Free Legal Help in France

Where to get free, official help in France — the labour tribunal, consumer and data regulators, housing advice, cybercrime assistance, immigration authority and the national rights ombudsman. Most are free, and the labour and small-civil routes need no lawyer.

In immediate danger? Dial 112.

Work & employment

Conseil de prud'hommes

Tribunal

Conseil de prud'hommes (labour tribunal)

Free employment tribunal for wage, dismissal, harassment and discrimination disputes — workers represent themselves, no lawyer required. The Inspection du travail enforces labour-law breaches.

Legal basis Code du travail

How to reach File free at the Conseil de prud'hommes where you work; you can represent yourself. Report labour-law violations to the Inspection du travail via travail-emploi.gouv.fr.

Online: www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/N358
Languages: French
Cost: Free

Verified 2026-07-05 · official source

Housing & tenancy

ADIL

Government

Agence Départementale d'Information sur le Logement (ANIL)

Free legal and financial housing advice in every département — deposits, rent increases, eviction, repairs — for tenants and owners.

Legal basis Loi n° 89-462 (rapports locatifs)

How to reach Contact your local ADIL (find it on anil.org) for free advice; for deposit or rent disputes, the departmental conciliation commission (commission de conciliation) is the free pre-court step.

Online: www.anil.org
Languages: French
Cost: Free

Verified 2026-07-05 · official source

Consumer & shopping

DGCCRF — SignalConso

Government

Direction générale de la concurrence, de la consommation et de la répression des fraudes

Report a business for a consumer problem — refunds, faulty goods, misleading pricing, scams — via SignalConso; the DGCCRF investigates and can sanction traders.

Legal basis Code de la consommation

How to reach File a report on SignalConso (signal.conso.gouv.fr) with the trader's details and your evidence; keep receipts and adverts. For an EU cross-border purchase, use the European Consumer Centre France.

Online: signal.conso.gouv.fr
Languages: French
Cost: Free

Verified 2026-07-05 · official source

Impôts (DGFiP)

Government

Direction générale des Finances publiques

Income and property tax filing, refunds and disputes; the conciliateur fiscal offers free mediation before a formal challenge.

Legal basis Livre des procédures fiscales

How to reach Manage taxes in your espace particulier on impots.gouv.fr; contest an assessment via a réclamation, and use the free conciliateur fiscal départemental if unresolved.

Online: www.impots.gouv.fr
Languages: French
Cost: Free

Verified 2026-07-05 · official source

Scams, fraud & money recovery

17Cyber — Cybermalveillance

Government

Assistance for victims of online fraud, account hacking, blackmail and cyber-harassment, with guidance on reporting and next steps.

Legal basis Code pénal

How to reach Use 17Cyber (cybermalveillance.gouv.fr) for guidance; report illegal content to PHAROS (internet-signalement.gouv.fr) and file a plainte with the police/gendarmerie. For bank fraud, contact your bank then the ACPR mediator.

Online: 17cyber.gouv.fr
Languages: French
Cost: Free

Verified 2026-07-05 · official source

Data privacy & digital

CNIL

Government

Commission Nationale de l'Informatique et des Libertés

Complaints about misuse of your personal data — unlawful processing, refused access or erasure, marketing spam — under GDPR and the French Data Protection Act.

Legal basis GDPR and Loi Informatique et Libertés (Loi 78-17)

How to reach Ask the organisation to fix or delete your data first; if it won't, file a complaint on the CNIL website (plainte en ligne).

Online: www.cnil.fr
Languages: French
Cost: Free

Verified 2026-07-05 · official source

Police & criminal justice

Police / Gendarmerie nationale

Government

Report a crime or file a complaint (plainte); a pre-complaint can be started online. The IGPN handles complaints about national-police misconduct.

Legal basis Code de procédure pénale

How to reach Dial 17 (police) or 112 in an emergency; file a plainte at any station or start a pré-plainte en ligne. Report police misconduct to the IGPN.

Call: 17 (police) / 112
Online: www.interieur.gouv.fr
Languages: French
Cost: Free

Verified 2026-07-05 · official source

Immigration & residency

ANEF (Ministère de l'Intérieur)

Government

Administration numérique pour les étrangers en France (ANEF) & OFII

Residence permits (titre de séjour), renewals and family reunification online; the OFII handles reception, family reunification and the medical route.

Legal basis CESEDA (Code de l'entrée et du séjour des étrangers)

How to reach Apply for and renew a titre de séjour on the ANEF portal; family reunification and integration go through the OFII (ofii.fr). Asylum is via OFPRA.

Online: administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr
Languages: French
Cost: Low fee

Who it's for: Foreign nationals in France.

Verified 2026-07-05 · official source

Family

Juge aux affaires familiales (JAF)

Tribunal

Justice familiale (service-public.gouv.fr)

The juge aux affaires familiales decides marriage dissolution, divorce, séparation, parental authority, child residence and child support (pension alimentaire); the CAF's ARIPA helps recover unpaid support.

Legal basis Code civil

How to reach Bring family matters to the JAF at the tribunal judiciaire; divorce needs a lawyer, but aide juridictionnelle covers fees on low incomes. For unpaid child support, use the CAF's ARIPA service.

Online: www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/N142
Languages: French
Cost: Low fee

Verified 2026-07-05 · official source

Healthcare

Assurance Maladie (Ameli)

Government

Health-coverage access, reimbursements, and state medical aid (AME) for undocumented residents; complaints about care go to the hospital's users' commission or the ARS.

Legal basis Code de la santé publique

How to reach Manage coverage and reimbursements in your Ameli account; apply for AME if uninsured. Complain about a facility via its commission des usagers or the regional ARS.

Online: www.ameli.fr
Languages: French
Cost: Free

Verified 2026-07-05 · official source

General help & advocacy

Défenseur des droits

Ombudsman

Independent rights ombudsman — discrimination, disputes with a public service, children's rights, and complaints about the conduct of police or security forces.

Legal basis Loi organique n° 2011-333

How to reach Submit a case online (saisine) or through a local delegate; it is free, and it can mediate or investigate discrimination, public-service and police-conduct complaints.

Online: www.defenseurdesdroits.fr
Languages: French
Cost: Free

Verified 2026-07-05 · official source

This is legal information, not legal advice — a directory of official, free channels, not an endorsement. Hotlines and links can change; each entry shows the date we last verified it. If a number or page no longer works, tell us on the contact form.