Internal promotion in the public service

Verified 21 August 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)

The internal promotion allows a staff member to holdaccess to functions and to one employment of a top level and on a scale of higher pay. It consists in the passage of a body or a job executive to another body or officer of employment within the same public service. It is taking place choice or after professional examination. The rules differ according to the public service of belonging (State - FPE, territorial - FPT, hospital - FPH).

EPF

Internal promotion is a device that allows you to access, during your career, a body of a category higher than that of your body of membership.

Internal promotion is reserved for civil servants holders.

Internal promotion provides access to higher-level functions and employment and a higher pay scale.

The change of body through internal promotion can only be done within the same public service.

The special status of each body defines which officials may be granted access by internal promotion.

Example :

The category B corps of court clerks is accessible by internal promotion to officials belonging to the category C corps of administrative assistants under the Ministry of Justice.

In order to benefit from an internal promotion, you must fulfill the conditions laid down in special status the body you can claim by internal promotion.

The conditions can be in particular the following:

  • Age requirements
  • And/or seniority conditions: in your hierarchical category (A, B or C) and/or in your body and/or in your grade
  • And/or terms and conditions of employment (e.g. having held a particular job for a specified period, a job with responsibility)
  • And/or training conditions (having completed a minimum period of vocational training).

You must meet the requirements to 1er January of the year in which the promotion occurs.

Example :

The body of clerks of the judicial services is accessible by internal promotion to officials belonging to the body of administrative assistants of the Ministry of Justice who justify, at 1er January of the year, at least 11 years of public service.

Internal promotion in a new body can be carried out choice or after professional examination.

The particular status of a body may provide for only one or these two internal promotion modalities.

Where the two internal promotion possibilities are provided for, they are addressed to officials who fulfill different conditions.

Example :

The corps of court clerks is accessible only by internal promotion after professional examination.

Choice

When the internal promotion is carried out at your choice, your employer administration chooses the officials it wishes to promote from among those who meet the conditions laid down by the particular statute of the host body.

The choice is made in view of the professional value and acquired professional experience public servants.

The employer administration shall specify, in the context of its management guidelines, the conditions for taking into account the professional value and the acquired professional experience, in particular by means of the following criteria:

  • Diversity of background and functions
  • Trainings followed
  • Specific conditions of practice attesting to professional commitment, adaptability and, where appropriate, ability to manage teams.

Professional examination

Where internal promotion is carried out after a professional examination, the officials promoted shall be those who are admitted to the tests of a professional examination.

The events can be organized remotely by videoconference. In such cases, the order initiating the examination shall indicate whether the use of videoconferencing may be requested:

  • Either only by candidates residing in a French overseas territory or abroad, in a situation of disability, in a situation of pregnancy or whose state of health requires it,
  • Either by any candidate.

Candidates who express the wish to use videoconferencing shall be informed by the exam organizing authority, by post or by electronic means, of the material conditions for organizing the test.

The number of internal promotions that can be pronounced is limited.

This number of possible promotions is determined by the particular status of the host body concerned.

It is recalculated every year.

Example :

The number of civil servants who can access the corps of court clerks by internal promotion is limited to 2/5es of the number of officials appointed to this corps as a result of competition (external, internal, 3rd competition), direct integration and detachment of more than 6 months.

Depending on the particular status of your host body, you may be subject to a internship or directly titled.

The conditions of classification in your new body are also set by the particular status.

FPT

Internal promotion is a device that allows you to access, during your career, a employment framework a category higher than that of your home-based employment framework.

Internal promotion is reserved for civil servants holders.

Internal promotion provides access to higher-level functions and employment and a higher pay scale.

The special status of each employment framework defines which officials may be granted access by internal promotion.

Example :

The Territorial Librarian Employment Framework, Category A, is available through internal promotion to public servants in the Territorial Heritage Conservation and Library Assistant Category B employment framework.

In order to benefit from an internal promotion, you must fulfill the conditions laid down in special status the employment framework to which you can claim by internal promotion.

Conditions may include:

  • Age requirements
  • And/or seniority conditions: in your hierarchical category (A, B or C) and/or in your employment framework and/or in your grade
  • And/or terms and conditions of employment (e.g. having held a particular job for a specific period, a managerial job)
  • And/or training conditions (having completed a minimum period of vocational training).

You must meet the requirements to 1er January of the year in which the promotion occurs.

Example :

The Territorial Librarian Employment Framework is accessible by internal promotion to officials holding the rank of Senior Conservation Assistant of 2e primary conservation assistant class or grade of 1re a class which has at least 10 years of actual public service, including at least 5 years in the context of employment of territorial heritage conservation assistants and libraries in an active or seconded position.

Internal promotion in a new employment framework can be carried out choice or after professional examination.

The special status of an employment manager may provide for one or these two internal promotion methods.

Where the two internal promotion possibilities are provided for, they are addressed to officials who fulfill different conditions.

Example :

The Territorial Librarian Employment Framework is available only by internal promotion of choice.

Choice

When internal promotion is carried out at your choice, your employing community (or the management center if your community is affiliated with the management center) chooses the public servants who can be promoted from among those who meet the conditions set by the special status of the host employment framework.

The choice is made in view of the professional value and acquired professional experience public servants.

Your employer authority (or the management center) specifies, in the context of its management guidelines, the conditions for taking into account the professional value and the acquired professional experience, in particular through the following criteria:

  • Diversity of background and functions
  • Trainings followed
  • Specific conditions of practice attesting to professional commitment, adaptability and, where appropriate, ability to manage teams.

Professional examination

When internal promotion is carried out after a professional examination, the officials who may be promoted are those who are admitted to the tests of a professional examination.

You can take the exam at the earliest 1 year before the date you must meet the requirements for an internal promotion.

The events can be organized remotely by videoconference. In such cases, the order initiating the examination shall indicate whether the use of videoconferencing may be requested:

  • Either, only by candidates residing in a French overseas territory or abroad, in a situation of disability, in a situation of pregnancy or whose state of health requires it
  • Either by any candidate.

Candidates who express the wish to use videoconferencing shall be informed by the exam organizing authority, by post or by electronic means, of the material conditions for organizing the test.

In any case

Whether the promotion is made by choice or after professional examination, the officials selected or admitted to the examination are on a list of suitable candidates.

Entry on the list of suitable candidates does not constitute recruitment.

You must apply for a vacancy corresponding to the grade to which you are promoted or respond to the recruitment offers addressed to you.

The number of internal promotions that can be pronounced is limited.

All job managers provide thatinternal promotion may be pronounced for 2 recruitments in the context of the jobs concerned.

Recruitments taken into account to enable internal promotions are recruitments made by admission to a contest, by mutation, detachment, direct integration or by registration of a disabled person at the end of a CDD.

The number of possible internal promotions is recalculated each year at the level of your employer community or the management center or CNFPT.

The number of officials on the rosters may not exceed the number of possible promotions.

When no internal promotion could be pronounced within a framework of jobs for at least 2 years, 1 internal promotion is possible if at least 1 recruitment has been involved in the relevant jobs during these 2 years.

In addition, for most category A and B job managers, an alternative rule for calculating the number of possible promotions may be applied if this is the case. more favorable that the rule of 1 internal promotion for 2 recruitments.

The number of possible appointments per internal promotion (by choice and after professional examination) can thus be calculated by applying the proportion of 1 promotion for 2 recruitments to  8% the number of CDI contract staff and staff on active or seconded employment.

A local authority or a territorial public institution that wishes to recruit you sends you its offer of recruitment by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt and informs the authority that established the list of suitable candidates on which you appear.

If you do not respond within 2 months, you are considered to refuse the job offer.

If you refuse 2 job offers, you are removed from the list of suitable candidates.

If you are not appointed within 2 years of being placed on the list of suitable candidates, you may apply to be re-enrolled a 3e year on the same list and if necessary a 4e year.

You must submit your request for re-registration in writing within one month before the end of the 2-year or 3-year period.

If at the end of the 4 years you have not found a job, you lose the benefit of your internal promotion.

The maximum period of 4 years for inclusion on the list of suitable candidates shall be suspended for the following periods:

  • Parental, maternity, adoption, parental presence and family solidarity leave
  • Long-term leave
  • Fulfillment of a mandate as a local elected official
  • Recruitment in CDD as a contractor in the territorial civil service to replace a civil servant or contractor temporarily unavailable on a job within the framework of the job for which you are promoted
  • Volunteering as a national service conscript.

Depending on the specific status of your host job manager, you may be subject to a internship or directly titled.

The conditions of classification in your new job framework are also set by the special status.

You are removed from the list of suitable candidates from the date of your appointment as a trainee or your tenure (if you are exempted from the traineeship).

FPH

Internal promotion is a device that allows you to access, during your career, a body of a category higher than that of your body of membership.

Internal promotion is reserved for civil servants holders.

Internal promotion provides access to higher-level functions and employment and a higher pay scale.

The change of body through internal promotion can only be done within the same public service.

The special status of each body defines which officials may be granted access by internal promotion.

Example :

The category A corps of hospital administration attachés is accessible by internal promotion to staff members belonging to the corps of hospital management assistants or to the category B corps of medical administrative assistants.

In order to benefit from an internal promotion, you must fulfill the conditions laid down in special status the body you can claim by internal promotion.

The conditions can be in particular the following:

  • Age requirements
  • And/or seniority conditions: in your hierarchical category (A, B or C) and/or in your body and/or in your grade
  • And/or terms and conditions of employment (e.g. having held a particular job for a specific period, a managerial job)
  • And/or training conditions (having completed a minimum period of vocational training).

You must meet the requirements to 1er January of the year in which the promotion occurs.

Example :

The corps of hospital administration attachés is accessible by internal promotion to officials belonging to the corps of hospital management assistants or to the corps of medico-administrative assistants who have more than 5 years of effective public services in either of these corps in an active or seconded position.

Internal promotion in a new body can be carried out choice or after professional examination.

The particular status of a body may provide for only one or these two internal promotion modalities.

Where the two internal promotion possibilities are provided for, they are addressed to officials who fulfill different conditions.

Example :

The body of hospital administration attachés is accessible by internal promotion of your choice.

Choice

When internal promotion is carried out at your choice, your employer administration shall select the officials it wishes to promote from among those who fulfill the conditions laid down by the special statute of the host body.

The choice is made in view of the professional value and acquired professional experience public servants.

The employer administration shall specify, in the context of its management guidelines, the conditions for taking into account the professional value and the acquired professional experience, in particular through the following criteria :

  • Diversity of background and functions
  • Trainings followed
  • Specific conditions of practice attesting to professional commitment, adaptability and, where appropriate, ability to manage teams.

After professional examination

Where internal promotion is carried out after a professional examination, the officials promoted shall be those who are admitted to the tests of a professional examination.

The events can be organized remotely by videoconference. In such cases, the order initiating the examination shall indicate whether the use of videoconferencing may be requested:

  • Either, only by candidates residing in a French overseas territory or abroad, in a situation of disability, in a situation of pregnancy or whose state of health requires it
  • Either by any candidate.

Candidates who express the wish to use videoconferencing shall be informed by the exam organizing authority, by post or by electronic means, of the material conditions for organizing the test.

In the 2 cases

Whether the promotion is carried out at the choice or after professional examination, the officials selected or admitted to the examination shall be on a list of suitable candidates.

Entry on the list of suitable candidates does not constitute recruitment.

You must apply for a vacancy corresponding to the grade to which you are promoted.

The number of internal promotions that can be pronounced is limited.

This number of possible promotions is determined by the particular status of the body concerned.

It is recalculated every year.

Example :

The number of officials who may be admitted to the corps of hospital technicians and senior technicians by internal promotion shall be limited to one third of the officials appointed to that corps following competition (external, internal, 3rd competition), direct integration and detachment of more than 6 months.

Depending on the particular status of your host body, you may be subject to a internship or directly titled.

The conditions of classification in your new body are also set by the particular status.

You are removed from the list of suitable candidates from the date of your appointment as a trainee or your tenure (if you are exempted from the traineeship).