A pourboire in France is optional. The DGCCRF, the consumer-affairs authority, says no profession can demand it. Service is a different thing: a required percentage included in the restaurant or bar bill. Displayed prices are what you pay, service included. Where service is charged, menus must say "prix service compris" and the percentage.
Is a tip required in France?
No. The DGCCRF page, dated 12 July 2021, says a pourboire is a sum the customer gives a salaried worker. It remains traditional in some jobs, and it is always optional and left to the customer. The summary line is that no profession can require it. The page points to articles L3244-1 and L3244-2 of the labour code for what the law says. This guide does not restate those articles beyond the practical sheet, because the sheet is the page that was read.
What does service compris mean?
Service is a percentage taken on the bill or the price. It must be included in the amount of the check or invoice. Prices on display have to be the prices the customer actually pays, so service is included. In restaurants and bars where service is charged, every document — tariffs, menus, and the rest — must carry the words "prix service compris," followed by the percentage applied.
The same paragraph covers a menu that says nothing. If the card or the bill does not mention service, the DGCCRF says the staff are paid a fixed salary. That is not an instruction to add 15% yourself. The percentage, when service is charged, is the one printed after "prix service compris." The DGCCRF page does not state that the percentage is 15%.
What does France.fr add?
France.fr is the tourism site. The copy fetched for this page says it was updated on 6 March 2019. Its tipping section is a description of custom, not the consumer-authority rule.
| Situation | What France.fr says |
|---|---|
| Restaurants, service included | Almost all include tax and a 15% service charge (service compris) in the price |
| A meal that was particularly good | Another 2% to 3% is customary, as is leaving the small change when you pay cash |
| Service not included (service non compris) | A 15% tip is appropriate |
| Hotel porter | About €1.50 per bag |
| Chambermaid | About €1.50 a day |
| Taxi | 10% to 15% of the metered fare |
| Hairdresser, and an assistant | 10%, and 5% for the assistant |
| Cloakroom, washroom, usher, museum guide | Small tips of around €1 |
| Tour guide or bus driver after an excursion | Generally €1.50 to €3, depending on satisfaction |
Use the two pages for the two jobs they do. The DGCCRF tells you the displayed price includes service and that a tip cannot be demanded. France.fr tells you what that included service often is, in its words a 15% charge, and what a small extra looks like. Adding another 15% on a bill that already says service compris is not what either page describes. The 15% tip on France.fr is for the case it labels service non compris.
What does a €48 bill become?
Paris, Lyon, and Nice start at 0% on Travel Tipper so the calculator does not stack a second percent on included service. On €48, France.fr's 2% extra is €0.96 and 3% is €1.44. Those are the "particularly good" amounts, not a required tip. The links are Paris, €48, two people, 0% and the same bill at 2%. Type 15 only when the menu says service is not included. A dollar total, if you need one, is the currency converter, which is not your card's posted rate.
The U.S. comparison, where the tip is usually not already in the menu price, is tipping when traveling. If the check in your hand names a different percentage after "prix service compris," the check is the percentage.
France tipping FAQ
Is a tip required in France?
No. The DGCCRF says a pourboire is optional, left to the customer, and no profession can demand it. Service is a separate, required percentage included in the restaurant or bar bill.
What does service compris mean?
Where service is charged, the DGCCRF says menus and tariffs must say "prix service compris," followed by the percentage. Displayed prices are what the customer actually pays, service included. If the menu does not mention service, the same page says staff are paid a fixed salary.
Does France.fr say 15%?
Yes, as a tourism description, not as the DGCCRF's percentage. France.fr, updated 6 March 2019, says almost all restaurants include tax and a 15% service charge, and that another 2% to 3% is customary when a meal was particularly good. If service is not included, that page says a 15% tip is appropriate.
Sources
- DGCCRF, Pourboire — tip optional; service included in the displayed price; menus must say "prix service compris" and the percentage.
- France.fr, money — updated 6 March 2019; 15% service commonly included; 2% to 3% extra when a meal was particularly good.
Related: Travel Tipper for Lyon and the guides hub.