Sex Shop in Nancy, France

Prostitution itself is legal in France, but buying sexual relations has been an offence since April 2016: a fifth-class contravention (fine up to €1,500, €3,750 for a repeat offence; 5 years' prison where the seller is a minor or vulnerable, rising to 7 years with aggravating factors and 10 years for a child under 15). Procuring is defined broadly: it covers anyone who helps, protects or profits from another person's prostitution, including by posting ads; running or providing premises for prostitution is also a crime. The 2016 law repealed the soliciting offence and created an exit programme. The Conseil constitutionnel (2019) and the ECHR (2024) upheld the ban on buying. Police recorded 1,442 buyer offences in 2025, 64% of them in Paris. A bill passed by the Assemblée nationale on 13 October 2026, now before the Sénat, would add an offence of online sexual exploitation. Source: Prostitution Laws (prostitutionlaws.org), https://prostitutionlaws.org/countries/france/, reviewed 2026-11-03, CC BY 4.0.