Profile

France

Residency route coverage

Residency route coverage
Route familyRoutesCoverage
InvestmentRoutes recorded as of 2026-06-01[1][17]
Remote work

No routes recorded

No qualifying route as of 2026-06-01[18][19]
France publishes no digital-nomad or remote-work residence title. service-public's index of every French residence title covers the carte de séjour mentions, the carte de résident family, the provisional authorisations, the Algerian certificates, the student and trainee titles and the European cards, and none of them is a remote-work permit. The nearest is the « visiteur » card, which appears here under passive income precisely because it forbids work. No official source states the absence in so many words, so this finding rests on that index being complete.
Passive incomeRoutes recorded as of 2026-06-01[19]
One route: the "visiteur" temporary residence card under CESEDA art. L. 426-20 — France's instrument for a foreign national staying more than three months as an inactive person, conditioned on resources, health insurance and not working. It is the route a retiree or a person of independent means uses; France publishes no separate retirement or financially-independent-person permit. Algerian nationals are excluded from this card and use a bilateral one-year certificat de résidence "visiteur" instead.
EntrepreneurRoutes recorded
WorkRoutes recorded as of 2026-06-01[2][12][15][17][18]
StudyRoutes recorded as of 2026-08-01[8][18]
FamilyRoutes recorded as of 2026-06-01[2][13][18]

Country facts

Identity

Identity
Local nameFrance
ISO codeFRA
RegionEurope
CurrencyEUR as of 2026-08-10[4]
Euro; France has been a euro-area member since 1 January 1999.
Official languagesfr as of 2026-08-10[4]

Memberships

Memberships
Memberships
    • Bloc: EU
    • Member: Yes as of 2026-08-10[4]
    • Since: 1958-01-01 as of 2026-08-10[4]
      "EU Member State: since 1 January 1958" — founding member.
    • Bloc: EEA
    • Member: Yes as of 2026-08-10[4]
    • Bloc: Schengen
    • Member: Yes as of 2026-08-10[4]
    • Since: 1995-03-26 as of 2026-08-10[4]
    • Bloc: Eurozone
    • Member: Yes as of 2026-08-10[4]
    • Since: 1999-01-01 as of 2026-08-10[4]

Permanent residence

Permanent residence
Qualifying years5 as of 2026-06-01[14]
Language requirementB1 as of 2026-06-01[14]
Sufficient knowledge of French at level B1 is one component of the republican-integration condition for the carte de résident de longue durée-UE. Applicants over 65 are assessed only on the undertaking to respect, and effective respect of, the principles of the Republic. The Arrêté of 22 December 2025 governs how the required level is evidenced.
Integration requirementYes as of 2026-06-01[14]
Republican integration is assessed on a signed undertaking to respect the principles governing the French Republic, effective respect of those principles, French at B1, and a pass in the civic examination bearing the mention "carte de résident". The prefect also seeks the opinion of the mayor of the applicant's commune. Applicants over 65 are exempt from the language and civic-exam components.
Income requirement1 × statutory national minimum wage, gross per month as of 2026-06-01[14][16]
Stable, sufficient and regular resources reaching at least the SMIC, which F17359 states as EUR 1,867.02 gross per month — the gross monthly SMIC. All of the applicant's own resources count; listed family and social benefits (PAJE, family allowances, housing allowance, RSA, ASS and others) are excluded. No resource test applies to recipients of the AAH at a permanent-incapacity rate of at least 80% or of the ASI.
Absence rules
  • maximum consecutive absence · 6 months · to qualify for permanent residence as of 2026-06-01[14]
    Residence must be uninterrupted, but absences of up to six consecutive months are permitted and count toward the five years, subject to the ten-month aggregate limit recorded separately.
  • maximum total absence · 10 months · to qualify for permanent residence as of 2026-06-01[14]
    Aggregate limit on absences across the qualifying five years in the general case.
  • maximum consecutive absence · 12 months · to qualify for permanent residence as of 2026-06-01[14]
  • maximum total absence · 18 months · to qualify for permanent residence as of 2026-06-01[14]
  • maximum consecutive absence · 6 years · to keep the permit as of 2026-06-01[14]
    The carte de résident ceases to be valid if the holder leaves France for six consecutive years. The card also lapses on residence outside the EU for more than three consecutive years, or on acquiring long-term-resident status in another EU Member State.
  • maximum consecutive absence · 3 years · to keep the permit as of 2026-06-01[14]
    Residence outside the territory of the EU Member States for more than three consecutive years makes the card lapse.

Citizenship

Citizenship
Years to naturalisation5 as of 2026-07-16[10]
A minimum of five years' residence in France is required for naturalisation by decree. The requirement falls to two years for holders of a French higher-education degree obtained after two years' study, for applicants able to render important services to France, and for an exceptional integration record; it is waived entirely for refugees, for nationals of French-speaking countries whose mother tongue is French or who were schooled for five years or more in French, for those who served in the French army or an allied army in wartime, and for those who have rendered exceptional services to France. The applicant must also reside in France at the date the decree is signed, in the sense of having the centre of material and family interests there, hold a valid residence permit at the date of application (not required of EEA or Swiss nationals), and show stable, sufficient income for the tax household.
of which on permanent residenceNot applicable as of 2026-07-16[10]
No period on permanent-resident status is required: F2213 requires a valid residence permit at the date of application and does not require a carte de résident or any permanent status.
Dual citizenshipallowed as of 2025-06-19[11]
Language requirementB2 as of 2026-01-01[9]
Knowledge of French, spoken and written, at least at level B2 of the CEFR. Evidenced by a French diploma or by a pass in a recognised language test (TCF or TEF) issued within the last two years. Dispensations exist where disability or health makes assessment impossible, and for refugees or stateless persons over 70 who have resided in France for at least 15 years with a valid residence permit. The same B2 level applies to acquisition by marriage.
Citizenship test requiredYes as of 2026-07-16[10]
Assimilation into the French community is verified by a pass in the civic examination (examen civique) and an interview at the prefecture. The Arrêté of 10 October 2025 fixes the examination's programme, tests and organisation.

Tax

Tax
Tax-residency day thresholdNot applicable as of 2026-04-08[5]
French domestic law fixes no day-count threshold for tax residence. CGI art. 4 B defines tax domicile by household or principal place of stay, by the exercise of a non-accessory professional activity in France, and by the centre of economic interests — none of which is a number of days.
Other tax-residency triggerscentre of vital interests, habitual abode as of 2026-04-08[5]
Headline income tax rate45% as of 2026-04-15[6]
Income tax structureprogressive as of 2026-04-15[6]
Net-wealth taxRecorded at the source, but not reducible to a single value
Inheritance or estate taxNot established from a qualifying source

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Reference figures

Reference figures
statutory national minimum wage, gross
  • Local name: Smic (salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance) — montant brut
  • Amount: EUR 1,867.02 per month as of 2026-06-01[16]
    Gross monthly SMIC for an adult employee on the 35-hour week. service-public publishes the same figure in three denominations: EUR 12.31 gross per hour, EUR 1,867.02 gross per month, EUR 22,404.20 gross per year. The indicative net equivalents are EUR 9.74 hourly, EUR 1,477.93 monthly and EUR 17,735.19 annually; service-public marks the net figures as indicative only. The current amounts follow the Arrêté of 22 May 2026 raising the SMIC. A separate, lower SMIC applies in Mayotte (EUR 9.56 hourly, EUR 1,449.93 monthly, EUR 17,399.20 annually) and reduced rates apply to employees under 18 with less than six months in the branch; this figure is the mainland general-case gross figure, which is what the residence thresholds in this record are defined against.
  • Period: month
  • Reset: annual
  • Annualisation factor: 12
  • Officially published figure: Yes

Changes

Recent changes

Recent changes
2025-06-16Décret n° 2025-539 of 13 June 2025 rewrote the implementing conditions of the "talent-porteur de projet" card, in force 16 June 2025. It created CESEDA art. R. 421-33-1 (business-creation limb: resources at least equal to the full-time annual gross SMIC) and art. R. 421-33-2 (business-creation limb: project financing of at least EUR 30,000), created art. R. 421-34-2 (innovative-project limb: resources at least equal to the full-time annual gross SMIC), and amended arts. R. 421-33, R. 421-34-1, R. 421-35 and R. 421-36, replacing the pre-2024 "passeport talent" wording with the "talent-porteur de projet" mention. The EUR 30,000 project-financing floor and the SMIC resource tests are the material changes for applicants.
Affects: carte de séjour pluriannuelle portant la mention « talent-porteur de projet » — parcours création d’entreprise, carte de séjour pluriannuelle portant la mention « talent-porteur de projet » — parcours projet économique innovant, carte de séjour pluriannuelle portant la mention « talent-porteur de projet » — parcours investissement économique[3]
2026-05-13Arrêté of 13 May 2026 fixed the list of documents required to request the economic-viability opinion on a non-salaried activity for the purposes of the "entrepreneur/profession libérale" residence card. The opinion itself was already required; the arrêté standardises the supporting file.
Affects: carte de séjour « entrepreneur/profession libérale »[7]
2026-01-01The French-language level required of candidates for French nationality is B2 of the CEFR, spoken and written, and assimilation is verified by a pass in a civic examination. The implementing instruments are the Arrêté of 22 December 2025 on evidencing the required level, the Arrêté of 22 December 2025 on the accepted language tests, the Arrêté of 30 December 2025 on dispensations, and the Arrêté of 10 October 2025 on the civic examination's programme and organisation. The date recorded here is the verification date of the service-public guidance stating the B2 level, not a confirmed commencement date for the requirement.[9][10]
2026-01-01Republican integration for the carte de résident de longue durée-UE now requires French at level B1 and a pass in the civic examination bearing the mention "carte de résident", alongside the undertaking to respect the principles of the Republic; applicants over 65 are exempt from the language and civic-exam components. The Arrêté of 22 December 2025 governs how the required level is evidenced for multi-year residence cards, cartes de résident, permanent resident cards and the long-term-resident-EU card. As with the naturalisation entry, the date recorded is the guidance's verification date and not a sourced commencement date.[14]
2026-05-22The SMIC was raised by the Arrêté of 22 May 2026 to EUR 12.31 gross per hour, EUR 1,867.02 gross per month and EUR 22,404.20 gross per year. This moves every residence threshold defined as a multiple of the SMIC, including the resource tests on both "talent-porteur de projet" entrepreneur limbs, the income test on the "entrepreneur/profession libérale" card and the resource condition for the carte de résident de longue durée-UE.[16]
2025-05-03LOI n° 2025-391 of 30 April 2025 amended the CESEDA « talent » regime with effect from 3 May 2025. Art. 40 rewrote art. L. 421-11 (talent-carte bleue européenne), adding the alternative qualifying route of three years' relevant professional experience acquired in the seven years preceding the application for professions listed by ministerial order, the two-limb contract-linked duration rule, and new employer-conduct grounds for refusing or withdrawing the card; it also rewrote art. L. 421-12 (accelerated long-term-resident card for Blue Card holders) and, with art. 41, art. L. 421-22 (talent-famille). Art. 41 also rewrote art. L. 421-7 on first-admission issue of the talent cards.
Affects: Carte de séjour pluriannuelle portant la mention « talent-carte bleue européenne », Carte de séjour pluriannuelle portant la mention « passeport talent (famille) » (dite « talent-famille »)[2]

Verification

Verification
Sources cited19
of which official (tier 1)19
Oldest as-of date2025-06-19
Newest as-of date2026-08-10
Reviewed on2026-08-11
Schema version1.1

Sources

  1. [1] Code de l'entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d'asile, sous-section 4 « Création d'entreprise et investissement » (art. L. 421-16)
    Secrétariat général du Gouvernement / DILA — Légifrance · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2024-01-28 · Accessed 2026-08-10 · Archived copy
  2. [2] CESEDA, Livre IV, Titre II, Chapitre I, Section 2 « Étranger talentueux » — articles L. 421-7 à L. 421-25 (texte consolidé)
    Secrétariat général du Gouvernement — Légifrance · statute · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-10
  3. [3] Code de l'entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d'asile, sous-section 4 « Création d'entreprise, projet économique innovant et investissement » (arts. R. 421-33 à R. 421-36)
    Secrétariat général du Gouvernement / DILA — Légifrance · statute · Tier 1 · Published 2025-06-16 · Accessed 2026-08-10
  4. [4] France – EU country (country profile)
    European Union — Directorate-General for Communication · official portal · Tier 1 · Accessed 2026-08-10 · Archived copy
  5. [5] Suis-je non-résident fiscal ? — critères de domiciliation fiscale (CGI art. 4 B)
    Direction générale des Finances publiques (DGFiP) — impots.gouv.fr · official guidance · Tier 1 · Published 2026-04-08 · Accessed 2026-08-10 · Archived copy
  6. [6] Quel est le barème de l'impôt sur le revenu ? (fiche F1419)
    Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA) — Service Public · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-04-15 · Accessed 2026-08-10
  7. [7] Carte de séjour « entrepreneur/profession libérale » d'un étranger en France (fiche F35795)
    Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA), Premier ministre — Service Public · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-01 · Accessed 2026-08-10 · Archived copy
  8. [8] Étudiant étranger en France : visa de long séjour ou titre de séjour (fiche F2231)
    Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA) — Service Public · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-08-01 · Accessed 2026-08-10
  9. [9] Nationalité française : comment justifier de son niveau en français ? (fiche F11926)
    Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA), Premier ministre — Service Public · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-01-01 · Accessed 2026-08-10 · Archived copy
  10. [10] Naturalisation française par décret (fiche F2213)
    Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA), Premier ministre — Service Public · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-07-16 · Accessed 2026-08-10 · Archived copy
  11. [11] Peut-on avoir plusieurs nationalités en France ? (fiche F334)
    Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA) — Service Public · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2025-06-19 · Accessed 2026-08-10
  12. [12] Carte de séjour ou VLS-TS – Recherche d'emploi/création d'entreprise (fiche F17319)
    Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA) — Service Public · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-01 · Accessed 2026-08-10
  13. [13] Regroupement familial (fiche F11166)
    Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA) — Service Public · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-01 · Accessed 2026-08-10
  14. [14] Carte de résident de longue durée-UE (étranger en France depuis 5 ans) (fiche F17359)
    Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA), Premier ministre — Service Public · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-01 · Accessed 2026-08-10
  15. [15] Travail d'un étranger en France : carte de séjour – salarié/travailleur temporaire (fiche F15898)
    Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA) — Service Public · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-05-01 · Accessed 2026-08-10
  16. [16] Smic (salaire minimum interprofessionnel de croissance) (fiche F2300)
    Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA), Premier ministre — Service Public · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-01 · Accessed 2026-08-10
  17. [17] Carte talent : carte de séjour pluriannuelle d'un étranger en France (fiche F16922) — porteur de projet: conditions, pièces, coût, durée, famille
    Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA), Premier ministre — Service Public · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-01 · Accessed 2026-08-10 · Archived copy
  18. [18] Titres, cartes de séjour et documents de circulation pour étranger en France (dossier N110) — enumeration of French residence titles
    Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA) — Service Public · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-02-10 · Accessed 2026-08-10
  19. [19] Carte de séjour temporaire « visiteur » d'un étranger en France (fiche F302)
    Direction de l'information légale et administrative (DILA), Premier ministre — Service Public · official portal · Tier 1 · Published 2026-06-01 · Accessed 2026-08-10 · Archived copy

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