Transfer of a staff member

Verified 28 April 2026 - Public Service / Directorate of Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

You are regular official and want to change jobs? The mutation allows you to change jobs within your home public service without changing employment body or executive, and without changing grade, or seniority. The rules differ according to your public service (state - FPE, territorial - FPT, hospital - FPH). We present you the rules of transfer.

EPF

In the state civil service, you can transfer to applying for a vacancy and responding to a job offer.

But the transfer can also take place, within the same ministerial department, within the framework of a periodic table of mutations, i.e. within the framework of a movement organized by the administration.

The bodies for which the administration draws up periodic mutation tables shall be fixed by decree.

You can mutate if you are regular official.

The mutation is not not possible when you are a civil servant intern.

As a civil servant, you can perform the duties corresponding to your grade in the following services:

  • Central services, decentralized services and services under national jurisdiction of the ministry managing your body
  • Public institutions under the supervision of the ministry managing your body
  • Services of another ministry (central services, decentralized services or services under national jurisdiction)
  • Public institutions under the supervision of another ministry
  • Services of independent administrative authorities.

Accessible public institutions are:

  • Public administrative establishments (EPA)
  • Public scientific, cultural and professional institutions (EPSCP)
  • Local Public Educational Institutions (LPES)
  • Public industrial and commercial establishments (EPICs) provided that they are allowed to employ civil servants.

The job offers of the State civil service are disseminated on the site common to the public employers of the 3 public functions called Choosing the public service and internally within departments.

Browse Public Service Job Offers

Job offers can also be posted on private websites.

What are the priority changes?

The administration transfers staff members taking into account the needs of the service.

It has a discretion over individual situations and service requirements taking into account the interest of the service or any other reason of general interest.

To the extent consistent with the proper functioning of the service, assignments shall take into account the requests of staff members and their family situation.

One transfer priority shall be granted to State officials who are in any of the following situations:

  • Staff member separated, for professional reasons, from her husband
  • Staff member separated, for professional reasons, from his partner in Civil partnerships: titleContent if it proves that they are subject to the common income tax obligation
  • Disabled official recognized
  • Staff member with at least 5 years (at least 7 years for a police officer) of continuous service in a sensitive urban area
  • Official justifying the center of his material and moral interests in a overseas community or in New Caledonia
  • Officials, including officials of other administrations, whose posts are abolished and who cannot be reassigned to posts corresponding to their grade in their service.

The administration may define additional criteria for the selection of candidates as part of its management guidelines.

These criteria must be brought to the attention of the staff.

In particular, the administration may give priority to the following officials:

  • A staff member who has served for a minimum period of time in a geographical area experiencing particular recruitment difficulties. In this case, the administration shall determine the area(s) concerned and the minimum length of service required to benefit from this priority
  • Public servant caregiver.

As part of its management guidelines, the administration may also define additional priority criteria to decide on transfer requests.

The administration may lay down minimum and maximum tenure of certain jobs in particular to take account of the following:

  • Particular difficulties in recruitment
  • Requirements for continuity of service and maintenance of skills
  • Objectives of diversification of career paths
  • Issues of prevention of risks of professional wear and tear related to the specific conditions of performance of certain functions
  • Issues related to the prevention of ethical risks.

These minimum and maximum assignment periods may be applied in certain geographical areas only.

These minimum and maximum periods of employment, the types of employment and the geographical areas concerned shall be laid down by ministerial decree.

The minimum duration required may not exceed 5 years and the maximum duration may not be less than 5 years.

However, for jobs in the State network abroad, the maximum duration may be less than 5 years.

The administration may decide not to respect the minimum or maximum duration, in the interest of the service or, in the case of the minimum duration, to take account of the personal or family situation of an official.

If you are in a job for which a minimum or maximum duration applies, you can request support to carry out your mobility project.

What are the conditions for accepting the transfer?

When your transfer request has been accepted by your host administration, your home administration can only oppose your departure because of the service requirements.

Your home administration must demonstrate that your presence is essential to ensure the continuity of the operation of the service.

Your mutation is pronounced by your host administration.

It takes effect maximum 3 months after the date of your transfer application unless your home and host administrations agree on an earlier date.

The lack of response from your home administration during the 2 months after the date of receipt of your transfer request is deemed acceptance.

Your special status may provide for longer notice period at 3 months, within 6 months.

Your particular status may also provide for a minimum period of service with the jurisdiction in which you were posted for the 1re times after your appointment in your body.

How to request a transfer?

You must submit a transfer request to your home administration according to the rules in force in your administration.

You must also submit a transfer request to your host administration.

A sample letter is available:

Request transfer

Your transfer order is taken by your host administration and your home administration takes an order delisting its staff.

The administration transfers staff members taking into account the needs of the service.

It has a discretion over individual situations and service requirements taking into account the interest of the service or any other reason of general interest.

To the extent consistent with the proper functioning of the service, assignments shall take into account the requests of staff members and their family situation.

One transfer priority shall be granted to State officials who are in any of the following situations:

  • Staff member separated, for professional reasons, from her husband
  • Staff member separated, for professional reasons, from his partner in Civil partnerships: titleContent if it proves that they are subject to the common income tax obligation
  • Disabled official recognized
  • Staff member with at least 5 years (at least 7 years for a police officer) of continuous service in a sensitive urban area
  • Official justifying the center of his material and moral interests in a overseas community or in New Caledonia
  • Officials, including officials of other administrations, whose posts are abolished and who cannot be reassigned to posts corresponding to their grade in their service.

The special status of certain bodies may provide for other priority criteria.

Example :

The special status of school teachers provides that the following priority criteria are also taken into account:

  • Request for reconciliation with the holder of joint parental authority of a child
  • Staff member assigned to a territory or area experiencing particular recruitment difficulties
  • Agent assigned to job deleted due to school card change
  • Repetition and seniority of the same transfer request
  • Experience and career path of the staff member.

Finally, the administration may also define additional criteria selection of candidates in the context of its management guidelines.

These criteria must be brought to the attention of the staff.

In particular, the administration may give priority to the following officials:

  • A staff member who has served for a minimum period of time in a geographical area experiencing particular recruitment difficulties. In this case, the administration shall determine the geographical area(s) concerned and the minimum length of service required to benefit from this priority
  • Public servant caregiver.

As part of its management guidelines, the administration may also define additional priority criteria in order to decide between transfer requests and possibly classify them according to a scale.

The administration may also set minimum and maximum tenure of certain jobs in particular to take account of the following:

  • Particular difficulties in recruitment
  • Requirements for continuity of service and maintenance of skills
  • Objectives of diversification of career paths
  • Issues of prevention of risks of professional wear and tear related to the specific conditions of performance of certain functions
  • Issues related to the prevention of ethical risks.

These minimum and maximum assignment periods may be applied in certain geographical areas only.

These minimum and maximum periods of employment, the types of employment and the geographical areas concerned shall be laid down by ministerial decree.

The minimum duration required may not exceed 5 years and the maximum duration may not be less than 5 years.

The administration may decide not to respect the minimum or maximum period fixed, in the interest of the service or, as regards the minimum period, to take account of the personal or family situation of an official.

If you are in a job for which a minimum or maximum duration applies, you can request support to carry out your mobility project.

FPT

You can mutate if you are regular official.

The mutation is not not possible when you are a civil servant intern.

What is an internal mutation?

Internal transfer consists of a change of assignment within the same community or the same territorial employer institution.

The internal mutation takes place at your request or at the initiative of the administration depending on the interest of the service or any other reason of general interest.

What is an external mutation?

External mutation consists of a change of community or employer institution.

External mutation takes place at your request.

How to find job offers?

The job offers of the territorial civil service are published on the site common to the public employers of the 3 civil services called Choosing the public service :

Browse Public Service Job Offers

They may also be published on the following websites:

What are the priority changes?

The administration transfers staff members taking into account the needs of the service.

It has a discretion over individual situations and service requirements.

Requests for transfer from territorial officials in one of the following situations shall be considered as a matter of priority:

  • Staff member separated, for professional reasons, from her husband
  • Staff member separated, for professional reasons, from his partner in Civil partnerships: titleContent
  • Public servant caregiver
  • Public servant recognized as disabled.

What are the conditions for accepting the transfer?

In the event of an application for an external transfer, your home community can only oppose your transfer application because of the service requirements.

Your home community must demonstrate that your presence is essential to ensure the continuity of the service.

Your transfer is pronounced by the host territorial authority.

It takes effect maximum 3 months after the date of your transfer application unless your home and host communities agree on an earlier date.

The lack of response from your home community during the 2 months after the date of receipt of your transfer request is deemed acceptance.

How to request a transfer?

You must apply to your home community for a transfer by attaching a copy of the letter from your host community stating that they are willing to recruit you.

You must also apply for a transfer to your host community.

A sample letter is available:

Request transfer

Your transfer order is issued by your host community and your home community issues a staff removal order.

FYI  

If you mutate within 3 years of your tenure, your host community must pay to your home community compensation for the remuneration paid to you during the integration and professionalization training period and the cost of any additional training that you may have taken during these 3 years.

FPH

You can mutate if you are regular official.

The mutation is not not possible when you are a civil servant intern.

What is an internal mutation?

Internal mutation consists of a change of assignment within the same institution employer.

The internal mutation takes place at your request or at the initiative of the administration depending on the interest of the service or any other reason of general interest.

What is an external mutation?

External mutation consists of a change of establishment employer.

External mutation takes place at your request.

How to find job offers?

The job offers of the hospital public service are disseminated on the site common to the public employers of the 3 public functions called Choosing the public service :

Browse Public Service Job Offers

They may also be published on the following websites:

What are the priority changes?

If the operation of the service permits, requests for transfer made by hospital officials in one of the following situations shall be considered as a matter of priority:

  • Staff member separated, for professional reasons, from her husband
  • Staff member separated, for professional reasons, from his partner in Civil partnerships: titleContent
  • Public servant caregiver
  • Officials recognized as disabled.

What are the conditions for accepting the transfer?

In the event of an external transfer, your home institution can only oppose your transfer request because of the service requirements.

Your home institution must demonstrate that your presence is essential to ensure the continuity of the operation of the service.

Your mutation is pronounced by your host institution.

It takes effect maximum 3 months after the date of your transfer application unless your sending and receiving institutions agree on an earlier date.

The lack of response from your home institution during the 2 months after the date of receipt of your transfer request is deemed acceptance.

How to request a transfer?

You must submit a transfer request to your home institution with a copy of the letter from your host institution attesting to its willingness to recruit you.

A sample letter is available:

Request transfer

FAQ