Your complete all-in-one guide to a smooth, stress-free relocation to France! 

Packed with up-to-date information and insider knowledge from an expert who's helped hundreds of clients pursue their dreams and create a new life in France, by the end of this book, you'll:

• know how to select and apply for the right visa type

• understand the specific vocabulary used in applications

• know how to time your application for your desired arrival date

• learn how to navigate French bureaucracy without losing your cool

• prepare EXACTLY the right documents

• feel supported and informed as you begin your journey to France with confidence 

This book is for nationals of countries which do NOT have special agreements with France for visa applications. In particular, citizens of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom (pending Brexit), the United States and Uruguay will find this book extremely useful. 

This Complete 2026 Edition is up-to-date as of its publication date of January 1, 2026 and contains information on procedures and legislation currently in effect. All online purchases of this book will receive a free update to the next edition published after their purchase.

Revisions, changes, updates, and additions for the Complete 2026 Edition:

New Sections in the 2026 Edition:

• 0 What does it mean to have a visa to live in France?
• 10 OFII Digitalization & French Language Requirements
• 12 Will You Be a Tax Resident of France?
• 4-8 Talent Card: Medical & Pharmacy Professions // Carte Talent - Professions Médicales et de la Pharmacie
• 4-9 Talent Card: Corporate Officer // Carte Talent - Mandataire Social
• 6-7 Minor Children’s Visas & Residence Permits
• 7 Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Residence Permit (WARP) Renewals
• 5 Visa Renewal Limitations
• 6 Renewal Delays & Expired Documents
• 7 Scrutiny of Visa Renewals & Proof of Residence
• 9 Requesting a Multi-Year Residence Card
• Added References section with APA style citations for websites, laws, and other legal documents referenced in revising this book, and moved citations for all articles and sources to the end rather than footnotes.

Revisions and Modifications to Previous Text:

Changes made throughout:

• Homogenized all visa titles so the Table of Contents shows English titles, and the section headings show both English and French names of the visa and carte de séjour types. Where visas are subcategories, such as Talent Card - Qualified Employee - Employee on Mission or Talent Card - Qualified Employee, the subcategories were added.
• All “Passeport Talent” visa types have been renamed to “Talent Card” or “Carte Talent” because inclusion of the word ‘passport’ caused confusion and was changed with the 2024 law.
• TLS Contact / VFS Global appointment fee varies widely by country and is separate from the visa processing fee (due to the French consulate) and passport shipping fees, which vary, so we have indicated fees in section 1.3 Privatization of the Visa Application Process
• Replaced “VFS” (Visa application contractor in the Canada and other countries) or “TLS” (visa application contractor in the US, UK and other countries) with “VFS/TLS Contact" throughout when referencing the appointment process.
• French SMIC is €1.802 gross per month and 1.426€ net per month as of November 2025. SMIC typically increases around January 1 so we also added the anticipated new SMIC rate of €1.823 per month. Updated all amounts based on SMIC (1.1x SMIC, 1.2x SMIC, 1.5x SMIC, 1.8x SMIC, etc.).
• Changed DREETS to DRIEETS everywhere
• Changed all “OFII Fee” to “Validation Fee” because all visa types require payment for validation but not necessarily OFII procedures, and modified “OFII procedures” to “visa validation procedures.”
• Clarified that renewal appointments should be made well in advance and appointments should take place between 2-4 months prior to a carte de séjour’s expiration date.
• Clarified that you may receive a multiyear card, or a 10 year card at various renewal stages, rather than you will receive such a card.
• Clarified that salary amounts listed are base salary, without commissions, 13ème mois, bonuses, or other variable pay.
• Removed several places where acronyms and initialisms were clarified in the text, as these are all explained in the Glossary.

Changes Made to Sections:

• 3 - Added visa appointment fees for TLS & VFS for Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States
• 5 - Clarified EES and ETIAS implementation plan
• 7 - Updated remote working section to reflect tax office guidance
• 1-1 - Moved section on Estate Taxes from the Long-Stay Visitor section to the 1.12 Will You Be a Tax Resident in France? Section.
• 2-3 - Requirements for RECE - Recherche d’Emploi Création d’Entreprise have been clarified
• 4 - Updated the French Salary Reality Check section to include 2022 median salary figures
• 4 - Salary requirements for Salary and Talent Card visa types have been updated
• 4-1 - Updated the amount of tax an employer has to pay to sponsor a foreign employee in a CDI.
• 4-3 - Updated required gross salary for Salarié Qualifié.
• 4-6 - Updated 2026 doctoral contract salary requirements for Talent Chercheur applicants
• 4-7 - Updated salary requirement for Talent Card - Highly Qualified Employee to €59.373 gross annual salary.
• 5-1 - Updated Microentrepreneur TVA thresholds and social charge percentages.
• 5-1 - Profession Libérale information about the newly-implemented DRIEETS pre-approval procedure has been added.
• 5-4 - Carte Talent - Création d’Entreprise has been modified to explain expectations of CDS duration.
• 6-1 - Indicated that multiyear cards and naturalization are now dependent on language skills and completing OFII requirements, even for married couples.
• 6-3 - Rearranged information for parents of French children to make the requirements clearer for applying inside or outside of France.
• 1 - Changed ‘Accompanying Family Members’ to ‘Group Visa Applications for Families’ and split off the Children’s visas section
• 4 - Removed info on VFS appointments, temporary centers, and “visa at your doorstep” services as VFS no longer provides services in the US.
• 5 - Clarified that CampusFrance rush service is not available for all program types.
• 6 - Clarified to not include fancy cover pages or to modify documents.
• 4 - Clarified that Validation & CDS request should both be done after securing long-term housing.
• 1 - Clarified validation procedure and guidance for timing of OFII appointments. Emphasized the importance of attending convocations issued to you.
• 1 - Updated to indicate Famille Accompagnante carte de séjour requests can now be completed at the same time as the Carte Talent holder’s request.
• 4 - Clarified that it’s possible but not easy to get a multi-year card at renewal, and what the requirements are.
• 10 - Updated the requirements for obtaining a 10-year resident card.
• 11 - Rearranged naturalization section and added increased requirements from the 2 May 2025 circular on restricting naturalization. Separated naturalization by decree and naturalization though other means into 2 sections.
• Verified all préfecture and OFII contact information and indicated that all préfecture websites have now been updated to the new look, except for Paris.