France Passport Talent Visa

To qualify for a passport talent visa as a qualified employee, you have to meet the following requirements:

• Employment: You need a job offer with a permanent employment contract or a fixed-term employment contract for at least three months with a French employer.
• Salary: Your job must pay you at least twice the statutory national minimum wage (SMIC), which is €43,243,20 as of November 1, 2024.
• Qualifications: You must have an educational qualification that is equivalent to a master’s degree obtained in France.

The requirements for obtaining a passport talent visa under the Employee of a young innovative company category are:

• Employment: You need a job offer with a permanent employment contract or a fixed-term employment contract for at least three months with a French employer. The job must involve active participation in the company’s research and development (R&D) project.
• Salary: Your job must pay you at least twice the statutory national minimum wage (SMIC), which is €43,243.20 as of November 1, 2024.
• Company eligibility: Your employer must have JEI (Jeune Entreprise Innovante) status. This means the company:
  • Is less than 11 years old,
  • Has a workforce of fewer than 250 employees,
  • Has an annual turnover of less than €50 million, and
  • Is engaged in R&D activities.

You can get a French visa as a highly-skilled employee (also known as the European Union Blue Card) if you meet the following criteria:

• Employment: You need a permanent employment contract or a fixed-term employment contract for at least 12 months with a French employer.
• Salary: Your job must pay you at least 1.5 times the average annual gross salary set by decree, which is €53,836.50 as of May 1, 2023.
• Qualifications: You must have one of the following qualifications:
  • A qualification earned after at least 3 years of higher education, or
  • At least 5 years of professional experience that is equivalent in level to that qualification.

To qualify for a talent passport visa as an employee on assignment, you have to meet the following requirements:

• Employment: You need a French employment contract with a company in France, which is part of the same corporate group as your original employer abroad. You must have worked for the group for at least three months before the assignment.
• Salary: Your job must pay you at least 1.8 times the statutory national minimum wage (SMIC), which is €38,918.88 as of November 1, 2024.
• Company: Your employer in France must be a subsidiary or affiliate of the company that originally employed you abroad. This category is specifically designed for intra-company transfers within the same corporate group.

To get the researcher visa, you have to meet the following requirements:

• Employment: You must be coming to France to conduct research or provide university-level education. You must have a hosting agreement (convention d’accueil) signed with a public or private organization in France that is authorized to host researchers. The agreement must specify your status as a researcher, the purpose of your stay, and its duration.
• Qualifications: You must hold a degree equivalent to at least a master’s.
• Salary: There is no fixed minimum salary threshold mentioned for researchers under this category, but your hosting agreement typically includes salary or funding sufficient for your stay. The key requirement is a formalized agreement with an approved institution.

If you are creating or taking over a business in France, you can apply for a passport talent visa under the following conditions:

• Business plan: You must have a real and serious plan to create or take over a business in France. The project must be economically viable, and you must obtain a certificate confirming this via the official online platform.
• Investment: You must plan to invest at least €30,000 in the French business you are founding or taking over.
• Finances: You must have sufficient personal financial means equal to at least the statutory national minimum wage (SMIC), which is €21,621.60 per year as of November 1, 2024.
• Qualifications: You must either:
  • Hold a degree equivalent to a master’s, or
  • Have at least five years of relevant professional experience.

If you want to found a startup in France, you can do so under the Talent Passport category “Champions of innovative economic projects recognized by a public body”. You must meet the following criteria:

• Business project: You must have an innovative business project that you plan to develop in France. The project must be recognized by a French public-sector body, such as Bpifrance or French Tech.
• Finances: You must have sufficient annual financial means equal to at least the statutory national minimum wage (SMIC), which is €21,621.60 as of November 1, 2024.
• Project recognition: Your project must be officially recognized by a public authority in France as an innovative economic initiative. This recognition is typically granted through an official selection, labelling process, or formal approval by a public entity.

The requirements for foreign executives who want to invest in the French economy and obtain a talent passport visa are:

• Investment plan: You must have a plan to invest directly in a business in France. The investment can be made:
  • Personally,
  • Through a company you control, or
  • Through a company in which you own at least 30% of the shares.
• Investment amount: You must invest or commit to invest at least €300,000 in fixed tangible or intangible assets in France. Eligible investments include:
  • Share capital contributions
  • Reinvested earnings
  • Loans between affiliated companies
• Job creation: Your investment must create or protect jobs in France, or you must commit to doing so within four years of the investment.

You can apply for a talent passport visa in the social agent category if you meet the following conditions:

• Employment: You are a legal representative (such as a manager, director, or officer) of a business established in France. Additionally, you must have worked for at least three months as an employee or social agent in a company that belongs to the same corporate group.
• Salary: Your gross annual earnings must be at least €64,864.80.

This residence permit authorizes you to carry out all commercial activities related to your corporate mandate.

You can get a visa under the talent passport – artistic and cultural profession category if you are a performer or author of a literary or artistic work.

You can get a talent passport visa under the person of international renown category if:

• You have established a national or international reputation
• You have to come to France to practice an activity in a field: scientific, literary, artistic, intellectual, educational, or sports.

You must enter the details of your situation (nationality, passport, residence, and purpose of travel) to be directed on how and where to apply as well as the required documents.

Citizens of certain countries can fill out the application form online through the Visa Wizard” platform.

If you are eligible to fill out your application form online, you will be automatically redirected on the Visa Wizard platform. There will be step-by-step instructions once you click on “Submit online application”.

If you are not eligible to fill out the application form online, you can find the application forms here. You have to fill it out and sign it at the end.

Once you’ve completed the visa application form, you have to gather your documents and schedule an appointment with the nearest French visa center (see where to submit your application here). Make sure your appointment is at least two weeks before your departure date, but no earlier than three months.

On the date of your appointment, you have to hand in your documents and visa form at the visa center. You will also pay a visa fee (€99) and submit your fingerprint scans.