Attraction Tickets
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Filming permits for minors obtained at short notice from the regional labour authority (DRIEETS).
Filing a Paris permit
Shooting on the streets of Paris goes through the City of Paris film office and its online filing platform, known to producers as AGATE. The process is predictable once you know its five steps and its five classic reasons for refusal. Here is how we file it.
01
How Paris works
One desk for the street, others for the restParis is a predictable city to film in, on one condition: you file with the right desk. Public space (streets, squares, quays, municipal parks and buildings) is handled by the City of Paris film office (Paris Film, also known as the Mission Cinéma), through its online filing platform, known to producers as AGATE. Every request for a public-space shoot goes through it.
Three things sit outside it, and they are where foreign productions lose time:
- The Police Prefecture is involved for night shoots, actors in police or military uniform, prop weapons, and anything touching traffic.
- Iconic monuments are handled by their own operators, not by the city. The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre or a national monument each has its own process and its own clock.
- Drones are a separate world entirely, with heavy restrictions over the capital. See drone filming permits.
The standard lead time for a public-space request is about 15 working days. That is three calendar weeks, longer around public holidays. Plan for it before you book flights.
02
The five steps
From first scout to shoot day01Define the perimeterExact addresses, the stretch of pavement or quay you will occupy, dates and hours, including set-up and wrap. The city judges the request on this perimeter, so vague is refused.01
02Size the crew and kitNumber of people, vehicles, lights, tracks, cranes, generators. This decides whether you qualify for the simplified declaration or need a full authorisation.02
03Assemble the fileSynopsis or description of the scenes, production details, insurance certificate covering the shoot in France, site plan, technical list, parking needs. Prepared once, in French.03
04File on the platformSubmitted on the city's online filing platform (AGATE) by a production entity. We file under our French company by power of attorney when that is faster.04
05Chase and printFollow-up with the film office until the authorisation is issued, Prefecture requests in parallel where needed, permits printed and on set with the reference numbers.05
The simplified declaration
Small crews, under ten people with light kit and no heavy occupation of public space, can qualify for a simplified declaration that runs on a shorter clock than the standard 15 working days. It is the right route for a news crew, a creator shoot or a documentary walk-and-talk. It stops being available the moment you add a vehicle on the kerb, a track, a generator or a closure. Many productions file the full request when the light one would do, or the light one when the shoot has quietly grown. We size it with you before filing.
03
Why Paris files get refused
Five predictable reasonsReasonWhat happenedHow we avoid it
Incomplete fileThe most commonA missing document, an unsigned form, a synopsis too vague to assessOne checklist per file, checked before submission, not after
Wrong dates or perimeterRequested area too broad or too narrowSet-up time forgotten, a second camera position outside the perimeter, dates that changedPerimeter drawn from the recce, set-up and wrap included
Missing insurance certificateOr one that does not cover FranceThe production's policy is valid at home but the certificate does not name the shootCertificate requested early, in the format the city expects
Conflict with events or worksThe city has other plansA marathon, a demonstration, a market, roadworks, a state visit on the same streetCalendar checked before filing, alternative streets ready
Sensitive siteNeeds another authorityEmbassies, ministries, monuments, police buildings sit outside the city's powerRouted to the Prefecture or the site operator in parallel
What the Prefecture adds. A street permit from the city does not cover a night exterior, a uniformed actor or a prop gun. Those need the Police Prefecture as well, filed in parallel, not after. A crew stopped at 11pm with a city permit in hand and no Prefecture notice is still a crew stopped.
04
Who files it
Élie, from the 11th arrondissementWe are a production service company based in Paris (11th arrondissement) with a second base in Cannes. Élie files the permits and handles the Prefecture and the monument operators; Zacharie runs the crew, vehicles and the unit on the day. Because we hold the location scouting and the permit file together, the perimeter on the form matches the shot on the day.
Paris is also where the calendar matters most. During Paris Fashion Week, around Bastille Day or during Roland-Garros, streets that are easy in February become impossible. We tell you before you plan, not after you file.
2024NBC UniversalParis 2024 OlympicsLocal production and fixer partner across the Games for the NBC family of channels, daily for over three months. Two Emmy Awards.Wrapped
Shooting in Paris in the next weeks?
Send us addresses and dates. We tell you within three hours which route applies and what will clear in your window.
05
Selected work
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Read ↗How do I get a filming permit in Paris?
Public-space shoots in Paris are filed with the City of Paris film office (Paris Film) on its online filing platform, known to producers as AGATE. You submit the perimeter, dates, crew and kit, a description of the scenes and an insurance certificate. Night shoots, uniforms, prop weapons and traffic also involve the Police Prefecture, and iconic monuments are handled by their own operators.
How long does a Paris filming permit take?
About 15 working days for a standard public-space request. Small crews under ten with light kit can qualify for a simplified declaration on a shorter clock. Requests involving the Prefecture or a monument operator run on their own timelines, so file them in parallel.
What is AGATE?
AGATE is the name producers use for the City of Paris film office's online filing platform, through which public-space filming requests in Paris are submitted. It covers the city's streets, squares and municipal sites, not monuments, not the Prefecture's part and not drones.
Why are Paris filming permits refused?
Mostly for five reasons: an incomplete file, wrong dates or a badly drawn perimeter, a missing or unsuitable insurance certificate, a conflict with events or roadworks on the same street, or a sensitive site that needs another authority. All five can be avoided before filing.
Does the Paris permit cover the Eiffel Tower or the Louvre?
No. Iconic monuments are handled by their own operators, not by the city. A street permit lets you film in public space; filming at or inside a monument needs the operator's agreement, with its own lead time and often its own fee.
Can a foreign production file directly?
It can, but filing under a French production company is usually faster: the forms, insurance format and follow-up calls are in French, and the desk knows the filer. We file under our company by power of attorney and handle every follow-up.
Tell us what you need to shoot.
Format, dates, locations, crew size. We come back within three hours with what is possible and what is not.