Carte de sejour temporaire – Visiteur
You can go to France “to chill out” for several months or even years. Wealthy foreigners only need to confirm the size and sources of their income, get a permanent address in the country - and voila! You may move with your family, but you won't be able to work with this visa. After 5 years of living in the country, you can get a permanent residence permit, and then citizenship.
Program's details
- Residence permit for 1 year with the right for renewal
- For the whole family spouses, children, parents
- Financial independence You need to confirm the existence of funds and their origin
- Living in France it is a right but not an obligation
- Traveling around the Schengen area up to 90 days in half a year
- Just rest you are not allowed to work in France
- Tax residency optional
- Permanent residence permit and citizenship after 5 years of residence
The official website of the program
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About the Program
The visitor visa is suitable for foreigners who want to stay in France for a period of 90 days to 1 year - for shorter periods, a short-stay visa is quite sufficient. This type of permit is originally called visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS), meaning “long-term visa equivalent to a residence permit”. In fact, this is a residence permit without the right to work, so the main thing that is required is to show that the applicant has sufficient funds to live in France
The visa is suitable for wealthy foreigners who can afford to live on savings or business income. This type is also good for parents accompanying their children to study in France. In addition, visitor visas are issued to priests who intend to be engaged in religious activities in the country.
If minor children over 6 years old are traveling with their parents, they should be enrolled in a local school. At the same time, this type of visa does not imply the opportunity to study for adults - you will have to change the type of permit for this purpose.
The visa is issued in the country of residence, but it must be registered within 3 months upon arrival in France at the French Bureau of Immigration and Integration (OFII). This is done over the internet. It will be possible to receive a visitor card in the prefect's office after that , you can use it to travel around Europe.
The issuance of this type of visa is governed by the Article L313-6 of the French Code on the Entry and Residence of Foreigners and on the Right of Asylum. The residence permit is valid for 1 year, the status can be renewed an unlimited number of times. After 5 years of residence in France, the applicant has the right to apply for a permanent residence permit (permanent residence), immediately after that - citizenship. It is not prohibited to have a second citizenship in France, you will not have to give up your first passport.
Conditions for Obtaining a Residence Permit
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Permanent address in France
- Accommodation can be bought or rented for 12 months. When renting, you will need to transfer the utility bill to the name of the applicant.
- Your own property will be considered an advantage in the eyes of the immigration service.
- The minimum cost of renting or buying is not negotiated, but for each person there should be at least 9 m2. Despite the formal absence of price requirements, the property should be of high quality, and not the cheapest one, because the visa applicant should convince the migration service of their financial solvency.
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Confirmed income
Formal amount: €15,000 per year.
Your income should be no less than a SMIC (minimum wage) after taxes.Actual amount: €30,000-45,000 per year.
The authorities will evaluate the applicant's real ability to support his family, taking into account the cost of living in the city and the housing that he has chosen. According to the experience of immigration consultants, it is desirable to show an income that is 2-3 times higher than the approved minimum.Only legal, documented income is taken into account - dividends, royalties, rent, pension, wages, etc.
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Residence Permit for Family Members
Together with the main applicant, the status is obtained by:
- spouses,
- children under 18,
- parents, if they depend on the applicant.
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Documents:
- Completed long-term visa application form.
- 3 photos.
- International passport.
- Internal passport.
- Proof of permanent address in France: lease + utility bills or title deeds.
- Birth certificate.
- Certificate of no criminal record.
- A document confirming the social and professional status (certificate from the place of work, pension certificate, diplomas, etc.).
- Confirmation of the available sufficient funds for living for at least a year (bank accounts, income from rental housing, securities, etc.). These can be either your own funds or the funds of the family members.
- Documents confirming the origin of your income (certificates of income from the place of work, copies of contracts, etc.).
- A written commitment not to perform professional activities in France.
- Health insurance policy.
- For accompanying relatives: birth and marriage certificates.
- Proof of school enrollment for a child aged 6-18.
- Permission for the child to move and live in France from the second parent - if the other parent stays in the country of residence.
- Motivation letter explaining the reasons for moving to France.
All foreign language documents should be translated into French and notarized.
Additional Expenses
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Charges and Fees
Before moving to France, you will need to pay for the visa in the country of your residence, and in France you will need to pay for the card.
- The cost of the visa is €99 + €29.5 - visa center services.
- Issuing the card: €225, of which €200 is the tax and €25 is the stamp duty. The payment is made by tax stamps (can be electronic).The proof of payment will be required upon the card delivery.
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Legal support
Specialists in France will help you fulfill the mandatory requirements: conclude a lease agreement, open an account, enroll your child in school. In addition, they will advise on the choice of the optimal tax regime.
The cost of services is €4,500–8,000, depending on the scope of services and fees of the law firm.
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Rights and Obligations
- The right, but not the obligation, to live in France for the entire duration of the visa.
- The right to travel to Schengen countries and stay there for up to 90 days in half a year.
- Tax residency is optional. This status is assigned to a foreigner who has been living in the country for more than six months. It makes sense to become a taх resident only if you are planning to reside in France permanently, in another situation it is advisable to avoid this. France has relatively high tax rates. Therefore, those who intend to live in the country permanently may require tax planning services.
- You may not be engaged in any professional activities in France.
- You are allowed to work remotely; the main thing is to receive income outside of France.
- Minor children are required to attend school.
- After 5 years of permanent residence, you may apply for permanent residence permit (you will also have to become a tax resident), and immediately after that you are allowed to apply for citizenship.
- The knowledge of the language is not required for obtaining a visa, and to obtain a permanent residence permit, it is enough to speak French at a minimum level.
The procedure for obtaining
