France Investor Visa

Interested UAE investors must meet the following requirements to be eligible for France’s Business Investor visa.

• You must invest or commit to invest at least €300,000 in fixed tangible or intangible assets.
• Your investment must create employment or protect the jobs of French nationals within the four years following the investment. You must provide a well-structured business plan, including a local market analysis and economic impact assessment to prove it.
• You must provide proof of the source of funds for the investment.
• You must acquire at least 10% ownership of the company you invest in.

Eligible direct investments include share capital investments, loans between affiliated companies, and reinvested earnings.

The business investor visa scheme does not allow for exclusively financial investments.

You can invest personally, through a company you own, or through a company in which you have 30% ownership.

You must also meet other standard requirements for a long-stay visa in France. Although there’s no language requirement for an Investor visa, a basic understanding of French is essential for operating a business in France.

Also, if you decide to pursue French citizenship, you’ll be required to pass an assimilation test, which includes knowledge of French.

Obtaining a Talent Passport Investor Visa involves two processes:

• Getting a long-stay France entry visa marked Talent Passport “Business Investor” and
• Obtaining your Talent Passport Business Investor residence permit in France.

The French consulate in your home country is responsible for processing your long-stay France visa application. However, applying for a France long-stay Entry visa starts online on the official France-visas website.

The steps to applying for a France Talent Passport visa are as follows.

1. Complete the online application: Create an account on the France-visas website and complete the long-stay France visa application form. The required supporting documents and application fees will be listed at the end of the form. Print out the form after filling it out and submitting it.
2. Book an appointment: After completing the online visa application, you must book an appointment to submit your biometrics at a visa application centre. VFS Global Services is the authorised institution for submitting French visa applications in the UAE. You can choose the VFS centre in Abu Dhabi or Dubai for your visa appointment.
3. Pay your visa fees: You can pay the applicable fee online after completing your online application or in person during your appointment at the visa application centre.
4. Prepare supporting documents: Go through the documents listed on your long-stay visa application form and prepare them before your visa appointment.
5. Visit the VAS for your appointment: You must submit your completed visa application form, biometric information, and other supporting evidence in person at the VAS.
6. Track your application: You’ll receive email and SMS notifications once your passport is returned to the VAS. You can also track your application status on the France-visas website using the reference number on your payment invoice/receipt.
7. Receive your visa and travel to France: Once your application is approved, you’ll be issued a long-stay visa marked Passeport Talent (Passport Talent) “Business Investor.” You can then travel to France.

If you’re applying for a French Tech Visa for Investors, you must first apply for a recognition letter from the French Tech Mission (La French Tech). They’ll analyse your profile and investment history and, if satisfied, will issue you an official acceptance letter stating that you qualify for the French Tech Visa for Investors. You’ll use the acceptance letter to apply for your Entry visa.

Processing your long-stay visa can take up to two months. Hence, you should start your application at least two months before your intended travel date to receive a decision on time.

You must apply for your Talent Passport at the Ministry of Interior and Overseas Territories’ official website within three months of arriving in France. Once the Prefecture validates your application, you will receive a certificate of approval, which will serve as a temporary residence permit until you receive the definitive residence permit.

You can track the status of your application via your online account while waiting for the delivery of your residence permit.

Any request for additional information or supporting evidence will be reflected in your account, and you must respond promptly. You’ll receive a notification to set an appointment at the Prefecture once it is ready for pickup.

The following supporting documents are required for a France Talent Passport Investor Visa:

• Duly completed and signed long-stay visa application form (CERFA no14571*05)
• Valid passport issued within the last ten years and valid for up to three months after your visa expires
• Visa fee payment receipt
• Three recent passport-size photos
• Letter of recognition of eligibility (for France Tech Investor Visa applicants)
• Proof of ownership or at least 30% ownership of a company through which you’ll invest
• Evidence of creation or a commitment to create or protect jobs following the investment (letter of commitment stipulating investment plan and jobs to be created).
• Proof of direct investment or commitment to invest at least €300,000 in tangible and intangible assets over four years in France.

You’ll use your long-stay Business Investor visa and passport to apply for your residence permit in France.

You must pay the following fees when applying for a Talent Passport “Business Investor” Visa and residence permit.

• €99 long-stay entry visa fee
• €225 residence permit tax
• €25  stamp duty charge

You’ll pay the entry visa fee at the VAS in your home country. There may be other charges for additional services. You’ll pay the €225 tax and €25 stamp to Office français de l’immigration et de l’intégration – OFII (the French Immigration and Integration Office) when you receive your residence permit.

The French business investor resident permit is issued for four years upfront and remains valid as long as you continue meeting the requirements for the visa. The visa can be renewed for up to four years, depending on the success of the investment.

You can apply for permanent residence after residing in France for 5 years continuously.

If you wish to stay in France beyond four years, you must apply for a renewal at least three months before your residence permit expires. However, you must prove that you continue to meet the requirements for the permit. It could be:

• Documents showing that you’re continuing the investment, the amount invested so far, and jobs maintained or created by the investment in France in the last four years
• Evidence that you are investing in an eligible new project if the former investment has been completed.

You’ll also pay a €225 residence permit extension tax. Processing your residence permit renewal application can take up to two months.

If your professional situation changes while in France, you may be considered for a status change if you apply for another Talent Passport. In this case, you must apply for a status change on the French Interior Ministry’s website at least three months before your residence permit expires.

If you’re changing to another type of residence permit, you can apply at the Prefecture closest to you at least two months before your residence permit expires. You’ll have to prove your eligibility for the new residence permit requested.

The Talent Passport Investor Visa lets you bring your spouse and dependent children under 18 to France. Each family member must apply for their visa independently as accompanying family of the investor and provide proof of family relationship. The long-stay visa costs €99 each.

Upon arrival in France, your spouse will apply for an accompanying spouse residence permit. The residence permit is also valid for four years and grants the spouse a right to free employment in France.

Your children are also entitled to public education. The accompanying spouse residence permit costs €225.