Retirement Visa France

Whilst there is not a visa which is specifically for retirement in France, you may instead be eligible for a French residence permit with the ‘pensioner’ label, also known as a ‘Carte de Séjour’ for retirees. This is valid for 1 year and can be renewed as necessary.

Whilst this residence permit does not allow your family to join you, your spouse may be able to obtain a residence permit with the label ‘retired spouse’ if they legally reside with you in France.

Note that, if you do not already have legal residence in France, you will first need to obtain a Long-Stay visa. This will allow you to enter France with the intention of staying for longer than 90 days.

Once you enter France, you can then apply for a residence card at your local Prefecture (your local representative of the national government). This visa also acts as the equivalent of a Schengen visa, meaning that you can also visit other countries in the Schengen area for periods of up to 90 days.

In some cases, you may also choose to retire in France through obtaining an investment-based Talent Passport residence permit, or to apply for a French resident card.
In 2023, the French government increased the French retirement age from 62 to 64.

Page Contents

• How Can Australians Retire In France? Overview
• Eligibility Requirements To Retire In France As An Australian
• The Application Process For Obtaining Residency In France For Retirement
• Required Documents
• How Much Does It Cost?
• Taking Family With You In France
• French Permanent Residency & Citizenship
• How Can Total Law Help?
• Frequently Asked Questions

In order to be eligible to receive the retirement residence permit in France, you will need to satisfy the following eligibility criteria:

• If you are entering France in order to retire, you will need to obtain a French Long-Stay visa. If you are already in France legally, you will not need a new visa but must instead be established in France with a valid residence permit
• You will need to either have an established habitual residence in France, or be in the process of establishing one

In order to be eligible for the Talent Passport with the ‘Business Investor’ label, on the other hand, you will need to satisfy different criteria. These are as follows:

• You can invest either personally, through your company, or through a company for which you own at least 30% of the shares
• You are either actively creating or protecting jobs within France, or are committed to doing so
• You are investing at least €300,000 in assets, or are committed to doing so

Note that you will not require permission to retire in France if you are a citizen of the EU. EU citizens are entitled to live, work, and study in any EU member state, without requiring a visa.

There are a number of steps associated with retiring in France. These will vary based on your specific circumstances, but will generally be as follows:

If you do not already legally reside in France, you will first need to apply for a French Long-Stay visa. In order to do so, you must apply to your local French consular services. In Australia, these can be found in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide. There is also an embassy in Canberra, but this only processes diplomatic and official visas.

Once you have arrived in France, you will then need to apply for a residence permit. If you are already based in France and have a valid residence permit, you will need to apply for your new residence permit within 2 months of the expiry of your current card.

You will generally need to contact your local Prefecture in order to obtain a new permit, but this will depend on where exactly you live within France.

If your application is successful, your Prefecture will then provide you with your residence permit for pensioners. This can be renewed upon expiry, so long as you continue to satisfy the eligibility criteria.

If you are planning to retire in France, there are a number of necessary documents which you will need to provide. These are generally as follows:

• Long-Stay visa
• Passport
• Proof of address from within the last 6 months
• 3 photos, to the French specifications
• Proof of French health insurance
• Proof that you have the financial means to support yourself
• In some cases, proof that you have family in France has also been reported to increase the chance of a retirement residence card being granted

If you are applying for an investment-based residence permit, you will also need to provide evidence of your investments, which will be verified by the French authorities.

Note that you may be asked to provide additional documents as part of your application, and the exact documents which are required will depend on the route which you are using.

The exact costs associated with your application will depend on the route which you are taking.

When applying for a French retirement residence permit, you will need to pay a stamp duty of €25. If you are entering France via a long stay visitor visa and need to apply for a Long-Stay visa, the cost is likely to be around €99. If you are applying for a resident card, you will generally need to pay a tax of €200, in addition to €25 in stamp duty.

There may also be additional costs associated with your application, for example if you need to have your documents translated into French. You may also choose to pay for legal assistance with your application. Contact Total Law today on +44 (0)333 305 9375 to learn more about how we can help you with this.

Whether or not your family is authorised to join you in France will depend on your specific immigration status.

If you are able to successfully obtain a residence permit for pensioners, you will not be able to bring your family with you to France. However, your spouse may be entitled to their own residence permit, if they legally reside with you in France.

If you obtain an investment-based Talent Passport, your spouse and any dependent children will be able to join you. Your spouse will need to apply for a Talent Passport with the ‘family’ label.

If you have a resident card, your immediate family will be able to join you once you have resided in the country for 18 months, under the family reunification route.

After residing in France for an extended period, you may be eligible for permanent settlement. You can settle in France using the French resident card. This card allows you to live in France for a period of 10 years, and can be renewed once the 10 years have elapsed.

In order to be eligible for this resident card, you will generally need to satisfy the following eligibility criteria:

• You have lived in France for at least 5 years, and did so under one of the residence permits which is eligible under this route
• You have French health insurance
• You have sufficient financial means to support yourself which are at least equal to France’s minimum wage. The French minimum wage is €21,203.00
• You have successfully integrated into French society

As noted above, you will generally need to have resided legally and continuously in France for at least 5 years. Note that, whilst the Investor Talent Passport does count towards these 5 years, the residence permit for pensioners does not.

After residing legally in France for at least 5 years, you may also be eligible for French citizenship. This will allow you to live in France permanently, without immigration restrictions, and to vote in French elections. You will also gain access to the benefits of EU citizenship, such as the right to live, work, and study in any EU member state.