The Prevention Passport enters its operational phase for employers today. If you haven’t heard about it yet, here is what you need to know — and what you need to do.
A Digital Record to Track Safety Training
Created by the Occupational Health Act of 2 August 2021 (Law No. 2021-1018) and managed by the Caisse des Dépôts on behalf of the French State, the Prevention Passport is a digital service that centralises, for each worker, all training obtained in the field of occupational health and safety (OHS): electrical certifications, first aid training, asbestos awareness, radiation protection, psychosocial risk prevention, musculoskeletal disorders, and many more.
Think of it as a LinkedIn for workplace safety: a personal, portable space that employees carry with them from one employer to the next.
Who Is Affected — and Why It Is Useful for Everyone
All employers, without exception regardless of size or sector, whether in the private or public domain. Three parties contribute to the passport, each with distinct roles and benefits.
External training organisations Obligation in force since 1 September 2025. They declare the OHS training delivered on behalf of employers or trainees. The Passport eliminates the need to issue multiple paper certificates, secures their traceability, and provides a legally enforceable digital proof in the event of a dispute or inspection.
Employers Their dedicated space opens today, 16 March 2026. They declare their in-house training and verify what has been declared by their service providers. The benefit is immediate: no more Excel spreadsheets, no more certifications expiring without warning, no more uncertainty about the qualifications of a temp worker or a new recruit. The Passport becomes the real-time OHS management tool — and proof of compliance in the event of an inspection or workplace accident.
Workers (employees and jobseekers) Access planned for Q4 2026. They do not declare anything: they consult their passport and choose what they wish to share with their current or future employer. It is a concrete recognition of their safety competencies, which can add value at every career move or job search — without having to dig out five-year-old certificates from the back of a drawer.
Please note: for companies using temporary workers, the declaration obligation falls on the temporary employment agency.
Which Training Must Be Declared?
Three cumulative conditions determine whether training must be declared: it must meet an occupational risk prevention objective (in accordance with Article L.4121-1 of the Labour Code), result in the issuance of a certificate or proof of completion, and enable the use of transferable skills in any other role involving similar risks.
In practical terms, four categories fall within the scope:
- Mandatory regulated training: first aid (SST), electrical certification, PPE, asbestos, radiation protection, hyperbaric environments, etc.
- Training linked to positions requiring authorisation
- Training linked to positions requiring employer certification
- Training falling under the general obligation: psychosocial risk prevention, musculoskeletal disorder prevention, on-site safety induction, etc.
Only training delivered from 16 March 2026 onwards is concerned. There is no retroactivity obligation.
Legal Risks for Non-Compliance
Two articles of the Labour Code govern this obligation.
Article L.4121-1 lays the foundation: the employer has a duty of safety and a duty of results towards their employees. Any failure — including the absence of training traceability — may be classified as gross negligence (faute inexcusable), particularly in the event of a workplace accident.
Article L.4741-1 sets out the criminal penalties: €10,000 fine per employee concerned. In the event of a repeat offence: €30,000 fine and 1 year’s imprisonment. The fine is multiplied by the number of undeclared employees. For a company of 50 people, the theoretical exposure exceeds half a million euros.
In the event of a Labour Inspectorate audit, the digital register constitutes your first line of evidence. Its absence speaks for itself.
How to Implement It — in 4 Steps
- Log in at passeport-prevention.travail-emploi.gouv.fr via FranceConnect+.
- Map all OHS training delivered in-house since 16 March 2026, categorised under the four headings above. INRS provides an online simulator to help you identify which training must be declared.
- Verify the declarations made by your training organisations. You have 6 months after the end of the relevant quarter to confirm or correct them. If you do not verify within this deadline, the declaration is deemed verified.
- Declare your in-house training, starting with mandatory regulated training — this is the priority for this first phase. If you manage a large volume (multi-site operations, temp workers, high staff turnover), a bulk import feature will be available no later than 31 December 2026. Prepare your data now.
Timeline at a Glance
Date | Milestone |
2 August 2021 | Created by the Occupational Health Act |
28 April 2025 | Opening to training organisations |
1 September 2025 | Declaration obligation for training organisations |
16 March 2026 | Employer space opens |
1 July 2026 | Training organisations: obligation extended to all training |
9 July 2026 | Bulk import available |
30 September 2026 | End of the ramp-up phase |
1 October 2026 | Employers: obligation extended to all training |
Q4 2026 | Access open to workers |
Key Takeaways
- It is mandatory for all employers, as of today, with no threshold based on size or sector.
- The immediate priority: declare mandatory regulated training (asbestos, electrical certification, hyperbaric environments, radiation protection, etc.).
- The legal risk is real: €10,000 fine per undeclared employee, and increased liability in the event of a workplace accident.
- The employee remains in control of their passport: they choose what they share with their employer.
- The tool is straightforward: log in via FranceConnect+ at passeport-prevention.travail-emploi.gouv.fr, and a simulator is available to identify which training must be declared.
- Bulk import: prepare your data now if you have a large volume — the feature is coming in mid-2026.
FAQ
Is the Prevention Passport mandatory for employees? No. Employees have no declaration obligation. However, the declaration obligation is a legal requirement for training organisations (since September 2025) and for employers (since March 2026). The employee remains in control of their passport: they choose what they share and with whom.
Do training courses completed before 16 March 2026 need to be declared? No. Only training delivered from the service launch date (16 March 2026) onwards is subject to the declaration obligation for employers. There is no retroactivity.
What happens if my training organisation fails to declare? If the training organisation has not made its declaration within the required timeframe, the declaration obligation falls back on the employer. Do not rely on your provider: verify.
Is a company with 5 employees affected? Yes, without exception. The law provides for no workforce threshold. Any company with employees exposed to occupational risks is concerned.
Can an employee refuse to let their employer view their passport? Yes. The employee may grant full access, partial access, or refuse access entirely to their employer. Viewing is not automatic.
How do I know whether a specific training course must be declared? The official Prevention Passport portal offers a simulator to determine whether a training course should be declared. Accessible directly at passeport-prevention.travail-emploi.gouv.fr.
My company uses temp workers. Who declares? The obligation falls on the temporary employment agency (TEA), not on the host company.
Sources :
Law No. 2021-1018 of 2 August 2021 to strengthen occupational health prevention
Decree No. 2022-1712 of 29 December 2022 — implementation procedures for the Prevention Passport
Decree No. 2025-748 of 1 August 2025 — procedures for declaring training (JORF No. 0178)
Article L.4121-1 of the Labour Code — employer’s general duty of safety
Article L.4141-5 of the Labour Code — legal basis for the Prevention Passport
Article L.4741-1 of the Labour Code — criminal penalties
Official Prevention Passport portal: passeport-prevention.travail-emploi.gouv.fr
Légifrance: legifrance.gouv.fr
INRS — Legal focus on the Prevention Passport: inrs.fr
Caisse des Dépôts — Mon Compte Formation information system