Does the dressing time of a public official count as working time?
Verified 20 October 2025 - Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
You are a police officer, a nurse, a maintenance officer, etc., and you must wear special clothing to carry out your duties. Depending on your public service (State - EPF, Territorial - FPT, Hospital - FPH), dressing and undressing time can be considered effective working time. We present you the information to know.
The actual working time corresponds to the periods when you are at the disposal of your employer administration and must comply with its guidelines without being able to go about your personal business freely.
EPF
If you have to wear a uniform to perform your duties, the time you spend before taking up your duties dressing and then, at the end of your service, undressing is not considered to be actual working time.
The time you devote to dressing and undressing is not considered to be actual working time even if you do so in your workplace.
Dressing and undressing time is a time during which you put yourself in a position to take your service without being able to still comply with the instructions of your superiors.
On the other hand, if a time of dressing and undressing occurs while you have already taken your service and are therefore at the disposal of your employer administration, this time of dressing and undressing is considered as actual working time. This is the case, for example, for an officer who may or may not be engaged in unsanitary and/or dirty work when he is required to change his attire between taking up his post and the end of his service.
FPT
If you have to wear a uniform to perform your duties, taking into account dressing and undressing time as actual working time varies depending on whether you are a professional firefighter or not (general case):
General case
The time you spend before taking up your duties dressing and then, at the end of your service, undressing is not considered to be actual working time.
The time you devote to dressing and undressing is not considered to be actual working time even if you do so in your workplace.
Dressing and undressing time is a time during which you put yourself in a position to take your service without being able to still comply with the instructions of your superiors.
On the other hand, if a time of dressing and undressing occurs while you have already taken your service and are therefore at the disposal of your employer administration, this time of dressing and undressing is considered as actual working time. This is the case, for example, for an officer who may or may not be engaged in unsanitary and/or dirty work when he is required to change his attire between taking up his post and the end of his service.
Firefighter
If you are a professional firefighter, dressing and undressing time is considered as actual working time and is therefore paid.
FPH
Where the head of the establishment makes it compulsory to wear a work uniform after consulting the social committee, the time for dressing and undressing shall be considered as actual working time.
The time for dressing and undressing is therefore paid.