Procedure for dismissal of an employee for personal reasons
Verified 11 May 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Where the employer intends to dismiss an employee for personal reasons, he must summon him to a pre-interview and send her a termination letter. Certain deadlines must be respected. The employee may be assisted during the interview. We're taking a look at the regulations.
The procedure varies depending on the pattern of dismissal (non-disciplinary or disciplinary).
Non-disciplinary ground
Step-by-step approach
The content of the pre-interview notice varies depending on whether or not staff representatives are present in the company:
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The company has no staff representatives
An employer who intends to dismiss an employee for personal reason shall summon him for a preliminary interview.
This notice shall be sent by registered letter with AR: titleContent or by hand-delivered letter against discharge.
This letter must contain the following information:
- Purpose of the interview between the employee and the employer (or a member of the company's staff who has the right to hire or dismiss employees)
- Date, time and location of the interview (workplace or company headquarters).
The notice must also indicate that the employee may be assisted during the interview:
- Either by another employee belonging to the company
- Either by an external adviser called advisor to the employee.
The letter must indicate the contact details of the town hall and the competent labor inspectorate for the company where the employee can find the list of advisers of the employee.
Please note
The address of the town hall is the address of the employee's domicile if he resides in the same department as the one where the company is located. Otherwise, it is the one of the city hall of the workplace.
A template is available:
The company has staff representatives
An employer who intends to dismiss an employee for personal reason shall summon him for a preliminary interview.
This notice shall be sent by registered letter with AR: titleContent or by hand-delivered letter against discharge.
This letter must contain the following information:
- Purpose of the interview between the employee and the employer (or a member of the company's staff who has the right to hire or dismiss employees)
- Date, time and location of the interview (workplace or company headquarters).
The summons must also state that he may be assisted during the interview by an employee belonging to the company (staff representative or not).
A template is available:
The employer must meet a deadline minimum from 5 working days between the submission of the registered letter with AR: titleContent or hand-delivery against discharge and the date of the interview.
The day of the 1re presentation or hand delivery of the letter to the employee and the day of the interview don't count within 5 working days.
Example :
An employee works from Monday to Friday and has his weekly rest on Sunday. There is no public holiday during the week. If the 1re presentation of the letter takes place on tuesday, the interview may take place no earlier than Tuesday of the following week. Saturday being a working day, it counts within 5 days.
If the delay ends one Saturday, one sunday, one public holiday or unemployed, it shall be extended until the following working day (for example, if the deadline ends on Monday 1er May, it ends on Tuesday).
The employer (or his representative) receives the employee and the person who may assist him. It shall explain the reasons for the decision envisaged and shall obtain its explanations.
Please note
The employee is not obliged to attend the interview beforehand. His absence cannot be blamed. The employer may continue the dismissal procedure if the employee is absent on the day of the interview.
Certain rules must be respected.
Reason for dismissal
The letter must state the reason for dismissal.
A sample letter is available:
Letter of termination for non-disciplinary personal reasons
Please note
The employer may inform the employee in the letter of dismissal that he can ask for details of the reason for dismissal. It's not a mandatory statement.
Signature of the termination letter
She is mandatory signed by the employer or its representative.
Address of the employee
The termination letter is sent to the employee's known address of the employer.
The employer may notify dismissal of the employee by registered letter with AR: titleContent respecting a deadline of 2 working days after the date of the prior interview.
There is no maximum legal time limit for sending the letter of dismissal for personal reasons.
Example :
If the interview takes place on a Monday, the employer can notify the dismissal as of Thursday.
In the 15 days which follow the notification upon termination, the reason stated in the letter may be specified at the initiative of the employer or at the request of the employee.
The employee must make his request by registered letter with AR: titleContent or delivery against receipt.
The employer has a period of 15 days after receiving the employee's request to provide details if he wishes. He must communicate these details to the employee by letter RAR: titleContent or delivery against receipt.
The employment contract does not end as soon as notification of dismissal. In principle, the employee performs a advance notice. It starts from 1re presentation of the registered letter.
The employee does not give notice if he is in one of the following situations:
- Exemption of the employer from notice. It is recommended that the waiver be in writing.
- Dismissal for incapacity of the employee
- In case of force majeure
- Inability of the employee to complete his notice (e.g. loss of driving license).
Disciplinary ground
Step-by-step approach
Where an employee is guilty of misconduct, the employer may penalize the employee by initiating disciplinary dismissal proceedings.
The employer may decide on a conservatory lay-off the time of the procedure. He must inform orally or in writing the employee of his temporary layoff.
The content of the pre-interview notice varies depending on whether or not staff representatives are present in the company:
Répondez aux questions successives et les réponses s’afficheront automatiquement
The company has no staff representatives
An employer who intends to dismiss an employee for personal reason shall summon him for a preliminary interview.
This notice shall be sent by registered letter with AR: titleContent or by hand-delivered letter against discharge.
This letter must contain the following information:
- Purpose of the interview between the employee and the employer (or a member of the company's staff who has the right to hire or dismiss employees)
- Date, time and location of the interview (workplace or company headquarters).
The notice must also indicate that the employee may be assisted during the interview:
- Either by another employee belonging to the company
- Either by an external adviser called advisor to the employee.
The letter must indicate the contact details of the town hall and the competent labor inspectorate for the company where the employee can find the list of advisers of the employee.
Please note
The address of the town hall is the address of the employee's domicile if he resides in the same department as the one where the company is located. Otherwise, it is the one of the city hall of the workplace.
A template is available:
The company has staff representatives
An employer who intends to dismiss an employee for personal reason shall summon him for a preliminary interview.
This notice shall be sent by registered letter with AR: titleContent or by hand-delivered letter against discharge.
This letter must contain the following information:
- Purpose of the interview between the employee and the employer (or a member of the company's staff who has the right to hire or dismiss employees)
- Date, time and location of the interview (workplace or company headquarters).
The summons must also state that he may be assisted during the interview by an employee belonging to the company (staff representative or not).
A template is available:
The employer must meet a deadline minimum from 5 working days between the submission of the registered letter with AR: titleContent or hand-delivery against discharge and the date of the interview.
The day of the 1re presentation or hand delivery of the letter to the employee and the day of the interview don't count within 5 working days.
Example :
An employee works from Monday to Friday and has his weekly rest on Sunday. There is no public holiday during the week. If the 1re presentation of the letter takes place on tuesday, the interview may take place no earlier than Tuesday of the following week. Saturday being a working day, it counts within 5 days.
If the delay ends one Saturday, one sunday, one public holiday or unemployed, it shall be extended until the following working day (for example, if the deadline ends on Monday 1er May, it ends on Tuesday).
The employer (or his representative) receives the employee and the person who may assist him. It shall explain the reasons for the decision envisaged and shall obtain its explanations.
Please note
The employee is not obliged to attend the interview beforehand. His absence cannot be blamed. The employer may continue the dismissal procedure if the employee is absent on the day of the interview.
Certain rules must be respected.
Reason for dismissal
The letter must state the reason for dismissal.
A sample letter is available:
Template for a letter of dismissal of an employee for disciplinary reasons
Please note
The employer may inform the employee in the letter of dismissal that he can ask for details of the reason for dismissal. It's not a mandatory statement.
Signature of the termination letter
She is mandatory signed by the employer or its representative.
Address of the employee
The termination letter is sent to the employee's known address of the employer.
Shipping time
The employer may notify dismissal of the employee by registered letter with AR: titleContent respecting a deadline of 2 working days after the date of the prior interview.
Example :
If the interview takes place on a Monday, the employer can notify the dismissal as of Thursday.
The deadline for sending the dismissal letter is set at 1 month maximum after the date of the prior interview.
In the 15 days which follow the notification upon termination, the reason stated in the letter may be specified at the initiative of the employer or at the request of the employee.
The employee must make his request by registered letter with AR: titleContent or delivery against receipt.
The employer has a period of 15 days after receiving the employee's request to provide details if he wishes. He must communicate these details to the employee by letter RAR: titleContent or delivery against receipt.
Depending on the employer's reason for dismissal, notice may or may not be given:
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Dismissal for simple misconduct
The employment contract does not end as soon as notification of dismissal. In principle, the employee performs a advance notice.
The notice period starts from 1re presentation of the registered letter.
The employee does not give notice if he is in one of the following situations:
- Exemption of the employer from notice. It is recommended that the waiver be in writing.
- Inability of the employee to complete his notice (e.g. loss of driving license).
Dismissal for gross or gross misconduct
The employment contract shall end on notification of dismissal for gross or gross misconduct.
The employee does not perform from advance notice.
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Summons of the employee
Pre-interview
Reasons for the letter
Notification of dismissal
Starting point of the notice
Penalties for irregularities in dismissal
Request for clarification on the ground for termination
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