Grounds for residence — business, employment, special programs — with the conditions to qualify.
EU/EEA/Swiss citizens — freedom of movement (no permit required)
activeSpecial programFor: EU citizens
- Duration
- 5 years, renewable
- Path to PR
- Yes
- Family
- Included
Requirements (4)
- EU/EEA (incl. Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway) and Swiss nationals may enter, live and work in France with no visa or residence permit
- Full freedom of establishment: register a business or practise a liberal profession on the same terms as French nationals — no permit, quota or income test
- A residence permit is optional (may be requested but is not required)
- Permanent residence (right of permanent residence) acquired after 5 years of continuous legal residence
Tax implications: French tax residency after 183 days or centre of economic interests; full access to all French freelancer regimes.related scheme →related scheme →related scheme →
For EU/EEA/Swiss freelancers this is the whole story: free movement plus freedom of establishment, no paperwork to work or freelance. Duration shown as the 5-year run to permanent residence.
Long-stay visa/permit — entrepreneur / profession libérale (self-employed)
activeFreelance permitFor: All except EU citizens
- Duration
- 1 year, renewable
- Path to PR
- Yes
- Family
- Not included
Requirements (5)
- Third-country nationals setting up or running a self-employed commercial, industrial, artisanal or liberal-profession activity in France
- Long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit (VLS-TS) bearing the mention 'entrepreneur/profession libérale', valid 1 year; validate the visa within the first 3 months (online) and renew before expiry
- Must demonstrate the economic viability of the activity (business plan, resources) — for a new business, a viability opinion is required (arrêté of 13 May 2026 lists the supporting documents)
- Must comply with any regulation governing the activity and show it will provide a living
- No labour-market test, but the viability assessment is the real hurdle
Tax implications: Self-employment income taxed under the French sole-proprietor regimes (micro-BNC or régime réel); tax residency by the 183-day rule or centre of interests.related scheme →related scheme →related scheme →
The realistic route for a genuine solo freelancer/self-employed person who does not meet the €30,000 investment bar of the Talent card. It is a one-year card (VLS-TS) renewable annually; after 5 years of legal residence a multi-year or resident card becomes possible. Economic viability is assessed case by case — a laptop-only freelancer with foreign clients must still document a viable French activity. The application fee (long-stay visa ~€99 plus residence-permit taxes) was not asserted here. Family members do not get an automatic derivative title on this permit.
Carte de séjour pluriannuelle 'Talent — porteur de projet' (business creation / investment)
activeBusiness visaFor: All except EU citizens
- Duration
- 4 years, renewable
- Path to PR
- Yes
- Family
- Included
Requirements (4)
- Third-country nationals in one of: (a) hold a master's-level degree OR prove ≥5 years' comparable professional experience AND create a business in France backed by a real, serious economic project; (b) run an innovative economic project recognised by a public body; or (c) make a direct economic investment in France
- Justify financing of the business project of at least €30,000
- Prove resources at least equal to the gross annual French minimum wage (SMIC) for the stay
- Multi-year 'Talent' residence card, maximum 4 years, renewable; issued via a long-stay visa then a residence card within 2 months of arrival
Tax implications: Business/self-employment income taxed under the applicable French regime; the Talent card also opens family ('Talent famille') accompaniment.related scheme →related scheme →
Since décret n° 2025-539 (13 June 2025) the 'passeport talent' is renamed the 'Talent' card, and the old 'créateur d'entreprise' and 'porteur de projet' mentions are merged into 'Talent — porteur de projet'. Aimed at entrepreneurs/investors, not laptop-only freelancers: the €30,000 project financing and the qualification/innovation/investment tests exclude a typical remote worker with foreign clients — they use the entrepreneur/profession libérale card instead. Card up to 4 years, renewable, with family accompaniment and a path to a resident card.
Long-stay visitor visa/permit (VLS-TS 'visiteur') — no work permitted
activeTemporary residenceFor: All except EU citizens
Income requirement: 1,399 EUR/month (At least the net monthly SMIC (2025: €1,398.70/month, €16,784.32/year for a single person); pegged to the minimum wage and revised with it.)
- Duration
- 1 year, renewable
- Path to PR
- Yes
- Family
- Not included
Requirements (4)
- Long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit (VLS-TS) bearing the mention 'visiteur', valid 1 year and renewable
- Prove stable resources at least equal to the net SMIC (€1,398.70/month for a single person) for the whole stay, without working
- Formal undertaking NOT to carry out any professional activity in France (employed or self-employed)
- Adequate health insurance covering the stay and suitable accommodation
Tax implications: No gainful work allowed, so it does not pair with the freelancer regimes; relevant only to people living off passive income. French tax residency still applies to worldwide income once resident.
Included because nomads ask about it, but it FORBIDS all gainful work — including remote self-employment for foreign clients — so an actively-earning remote worker cannot lawfully use it; it fits people living entirely off passive income (savings, pension, rents abroad). Income floor is pegged to the net SMIC and revised with it. Renewable; after 5 years of legal residence a resident card becomes possible. Long-stay visa fee ~€99 plus residence-permit taxes (not asserted precisely here).
Temporary protection for displaced Ukrainians (protection temporaire)
activeSpecial programFor: Ukrainian citizens
- Duration
- 6 months, renewable
- Path to PR
- No
- Family
- Included
Requirements (4)
- Displaced persons from Ukraine covered by the EU Temporary Protection Directive
- Register for the temporary-protection residence permit (autorisation provisoire de séjour 'bénéficiaire de la protection temporaire')
- Full right to work, including self-employment / freelance activity, without a separate work permit
- Access to the 'allocation pour demandeur d'asile'-style support and public services during protection
Tax implications: Immediate residence plus the right to work and be self-employed on the same terms as residents — full access to the freelancer regimes; no income test or fee.related scheme →related scheme →
For Ukrainian remote workers and freelancers this is by far the most accessible status: immediate residence and the right to work/be self-employed, no income test, no fee. Duration shown as the renewable protection period; the EU-wide temporary protection currently runs to 4 March 2027. Renewed in six-month increments under the French scheme.