StelarWork
Non-EU talent, without the friction.
Contracting, compliance, expat freelancers and French IT services firms — our notes from the field.
Freelancer in Algeria: landing French tech engagements from Algiers
Francophonie, same time zone, strong tech diaspora: Algeria is a natural talent pool for IT services firms. How an Algerian freelancer can become contractable on the French side.
Madagascar: the French-speaking offshore hub for French IT services firms
A long-standing French-speaking offshore centre, Madagascar offers highly competitive costs. How a French IT services firm can frame clean subcontracting with a Malagasy provider.
South Africa: subcontracting development from Cape Town or Johannesburg
Cape Town and Johannesburg bring together high-level English-speaking tech profiles. The framework for subcontracting South African development from a French IT services firm.
Tech freelancer in Brazil: invoicing a French IT services firm despite the time difference
Close to Europe’s afternoon working hours, with a strong product culture: Brazil is attractive. How a Brazilian freelancer can invoice a French IT services firm compliantly, despite the distance.
Colombia, Argentina: LATAM tech for French IT services firms
Bogotá, Buenos Aires: LATAM trains solid developers at controlled costs. How a French IT services firm contracts with a Colombian or Argentinian freelancer.
Freelancer in Mexico: subcontracting tech from Latin America
A fast-growing tech talent pool and a practical time zone: Mexico is entering the radar of IT services firms. The framework for subcontracting development from Latin America.
Turkey: tech freelancer in Istanbul and French engagements, the playbook
A bridge between Europe and Asia, Istanbul is home to strong developers. How a Turkish freelancer can invoice a French IT services firm and clear the compliance hurdle.
Freelancer in the Philippines: working remotely for French IT services firms
English-speaking, service-oriented, with a significant time difference: the Philippines are attractive. How to structure a remote tech engagement with a French IT services firm, outside the EU.
Which status for a French freelancer expatriated outside the EU: micro-entreprise, local company or another setup
Moving outside the EU while remaining a freelancer raises the question of status. French micro-entreprise, local company, another setup: benefits, limits and impact for the IT services firm.
Mauritius or Dubai: where should you settle to work with French IT services firms?
Tax, visas, and how procurement sees you: Mauritius and Dubai are not equivalent for a freelancer targeting French IT services firms. A comparison to help you choose.
Freelancer in Senegal or Côte d’Ivoire: the tech bridge with French IT services firms
Francophone West Africa is building strong tech expertise. How a freelancer in Dakar or Abidjan can contract cleanly with a French IT services firm.
Freelancer in Tunisia: landing French tech engagements from Tunis
Francophonie, same time zone, attractive costs: Tunisia is a talent pool for IT services firms. How a Tunisian freelancer can become contract-ready on the French side.
UK post-Brexit: is a British freelancer “non-EU” for an IT services firm?
Since Brexit, a freelancer in the United Kingdom is legally non-EU. What this changes in practice for a French IT services firm: VAT, due diligence and the contract.
Living in Bali or Mauritius while keeping access to French tech engagements
Leaving France for Bali or Mauritius without giving up French tech engagements is possible — provided you frame residence, contracts and invoicing properly. Here is the playbook.
From Thailand: how a freelancer can invoice a French IT services firm compliantly
Living in Thailand and invoicing Paris is common among developers — provided residence, status and VAT are properly framed. A practical guide to staying compliant.
Georgia: the tech freelancer hub — and how to contract with France
Low-tax environment, “Individual Entrepreneur” status: Georgia attracts developers. How a French IT services firm can contract properly with a Georgian freelancer.
The mistakes that derail an IT services firm contract when you are a non-EU freelancer
Missing documents, a poorly presented company, an “employee” posture: the mistakes that make an IT services firm pull back at the last minute, and how to avoid them.
Invoicing and paying for a non-EU service: the complete flow
VAT and reverse charge, invoice wording, international transfers, currencies and accounting: the complete financial flow between a French IT services firm and a non-EU provider.
Contracting with a non-EU freelancer: the complete legal architecture
Back-to-back arrangements, framework agreements and purchase orders, NDAs, intellectual property, professional liability insurance, GDPR: how to build a contract chain with no grey areas when working with a non-EU freelancer.
International tax for non-EU tech freelancers: the complete guide
Tax residence, permanent establishment, treaties, withholding tax: the full tax framework for a tech service between France and a non-EU freelancer, without the jargon.
Managing an engagement with a non-EU freelancer: the delivery guide
Specification, activity report, acceptance, IT systems access, time zones, replacement, reversibility: how to manage a non-EU engagement day to day, from kick-off to offboarding.
Subcontracting each tech role outside the EU: the profile-by-profile guide
React, DevOps, data, cybersecurity, SAP, mobile… Profile by profile, what non-EU subcontracting changes: access, security, deliverables, compliance and management.
Tech freelancer abroad: working with France, country by country
Dubai, Bali, Morocco, Georgia, Canada, Vietnam… Destination by destination: the local framework, what blocks French IT services firms, and how to secure compliant projects.
“I’m a freelance developer in Dubai”: how to work with French IT services firms
Strong profile, good day rate, but French IT services firms hesitate as soon as they see “Dubai”. How to make yourself contractable and win French assignments.
Permanent establishment: the risk for non-EU freelancers, not only IT services firms
Permanent establishment is often discussed from the client’s perspective. But a non-EU freelancer can also create one in France unintentionally. Here is how to understand the risk.
France–UAE tax treaty: what it changes for a tech freelancer in Dubai
The France–UAE tax treaty is not a detail: it affects tax residence and double taxation. What a tech freelancer in Dubai needs to know.
Paying a freelancer in Dubai or Bali: international transfers, currencies and fees explained
SWIFT, currencies, hidden fees and delays: paying a freelancer in Dubai or Bali is not straightforward. A practical guide to smooth, traceable payments.
Withholding tax on a service paid outside the EU: when does it really apply?
Paying a non-EU supplier can, in some cases, trigger withholding tax. When it applies, when it does not, and the role of tax treaties.
Professional liability insurance and liability: who covers what in a non-EU subcontracting chain
A defective deliverable, a delay, a data leak: who is liable, and who is insured? How to allocate liability and professional liability insurance across the chain.
Framework Agreement and Purchase Order: the Right Architecture for Clean Subcontracting
A robust framework agreement and clear purchase orders: the architecture that makes non-EU subcontracting clear for procurement, finance and the client.
Back-to-back contracts explained: aligning the end-client agreement and subcontracting
Selling an assignment to the end client and buying it from a non-EU freelancer: the back-to-back contract sits between the two. Why it is the key to a chain with no grey areas.
URSSAF vigilance certificate: what it's for and who must provide it
Above €5,000 excl. tax, the vigilance certificate becomes unavoidable. What it proves, who issues it, and how to handle the case of a non-EU subcontractor.
KYB for a non-EU freelancer: how to verify who really signs the contract
Behind a freezone company, who is the real counterparty? The basics of KYB to verify a non-EU freelancer's identity before signing.
Back-to-back NDAs and confidentiality: protecting the end client in a subcontracting chain
The end client demands confidentiality; your non-EU subcontractor must comply. How to pass an NDA down back-to-back without leaving a hole in the chain.
Intellectual property: securing the assignment of code delivered by a non-EU freelancer
Without an assignment clause, the code delivered by your subcontractor doesn't really belong to you. How to secure a non-EU freelancer's IP all the way to the end client.
GDPR and non-EU freelancers: having a non-European provider work on European data
A non-EU freelancer accessing European personal data is a transfer outside the EU. What the GDPR requires, and how to secure it across the chain.
Relationship of subordination: the signals that get a service reclassified as employment
Give the freelancer set hours, a desk, a direct manager… and the service can be reclassified. The subordination signals to know, on the IT services firm's side.
Unlawful labour lending: the legal definition and how to avoid it in tech subcontracting
Unlawful labour lending isn't just lawyer-speak: it's a criminal offence. A plain definition, concrete tech-mission examples, and the reflexes to never fall into it.
Unlawful labour supply or a service: what sets genuine subcontracting apart
You've found the right tech freelancer, but signing stalls: non-EU tax residence, foreign invoice, uncertain compliance, risk of unlawful labour supply. Here's how to frame it as a genuine service.
Undeclared work in subcontracting: the line not to cross with a non-EU freelancer
A non-EU tech freelancer can be excellent and available. The trouble starts when you have to contract them cleanly into a French subcontracting chain. Here's the line not to cross.
Permanent establishment in France: what triggers it, and how not to create one
You can be perfectly settled outside the EU and invoicing properly from Dubai or Bali, yet inadvertently create a permanent-establishment risk in France if your relationship with a French firm is poorly structured.
Onboarding a foreign supplier: an IT services firm's procurement checklist
You've identified the right tech expert, but your procurement process stalls because they invoice from Dubai, Bali or another non-EU jurisdiction. Here's an operational method to onboard them.
Invoicing a French IT services firm from Dubai or Bali: what blocks it and how to do it
Your French firm wants to work with you, but procurement stalls the moment it sees an invoice from Dubai, Bali or a non-EU company. Here's what blocks it and how to get through.
Genuine or fictitious tax residence: the reality principle, explained simply
Your French firm can refuse to contract with you even when your day rate is approved and the end client wants to start. Often the blocker is your tax residence. Here's the reality principle.
VAT reverse charge on a service received from a non-EU provider
Your firm has found the right tech freelancer, but their company is in Dubai, Bali or another non-EU country. The block comes next: foreign invoice, no VAT, reverse charge, supplier compliance.
Subcontracting a non-EU freelancer compliantly: the IT services firm guide
The ideal tech profile is based in Dubai, and your procurement team can't onboard them. Here, step by step, is how an IT services firm subcontracts to a non-EU freelancer without taking on the risk.
Umbrella, EOR, domiciliation, intermediary: which model for a non-EU freelancer
You've identified the right non-EU tech freelancer, but your firm can't contract them cleanly on its own. Umbrella, EOR, domiciliation, direct subcontracting or a contracting intermediary — they don't solve the same problem.
"My IT services firm won't contract with my Dubai company": why, and how to unblock it
You've got the mission, but the firm refuses your UAE company. Neither a whim nor a dead end: here are the real reasons for the block and the ways to lift it.