New faces modeling agencies in France
There are 105 verified modeling agencies in France, 76 of them holding a state licence or a professional-association membership. Below: every agency with its boards, founding year and application route, a comparison table, and what international models need to know before applying.
In France a model agency must hold a state licence (licence d'agence de mannequins) and a financial guarantee, and every model booking is an employment contract with regulated minimum pay. The catalogue lists 105 professional agencies with a public model board; each agency's profile shows its SYNAM or FFAM membership and licence number when we know them.
Where the agencies are in France
The agencies
Mademoiselle Agency
- Women
- Men
- New faces
- Curve / plus-size
Mademoiselle Agency is a modeling agency based in Paris, France, founded in 1994.
Studio Paris
- Women
- Men
- New faces
Studio Paris is a modeling agency based in Paris, France, founded in 2005.
Les Filles Models Agency
- Women
- Men
- New faces
- Kids
- Curve / plus-size
- Talent
Les Filles Models Agency is a modeling agency based in Wasquehal, France, founded in 2006.
Fever Management
- Women
- Men
- New faces
Fever Management is a modeling agency based in Paris, France, founded in 2021.
Eskimo Model Management
- Women
- Men
- New faces
Eskimo Model Management is a modeling agency based in Paris, France.
Compare at a glance
| Agency | City | Founded | Boards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mademoiselle Agency | Paris | 1994 | Women, Men, New faces, Curve / plus-size |
| Studio Paris | Paris | 2005 | Women, Men, New faces |
| Les Filles Models Agency | Wasquehal | 2006 | Women, Men, New faces, Kids, Curve / plus-size, Talent |
| Fever Management | Paris | 2021 | Women, Men, New faces |
| 16PARIS | Paris | Men, New faces | |
| Aeon Models | Paris | Women, New faces | |
| Eskimo Model Management | Paris | Women, Men, New faces | |
| GIRL Mgmt | Paris | Women, Men, New faces | |
| Men Model MGMT | Paris | Men, New faces | |
| SEE Models | Paris | Women, New faces |
France for international models
- Every job you do in France is formal employment. The agency must sign a written contract with you and, before each booking, show you the booking contract with the fee the client is paying. Anyone offering work 'without paperwork' is not an agency.
- A real agency holds a state licence and a bank guarantee. The guarantee means your wages get paid even if the agency goes bust. Operating without a licence is a criminal offence in France, so licensed agencies are happy to show theirs – just ask.
- You receive at least a third of what the client pays the agency: 33% for magazine editorials, 36% for every other job. The rest is the agency's commission and taxes. Your share can never fall below the minimum rates, whatever the client pays.
- Minimum rates for 2025, the floor you negotiate up from: fittings at a designer €81 an hour or €405 a day; shoots, shows and advertising from €112 an hour and €559 a day for a beginner to €218 an hour and €1,092 a day for an established model. Magazine editorials pay least (€40–101 an hour) because they build your book, not your income. Holiday pay of 10% is added on top of everything. A show is paid for at least 3 hours: 2 hours of show and 1 hour of fitting.
- Nobody may ask you for money upfront. Advice about becoming a model is free by law in France. If the agency has paid for your test shoot or comp cards, it may only recover that gradually from your future pay – at most 20% of each payment. An invoice 'for registration' or 'for your book' before your first job is a clear warning sign.
- Before you start you will need a medical certificate confirming that your health (your BMI is one of the things assessed) is compatible with modelling – a law since 2016 meant to protect models from pressure to lose weight. And if your figure is digitally altered in an advert, the image must carry the words « Photographie retouchée ».
- If you are not an EU citizen: with a collaboration agreement from a licensed French agency, a stay of up to 3 months only needs a normal short-stay visa – no separate work permit. For longer, the agency applies for your work permit and you receive a long-stay visa of up to 12 months. The visa file includes the agency's licence document and your contract. Working on a tourist visa without a contract is not allowed and puts both you and the agency at risk.
- If you are under 16: only an agency with a special approval may work with children. You will need a doctor's opinion, working hours are limited, and part of your earnings goes into a state-held account released when you turn 18 – your parents receive only the share the commission allows. Children's minimum rates for 2025: €76 an hour for shoots and shows, €94 an hour for commercials.
- When to come: Paris Fashion Weeks run in late February–early March and late September–early October (women's collections), January and June (men's), January and July (haute couture). Agencies book show castings weeks ahead and usually arrange a season's placements months in advance – so apply in autumn for spring and in spring for autumn, not the week before fashion week.
Sources: Code du travail, L7123-1 à L7123-32 (Légifrance) · Code du travail, R7123 (retenues, licence) · Convention collective IDCC 3252, annexe V art. 3.4 (pourcentages) · Avenant n° 2 du 22 janvier 2025 – salaires minimaux mannequins · France-Visas – mannequin, collaboration avec une agence française · Code de la santé publique L2133-2 – « Photographie retouchée » · Caisse des Dépôts – enfants du spectacle et du mannequinat · Code du travail, L7124-1 à L7124-35 – enfants dans la mode (Légifrance) · Ministère du Travail – L'emploi des enfants dans le spectacle et la mode (DGT, 2023) · Urssaf – mannequins : cotisations, taux réduits cas particuliers · impots.gouv.fr – retenue à la source des non-résidents sur les salaires · FHCM – calendrier officiel de la Paris Fashion Week · SYNAM – liste des membres · FFAM – Fédération Française des Agences de Mannequins (agences membres)
Frequently asked
Other places
How this list is made
Each agency is checked against public company registers, state licence requirements and professional-association member lists, then against its own website. Only agencies confirmed as operating are published. No agency pays to be listed and there are no rankings or reviews. Last verified: 2026-10-10.
01How many modeling agencies are there in France?
This catalogue lists 105 verified agencies in France, including Enjoy, Agence Di, Elite Paris and Karin. Only agencies with a current licence or professional-association membership, or confirmed by at least two independent sources, are included.
02How many modeling agencies are there in France, and which ones does the catalogue list?
The catalogue lists 105 agencies, 78 of them in Paris. We include every professional agency that has a working website with a public model board and represents models as its core business. 68 agencies are on the SYNAM or FFAM member lists and eight more show their licence number on their own website. Schools, businesses that sell paid photo books or courses, and hostess and event staffing agencies are left out.
03How much are models paid in Paris?
You get at least a third of what the client pays the agency – 33% for magazine editorials, 36% for other work – and never less than the minimum rates: from about €112 an hour or €559 a day for shoots, shows and advertising in 2025, plus 10% holiday pay. Established models negotiate well above that. Editorials pay least (€40–101 an hour) because they build your book rather than your income.
04Do I have to pay a modeling agency in France?
No. Advice about becoming a model is free by law, and a licensed agency earns from the client's fee, not from you. If it pays for your tests or comp cards, it can only recover that from your future earnings, at most 20% of each payment. A 'registration', 'book' or 'casting' fee asked upfront means you are not dealing with a licensed agency.
05Can I model in Paris on a tourist visa?
Not without a contract. If a licensed French agency gives you a collaboration agreement, a stay of up to 3 months needs only a short-stay visa and no work permit; for longer, the agency applies for a work permit and you get a long-stay visa of up to 12 months. EU and EEA citizens need neither a visa nor a permit.
06How do I check that a French agency is licensed?
Ask for its licence number and to see the licence order: the licence is compulsory in France, so every agency working lawfully has one, along with a bank guarantee. It must also give you a written contract and a copy of each booking contract before you accept a job. Agency profiles in this catalogue show SYNAM or FFAM membership and the licence number when we know them. If a profile has neither, ask the agency for the number before you sign.
07Can children model in France?
Yes, but only through an agency with a special approval for children under 16. A doctor's opinion is needed, working hours are limited, and part of the earnings is kept in a state-held account until the child turns 18. Children's minimum rates in 2025 are €76 an hour for shoots and shows and €94 an hour for commercials.
08Do I need to be self-employed to model in France?
Usually not. Under the French Labour Code any contract that engages a model for pay is presumed to be an employment contract, so the agency employs you, pays a salary and withholds social contributions and tax. Non-residents are subject to a special withholding tax: for 2025 income, 0% up to €17,122, 12% up to €49,667 and 20% above that. The exception is a self-employed model established in another EU or EEA country who comes to France temporarily to provide services.
09What are SYNAM and FFAM?
They are the two professional bodies of French model agencies. FFAM (Fédération française des agences de mannequins) was founded in 2004 and admits only agencies holding the state licence. SYNAM (Syndicat national des agences de mannequins) was created in 2009 by merging SAM, founded in 1972, and UNAM, founded in 1992; it represents agencies before ministries and conducts social dialogue with employee unions. Neither issues licences – the licence is granted by the Prefect of Paris. Catalogue profiles show membership, but it is not a condition for being listed.
10How much can a Paris agency deduct for advances and the model apartment?
The law lets an agency recover costs it advanced for your career and promotion (tests, comp cards, travel) only through deductions from your pay, and no more than 20% of each payment. The apartment price and how it is deducted should be written into your contract or a separate agreement before you arrive. Ask regularly for a statement showing every booking, the commission and each deduction.