Is prostitution legal in France?
Illegal
Prostitution is illegal in France after April 2016, with customers now punishable by fines.
France is one of 105 countries classified “Illegal” for sex work — 48% of the 219 with data. (Also searched as prostitution.)
Source
- Taken from
- Wikipedia: Prostitution in Europe
- Last checked
- 7 July 2026
- How it was classified
- Classified by a language model from the source text, then checked against hand-verified reference countries.
Nearby countries
- Luxembourg
- Decriminalized / unregulated Prostitution is legal but regulated, with specific areas and times allowed for street work, and related activities like brothel-keeping are illegal.
- Switzerland
- Legal & regulated Full-service sex work is legal and regulated since 1942, with licensed brothels and penalties for trafficking and pimping.
- Belgium
- Decriminalized / unregulated Prostitution was decriminalized in Belgium on 1 June 2022, but pimping is prohibited.
- Jersey
- Legal & regulated Prostitution is legal in Jersey but related activities such as keeping a brothel are outlawed under new legislation.
- Liechtenstein
- Illegal Prostitution is illegal in Liechtenstein but tolerated if not street-based.
- Monaco
- Decriminalized / unregulated Prostitution is legal but organized forms and solicitation are prohibited, with penalties for forcing someone into prostitution.
Other laws in France
- Same-Sex Marriage
- Marriage legal
- Same-Sex Activity
- Legal
- Age of Consent
- 14–15
- Divorce
- Legal
- Same-Sex Adoption
- Joint adoption legal
- Incest Laws
- Legal between adults
- Marriage Age
- 18+
A visual reference compiled from Wikipedia’s law-by-country articles, not legal advice. Laws change and summaries simplify — check a primary source before relying on anything here.