Members of the EU have reciprocal working rights for France and need only to get residency papers in order rather than a visa. Non-EU citizens, however, must have a work permit and residency visa.

Employees can apply for one of two types of work permits. The Detachement work permit requires the applicant to be an employee of a foreign entity and be paid outside of France. His or her duties must demand and utilize knowledge and skills not available locally, usually involving technical skills, proprietary knowledge of company policies and procedures, standardization of practices and procedures, or training of French employees.

The Introduction work permit represents the permanent approval of a position to be filled by a foreign national. This permit applies to the employment, exceeding 18 months, of an individual at the executive level whose skills are not available in the local labor market and whose monthly salary exceeds 3,835 EUR. The work permit requires labor market testing and the application should be submitted to the French Labor Ministry, Office des Migrations Internationales (OMI).

A residency visa (carte de séjour) in France is usually given once the work permit has been approved.

This is just a sample of what you'll find in the complete France guide.