France Tech Visa
The French Tech Visa allows international tech sector talent to settle in France. If you’re an employee, a founder or an entrepreneur looking to work in a tech company or establish a startup in France, you may be eligible for the French Tech Visa.
For more information on the French Tech Visa requirements and how to apply, call Total Law on +33 187653350 or use our live chat.
An Overview of the French Tech Visa
The French Tech Visa is initially granted for four years, after which it can be renewed.
The residence permit under the Tech Visa is called the ‘titre de séjour Passeport Talents’. This Long-Stay Visa aims to encourage start-up growth by offering all recruiting companies access to international talent.
If you are a start-up founder of a tech company in France and want to recruit an overseas worker, you must provide them with an employment contract before they can apply for the French Tech Visa.
To be eligible, your employee must make a gross annual salary of at least twice the minimum wage (€39,582.00).
The Ministry of the Economy and Finance must recognise your company as innovative. Foreign employees working for your company for over three months must apply for a Long-Stay Visa to live and work legally in France.
The Multi-Talent Passport Residence Permit is equivalent to a work permit.
Page Contents
- An Overview of the French Tech Visa
- Innovative New Company Status
- French Tech Visa: Application Requirements for Employers
- French Tech Visa: Application Requirements for Employees
- French Tech Visa: Application Process
- Cost of the French Tech Visa Application
- Renewing the French Tech Visa
- How Can Total Law Help?
- FAQs
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Innovative New Company Status
If your company is recognised as an innovative new company and recruits foreign talent for a research and development project of your company, the candidate may also be eligible for a Passeport Talent: Employee of a Young Innovative Company.
To be recognised as innovative, your company must meet one of the following:
- Benefit or have benefited from public support for innovation for the last five years
- Have all or part of its funding owned by an investment entity focused on financing or investing in innovative businesses
- Over the last five years, have been supported by a support structure dedicated to innovative companies.
French Tech Visa: Application Requirements for Employers
Overview
This France Visa for Founders is designed for individuals from countries outside the European Union, the European Economic Area, and Switzerland. This pathway may be suitable if you want to pursue your innovative project and grow your startup in France by creating French Tech Visa jobs.
As a founder of a foreign start-up, you can apply for the status of “Talent Passport Holder of an Innovative Economic Project Recognised by a Public Body”, which will allow you to stay in France for up to four years.
Eligibility Criteria for French Tech Visa for Founders
To apply for the French Tech Visa for Founders, you must show your eligibility by proving:
- Your development of an innovative economic project in France
- Recognition of your innovative economic initiative by a governmental entity, such as the state, local government, public institutions, and more.
- Sufficient financial means following the Salaire Minimum de Croissance
French Tech Visa: Application Requirements for Employees
If your company is looking to employ non-EU, EEA or Swiss workers, they may be eligible for the French Tech Visa for Employees.
Eligibility Criteria for Talent Passport: Employee of a Young Innovative Company
To be eligible, the applicant must prove the following:
- Receive a gross annual pay of at least twice the gross annual minimum wage
- A permanent or a fixed-term employment contract for a minimum of three months with an innovative new company based in France
- An active participation in the Research and Development of the company
- Your status as an employer of an innovative new company – your company must be less than 11 years old, employ less than 250 people, and have a turnover of less than €50 million.
If you’re still determining whether your employee is eligible for the French Tech Visa, contact Total Law immigration advisers for professional advice and help determine your company’s or employee’s eligibility.
French Tech Visa: Application Process
The application process should start no earlier than three months before your employee arrives in France. If the employee already resides in France, they may initiate the application three months before their previous residence permit expires.
French Tech Visa Application Process for the Employer
The first step in the application process for the French Tech Visa requires you (the employer) to request a certificate recognising the innovative nature of your company. The certificate is designed to show that your company meets one of the three criteria for the New Innovative Company status.
Along with the application, you will be required to provide the following to demonstrate that you meet the eligibility criteria:
- A sworn statement that the company benefits or has benefited over the last five years from innovation aid
- A document issued by the investment entity demonstrating adequate financing of your company
- The hosting contract attesting the support of the company over the last five years
French Tech Visa Application Process for the Employee
Once the certificate is obtained, the employee should attach it as one of the supporting documents for the Long-Stay Visa application.
If the employee resides outside France, they must contact the French Consulate in the country nearest to where they reside. The consular authorities will guide the foreign employee on accessing the application for a “Talent Passport” Long-Stay Visa through the official France Visas website.
When the employee arrives in France, they must apply for a “Talent Passport” Residence Permit via the Ministry of the Interior website.
Applicants living in France under a different Residence Permit must request a status change via the Ministry of the Interior website dedicated platform.
It is possible to track the status of their application through their online account.
Once the French Tech Visa has been granted, the applicant will be provided with a date to attend an appointment at the Prefecture to collect the Residence Permit.
Cost of the French Tech Visa Application
The cost for the Longs-Stay Visa in France is €99.
Applicants must submit a payment of €300 to the French Immigration and Citizenship Office (OFII) to issue the Residence Permit, and there is a stamp duty fee of €50.
Renewing the French Tech Visa
The French Tech Visa can be renewed online by accessing the French Ministry of the Interior website.
A request for renewal of the visa must be made within three months before the expiration of the current residence permit. Applicants must provide supporting documents for their visa renewal application to demonstrate that they continue to meet the conditions for visa extension.
Additionally, applicants must also provide a certificate of activity from the employer they work for or a certificate of professional activity from the last 12 months.
The cost of the French Tech Visa extension is €225.
How Can Total Law Help?
Employing foreign talent through the Talent Passport Program offers a range of opportunities for both foreign talent and the development of your company. However, the application process for a French Tech Visa can be complicated.
If you are an employer looking to recruit a foreign national but need clarification on the visa application process, the Total Law team of experienced immigration advisers can assess your employee’s eligibility for the Tech Visa. We can also determine what documents are required for their application and provide guidance through the visa renewal process.
For more information on how Total Law can help your case, call +33 187653350 or contact us online.
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Related pages for your continued reading.
FAQs
If you switch jobs with a Talent Passport, you must restart the visa process with the new company sponsoring you.
Yes, the Talent Passport includes the applicant’s family. It allows your family to accompany you while you live and work in France. Your family must apply for the Talent Passport – Family Residence Permit, which costs €225 for the spouse and €99 for each family member.
The processing time for a Talent Passport application is two to three weeks. The exact processing time depends on the applicant’s nationality.
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