 2016-444 of April 13, 2016, selling sexual services is lawful and carries no criminal penalty, while paying for sex is an offense punished by a €1,500 fine for a first violation. The same law tightened rules against pimping, brothels, and human trafficking, and created a state-funded program for people who want to leave the sex trade.
Selling Sex Is Legal
A person who receives money in exchange for sexual services commits no offense in France and cannot be arrested or prosecuted for the act of selling. The European Court of Human Rights confirmed this framework in its 2024 decision in M.A. and Others v. France, noting that French law targets buyers rather than sellers.
Because the activity is lawful, sex workers are treated as self-employed earners and owe income tax and social contributions on what they make. Those registered as micro-entrepreneurs pay a flat social-contribution rate tied to turnover. For service-based activities, that rate is 21.2 percent of revenue as of January 2026.1Service Public Entreprendre. Social Security Contributions for a Micro-Entrepreneur: What You Need to Know If turnover is zero in a given period, no contributions are owed.
The 2016 law also repealed a 2003 ban on public solicitation by sex workers. Some municipalities still use local bylaws to restrict where street-based sex work can take place, but the national offense is gone.
Buying Sex Is a Criminal Offense
Paying for sex is illegal in any setting. The ban covers street encounters, indoor arrangements, and online transactions. A first-time buyer faces a €1,500 fine plus mandatory attendance at an awareness course on the harms associated with prostitution. A second offense raises the fine to €3,750 and puts the conviction on the buyer’s criminal record.2The Guardian. France Passes Law Making It Illegal to Pay for Sex
Penalties escalate sharply when the person selling sex is a minor. Under Article 225-7 of the Penal Code, offenses involving a minor carry up to ten years of imprisonment and a €1,500,000 fine. When the minor is under fifteen, the maximum rises to twenty years and €3,000,000. Purchasing sex from someone who is particularly vulnerable because of illness, disability, or pregnancy also triggers harsher penalties, with the exact figures depending on which provision prosecutors charge under.
The 2024 European Court of Human Rights Ruling
A group of 261 sex workers challenged the buyer-criminalization model before the European Court of Human Rights, arguing it interfered with their right to private life under Article 8 of the European Convention. In July 2024 the Court unanimously ruled that France had not violated the Convention, finding that French authorities had struck an appropriate balance between the competing interests and had not exceeded the margin of appreciation granted to member states.3Irish Legal News. ECtHR: French Ban on Buying Sex Not in Breach of Human Rights Law The decision cemented the legal foundation of France’s approach for the foreseeable future.
Pimping Is Defined More Broadly Than You Might Expect
French law defines pimping (proxénétisme) broadly enough to catch people who would not describe themselves that way. Under Article 225-5 of the Penal Code, pimping includes helping someone prostitute themselves, sharing in the proceeds, or receiving money from a person who habitually sells sex. Basic pimping carries up to seven years in prison and a €150,000 fine.
The reach goes further. If you live with someone who regularly sells sex and cannot show a legitimate income that explains your lifestyle, that alone can support a pimping prosecution. You do not need to be arranging clients or taking a cut. The inability to account for your finances while sharing a household with a sex worker is enough. Partners, roommates, and family members have been prosecuted on this basis.
Aggravated forms carry considerably heavier sentences:
- Involving a minor: up to ten years of imprisonment and a €1,500,000 fine. If the minor is under fifteen, the maximum rises to twenty years and €3,000,000.
- With violence, coercion, or multiple victims: up to ten years and €1,500,000.
- As part of an organized gang: up to twenty years of imprisonment.
Brothels and Advertising
Running a brothel has been illegal in France since the Loi Marthe Richard of April 13, 1946, which ordered the closure of all licensed maisons closes. That prohibition remains in force. Any premises used as a regular location for prostitution can be treated as an illegal brothel regardless of what the operator calls it.
Advertising sexual services is also criminal, covering both traditional advertising and online listings. Facilitating prostitution in any organized way falls under the pimping statutes, so website operators, landlords who knowingly rent for prostitution, and anyone else providing logistical support can face the same penalties set out above.
Human Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation
Trafficking is one of the most serious offenses in the French Penal Code. Article 225-4 and related provisions prescribe penalties ranging from seven years of imprisonment up to life imprisonment depending on the circumstances.4US Department of State. France – Trafficking in Persons Report Related offenses of servitude carry up to ten years, and forced labor up to seven years.
Trafficking charges are distinct from pimping charges, though the two often overlap. A network that brings foreign nationals into France for sexual exploitation can face both sets of charges at once. The 2016 law reinforced victim protections in trafficking cases, particularly through the exit program and residence-permit route described below.
The Exit Program and Residence Permits
The 2016 law created the parcours de sortie de la prostitution, a structured program for anyone who wants to leave the sex trade. An approved nonprofit association assesses the applicant’s situation, develops an integration plan, and presents it to a departmental commission. The local prefect then authorizes or denies entry into the program.5Légifrance. Décret n° 2016-1467 du 28 octobre 2016 relatif au parcours de sortie de la prostitution
Participants receive the aide financière à l’insertion sociale (AFIS), a monthly allowance. As of December 2025, the amounts are:
- Single person with no children: €559.43 per month
- One dependent child: €665.51 per month
- Two dependent children: €771.59 per month
- Three dependent children: €877.67 per month
- Each additional child: €106.08 per month added
The program runs in six-month blocks, renewable up to a maximum of twenty-four months total. At each renewal, the commission reviews whether the participant has followed the agreed plan and considers any difficulties encountered.5Légifrance. Décret n° 2016-1467 du 28 octobre 2016 relatif au parcours de sortie de la prostitution
For foreign nationals, authorization to join the program triggers a temporary residence permit lasting at least six months, which includes the right to work. That matters given that an estimated 85 percent of sex workers in France are foreign nationals, many without legal immigration status.7AP News. France Passes Law Which Punishes Prostitutes’ Clients The permit is conditional on continued participation.