Employment contract Ivory Coast: CDI, CDD, template

In Côte d’Ivoire, an employment contract is concluded freely and can be proved by any means (Articles 14.2 and 14.4 of the Labour Code, Law No. 2015-532 of 20 July 2015), but an employment contract Ivory Coast employers sign must include the details set by Decree No. 96-287 of 3 April 1996, be written in French and signed by both parties, and a fixed-term contract (CDD) must be in writing or confirmed by a hiring letter (Article 15.2), otherwise it is deemed open-ended (Article 15.10). A CDD with a fixed end date lasts two years at most (Article 15.4) and a non-Ivorian worker’s contract requires the prior visa of the minister in charge of employment (Decree No. 96-287, Article 7). Up to date as of 5 November 2026.

In brief

• Form: free for an open-ended contract (CDI), written or hiring letter for a CDD, probation or part-time; exempt from stamp and registration duties (Article 14.2).
• Required details: date and place, parties, nature and length, grade, pay, job, applicable texts (Decree 96-287, Article 2).
• CDD: 2 years at most, renewals allowed within that limit; end-of-contract allowance of 3% (Articles 15.4 and 15.8).
• Probation: 8 days to 3 months depending on category, renewable once (Decree No. 96-195).
• After signature: entry in the employer register and a copy given to the worker (Decree 96-287, Article 5).

Employment contract Ivory Coast: contract types at a glance

Employment contract Ivory Coast: the contract types

The CDI

An employment contract Ivory Coast law recognises is an agreement by which a person places their professional activity under another’s direction and authority for pay (Article 14.1). It is open-ended or fixed-term (Article 14.3). The CDI remains the rule: any CDD that breaches chapter 5 is deemed open-ended (Article 15.10). Ending it requires notice that depends on category and length of service (Decree No. 96-200); see our guide to severance pay in Côte d’Ivoire.

CDDs with or without a fixed end date

A CDD with a fixed end date states its end date or length (Article 15.3), lasts no more than two years, and its renewals, unlimited in number, may not take the total beyond two years (Article 15.4). A CDD without a fixed end date may not fill a permanent job on a lasting basis: it is reserved for replacing an absent worker, occasional peaks, seasonal jobs, sectors where custom excludes a CDI, and the length of a site or project (Article 15.6). CDDs on permanent jobs may not exceed one third of the workforce (Article 15.1). When a CDD ends without a CDI, the worker receives an end-of-contract allowance of 3% of gross pay, unless they refused an equivalent CDI, ended the contract early themselves or committed gross misconduct (Article 15.8). Before its end date, a CDD can only be ended for force majeure, mutual agreement, gross misconduct or during probation (Article 15.9).

Probation

Any contract may include probation; it must then be in writing or confirmed by a hiring letter stating its length (Article 14.5). Decree No. 96-195 sets eight days for workers paid by the hour or day, one month for workers paid monthly, two months for supervisors and technicians, three months for engineers and managers, renewable once (Article 2). The renewal is notified in writing two, eight or fifteen days before the end of probation depending on its length (Article 4); otherwise probation ends on the planned date (Article 5).

Part-time work

It means regular, voluntary work of 30 hours a week or 120 hours a month at most, against 40 hours full time (Article 21.2; Decree No. 96-202, Article 1). The employer informs the labour inspector beforehand (Article 3). The contract is written and states probation, qualification, pay, hours and their distribution (Article 5); without writing, it is deemed full time and open-ended (Article 7).

Temporary agency work

A temporary work agency places staff with user companies (Article 11.4), never to replace strikers. An assignment lasts three months at most, renewable by periods of one month at most; beyond that, the worker is deemed hired on a CDI by the user from the start of the assignment (Decree No. 96-194, Articles 2 and 3).

Required details of an employment contract Ivory Coast

Decree No. 96-287 on the employment contract requires, in Article 2, the following details:

1. date and place where the contract is made;
2. employer’s name, profession and address;
3. worker’s name, sex, date and place of birth, parentage, address and nationality, trade or profession;
4. nature and length of the contract;
5. worker’s grade in the job classification, salary and benefits;
6. the job or jobs held in the company;
7. reference to the regulations or collective agreements that apply;
8. any special clauses.

A hiring letter may replace the contract if it includes the first six details (Article 3). The contract is written in French and signed by both parties (Article 4). On signature, the employer records it in the employer register and gives the worker a copy (Article 5). The decree also provides for monthly transmission of contracts to the public employment body (Article 6). Pay may not fall below the minimum wage in Côte d’Ivoire, and the worker is declared to the CNPS (national social security fund): see CNPS contributions in Côte d’Ivoire.

The visa on an employment contract Ivory Coast for non-nationals

Any worker of another nationality must hold a contract or hiring letter with the prior visa of the minister in charge of employment, on a dedicated form; the visa is issued within eight days of filing, the employer pays the fees set by order (Decree 96-287, Article 7) and, without a reply within that period, the visa is granted (Article 8). The foreign worker is entitled to equal treatment unless the contract has special clauses (Article 9), and any early termination is reported to the employment administration (Article 11).

Before that, every vacancy is declared to the public placement body and published in a national daily; only after one month without a national candidate with the required profile may the employer hire any other candidate (Article 11.1). Check the competent office and the current form with the ministry before filing. Our guide to recruitment software in Côte d’Ivoire covers this path.

Employment contract Ivory Coast: CDI template ready to copy

This employment contract Ivory Coast template includes the details of Decree No. 96-287 and is in French, as the decree requires. Fill in the fields in brackets and adapt it to your collective agreement.

CONTRAT DE TRAVAIL À DURÉE INDÉTERMINÉE

Établi à [ville], le [date].

Entre [raison sociale], [forme juridique], dont le siège est à [adresse], RCCM [numéro], n° employeur CNPS [numéro], représentée par [nom, prénoms, fonction], ci-après « l’Employeur »,

et [M./Mme] [nom, prénoms], de sexe [M/F], né(e) le [date] à [lieu], fils/fille de [filiation], de nationalité [nationalité], demeurant à [adresse], de profession [métier], ci-après « le Travailleur »,

Article 1 – Nature et durée. Le Travailleur est engagé pour une durée indéterminée à compter du [date].

Article 2 – Emploi et classement. Il occupe l’emploi de [poste] à [lieu], classé en catégorie [catégorie] de la convention collective [nom].

Article 3 – Période d’essai. Le contrat est précédé d’un essai de [8 jours / 1 mois / 2 mois / 3 mois], renouvelable une fois par notification écrite (décret n° 96-195).

Article 4 – Rémunération. Salaire de base mensuel brut de [montant] FCFA, sursalaire de [montant], primes et indemnités de [nature et montant], avantages en nature : [détail]. Les cotisations CNPS et l’ITS sont retenus selon la loi.

Article 5 – Durée du travail. [40] heures par semaine, selon l’horaire affiché dans l’établissement.

Article 6 – Congés. Congé payé selon le Code du travail et la convention collective.

Article 7 – Textes applicables. Loi n° 2015-532 portant Code du travail et ses décrets, convention collective [nom], règlement intérieur.

Article 8 – Clauses particulières. [confidentialité, mobilité, logement, etc.]

Article 9 – Rupture. Après l’essai, chaque partie peut rompre le contrat en respectant le préavis réglementaire ou conventionnel, sauf faute lourde.

Fait en deux exemplaires, dont un remis au Travailleur. Signatures de l’Employeur et du Travailleur.

When the contract expires, the employer must issue a work certificate, failing which damages may be due (Article 18.18); see our page on the employment certificate.

Common mistakes with an employment contract Ivory Coast

• An incomplete hiring letter: without the first six details, it does not replace the contract (Decree 96-287, Article 3).
• A CDD without writing or without a fixed end date: it is deemed open-ended (Articles 15.2, 15.3 and 15.10).
• Renewals beyond two years (Article 15.4).
• Forgetting the 3% end-of-CDD allowance (Article 15.8).
• Renewing probation orally or too late: probation ends on the planned date (Decree 96-195, Articles 4 and 5).
• Part-time without a written contract: it becomes a full-time CDI (Decree 96-202, Article 7).
• Letting a non-national start before the visa (Decree 96-287, Article 7).

HR and payroll software for Côte d’Ivoire generates each employment contract Ivory Coast with its required details, flags the end of probation and CDDs, and computes the end-of-contract allowance in the final payroll.

See also: resignation letter.

Frequently asked questions

Must an employment contract Ivory Coast be in writing?

A CDI is free in form (Article 14.2), but Decree No. 96-287 sets its details and requires both signatures. CDDs, probation and part-time need writing or a hiring letter (Articles 14.5, 15.2 and 21.2).

What details must an employment contract Ivory Coast include?

The eight items of Article 2 of Decree No. 96-287: date and place, employer and worker identity, nature and length, grade and pay, job, applicable texts, special clauses.

What is the maximum length of a CDD in Côte d’Ivoire?

Two years for a CDD with a fixed end date, renewals included (Article 15.4).

What probation can an employment contract Ivory Coast include?

Eight days, one, two or three months depending on category, renewable once (Decree No. 96-195).

Does an employment contract Ivory Coast need a visa?

Yes for a non-Ivorian worker: prior visa from the minister in charge of employment, granted if there is no reply within eight days (Decree 96-287, Articles 7 and 8).

Is an employment contract Ivory Coast subject to registration duties?

No: when written, it is exempt from stamp and registration duties (Article 14.2).

What is part-time work in Côte d’Ivoire?

Work of 30 hours a week or 120 hours a month at most, under a written contract (Decree No. 96-202).

Where can I read the Ivorian Labour Code?

In the 2025 edition of the Labour Code and its decrees, published by the Virtual University of Côte d’Ivoire.

Key takeaways

• An employment contract Ivory Coast carries the details of Decree No. 96-287, in French, signed by both parties.
• A CDD is written, has a fixed end date, lasts two years at most and carries a 3% allowance.
• Non-nationals: prior visa from the ministry in charge of employment.

To generate and track your contracts alongside payroll, book a Socium demo.