Carte de séjour temporaire (ou VLS-TS) portant la mention « recherche d’emploi ou création d’entreprise » (carte RECE)

Route status

Active as of 2026-06-01^[1]^[2]

Open to new applications under the rules recorded below.

Residency route facts

Identity

Identity
Official name (local)	Carte de séjour temporaire (ou VLS-TS) portant la mention « recherche d'emploi ou création d'entreprise » (carte RECE) as of 2026-06-01^[1]
Official name (English)	Not established from a qualifying source
Legal basis	Code de l'entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d'asile (CESEDA), articles L. 422-8 à L. 422-14 as of 2026-06-01^[1]
Instrument type	residence permit as of 2026-06-01^[1] Issued as a carte de séjour temporaire to an applicant already in France, or as a VLS-TS carrying the same mention to an applicant applying from abroad.

Who can apply

Who can apply
Nationals not served by this route	EU, EEA as of 2026-06-01^[1]^[2]
Criminal-record condition	Not established from a qualifying source

Permit terms

Permit terms
Initial duration	1 year as of 2026-06-01^[1] One year. A fixed term, not a ceiling.
Renewable	No as of 2026-06-01^[1] The fiche states twice that renewal is not possible.
Maximum total duration	1 year as of 2026-06-01^[1] One year and no renewal. At expiry the holder moves to a professional card if they have found work or created a business, and the fiche tabulates which card by salary band.
Work rights	employment only as of 2026-06-01^[1]

Permanent residence and citizenship

Permanent residence and citizenship
Counts toward permanent residence	Not established from a qualifying source

Requirements

Requirements
Job offer required	No as of 2026-06-01^[1] The card exists precisely to permit a job search; no offer is required to obtain it.
Salary threshold	Measured against: set by decree or programme rules Amount: EUR 2,800.53 per month as of 2026-06-01^[1]
Labour-market test	No as of 2026-06-01^[1] The employer is dispensed from applying for a work authorisation; the fiche states that the employment situation is not opposable when the holder moves on to a « salarié » or « travailleur temporaire » card.
Qualification requirement	degree as of 2026-06-01^[1] A licence professionnelle, a Mastère Spécialisé, a Master of Science labelled by the Conférence des grandes écoles, or another diploma at least equivalent to master's level, obtained from a French institution. An applicant resident in France must have obtained it in the last 12 months and must hold a student or student-mobility card; an applicant who has left France must apply within 4 years of obtaining the diploma. A holder of a talent-chercheur card qualifies instead on having completed their research work.
Employer sponsorship	No as of 2026-06-01^[1] No employer is involved in obtaining the card.
Job-search route	Yes as of 2026-06-01^[1] This route IS a job-search instrument (schema §7.5 as redefined at v1.0). It also covers business creation, which the flag does not express.

Process

Process
Where to apply from	either as of 2026-06-01^[1] An applicant residing in France at graduation applies at the prefecture within the two months preceding the expiry of their student or student-mobility card. An applicant who has left France applies for the VLS-TS « recherche d'emploi/création d'entreprise » at a French consulate and validates it online within three months of arrival.
Fees	Kind: application Amount: EUR 150 as of 2026-06-01^[1] EUR 50 stamp duty plus EUR 100 tax, paid by tax stamps. Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant Condition: application made in France Kind: other Amount: EUR 100 as of 2026-06-01^[1] Payable on validating the VLS-TS after arrival, on top of the visa cost itself, which the fiche does not quantify. Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant Condition: application made from abroad — VLS-TS validation
Stages	Label: Consular VLS-TS « recherche d'emploi/création d'entreprise » (applicants abroad) Fees: Kind: other Amount: EUR 100 as of 2026-06-01^[1] Validation tax. Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant Label: Prefecture carte de séjour temporaire (applicants in France) Fees: Kind: application Amount: EUR 150 as of 2026-06-01^[1] EUR 50 stamp duty + EUR 100 tax. Charged per: applicant Paid by: applicant

Physical presence

Physical presence
none stated	to keep the permit as of 2026-06-01^[1]

Family inclusion

Family inclusion
Family members may be included	Not established from a qualifying source

Your next step

Read the requirements above considering your own situation: the income multiple, the absence limits, who you can bring. Check the country record for the reference figure those amounts are calculated from, and for anything that has changed recently.

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Verification

Verification
Sources cited	2
of which official (tier 1)	2
Oldest as-of date	2026-06-01
Newest as-of date	2026-06-01
Reviewed on	2026-08-11
Schema version	1.1

Sources

[1] 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
[2] 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