France Talent Passport: Eligibility & Application Process

Qualified employee

You can apply for a Talent Passport as a qualified employee if you meet these two criteria:

• You have earned a professional licence, a Specialized Master’s Degree, or a Master of Science in France, or have a degree that’s at least equivalent to a master’s degree.
• You have a French employment contract for more than three months with an annual gross salary of €41,933 or more.

Recruitment in an innovative company

To obtain a Talent Passport residence card under the “innovative company” category while working as an employee, ensure you meet these criteria:

• You should be hired by either a new innovative company or a company that the Ministry of Economy acknowledges as innovative.
• Your job role should be directly involved with the company’s research and development project.
• Your employment contract should guarantee a gross annual salary of at least €41,933.

Highly skilled employment

To get a Talent Passport residence card – EU Blue Card – for employment purposes, you should be a highly skilled individual.

You need to fulfil these three criteria:

• Hold a diploma from a three-year higher education program or have five years of equivalent professional experience.
• Secure an employment contract for a minimum of one year.
• Earn a gross yearly salary of at least €53,836.50.

Additionally, if you have lived in another EU country with a European Blue Card for a minimum of 18 months, you are eligible for this card. Make sure to apply within a month of arriving in France with a long stay visa.

Employee on assignment

To obtain a talent passport permit as an assigned worker, you must meet these criteria:

• You work for a foreign company and move to France to work for a French company belonging to the same group, either within the different sites of the same company or within different companies of the same group (intra-group transfer).
• You have been employed by the group for at least three months.
• You have an employment contract with the French employer.
• You earn a gross annual salary of at least €37,739.52.

Researcher

To get a “talent passport – researcher” residence card as an employed individual in France, ensure you meet these criteria:

• Hold a degree that’s at least at the master’s level.
• Travel to France for research work or to teach at a university.
• Have an agreement with a recognized research or higher education entity in France, confirming your role as a researcher and detailing the aim and length of your stay. If your research involves visiting another EU country, your agreement should mention your involvement in a mobility program. In such a case, you can apply for a “talent passport – researcher – mobility programme” residence card.

Creating a company

You can get a “talent passport” residence card for starting a business creation project, with your eligibility for this business creation project depending on the fulfilment of these two requirements:

• You either have a degree that’s at least at the master’s level, or have five years of similar level professional experience.
• You have a solid and genuine plan to start a commercial, artisanal, or industrial business in France.

Innovative project recognised by a public body

You can get a Talent Passport residence card for an innovative economic project if a public body acknowledges your project as innovative.

Investor

To get the “talent passport” residence card for economic investment, you need to directly invest in a French company. Here are the criteria for two scenarios:

Investing through a company:

• Run the company yourself or own at least 30% of its shares.
• Aim to create or retain jobs within four years of your investment.
• Your investment in physical or non-physical assets should be €300,000 or more.

Investing personally:

• Invest in a company and hold a lasting interest, with at least 10% of its shares.
• Aim to create or retain jobs within four years of your investment.
• Your investment in physical or non-physical assets should be €300,000 or more.

Social agent

To get a talent passport residence card as a social agent for commercial activities, make sure you:

• Are a legal representative in a France-based business
• Have worked there for at least 3 months as an employee or social agent in a related business
• Earn at least €62,899.20 per year

Artistic and cultural profession

You can obtain a Talent Passport residence card for artistic and cultural professions if you are an artist, performer or writer.

Person of international renown

You can get a Talent Passport residence card if you have a national or international reputation. You must come to France to work in a field such as science, literature, art, intellect, education or sport.

Once you’re sure that you meet all the eligibility criteria for the France Talent Passport mentioned in the previous section, how you subsequently start your application process depends on where you are now in relation to France.

If you live outside France, you must apply through the French consular authorities in your home country. Contact the visa department at the French embassy or consulate. If your trip is shorter than a year, they’ll give you a long-term residence visa called “talent passport”. Once you’re in France, make sure to validate this visa online within three months – it will then serve as your residence permit. For stays longer than a year, you’ll get a three-month “talent passport” visa. After arriving, you’ll need to apply online for your residence card.

If you’re already in France, the procedure is slightly different. You must apply online and make sure you do so 2 to 4 months before your current residence permit expires. This way, you avoid any last-minute rush or problems and have enough time to carefully check and make any changes.

Whether you’re making your application from France or from abroad, you must first gather all the required documents, which will be detailed in the next section. Each document is important as it helps determine your eligibility for the France Talent Passport.

Meanwhile, if your application is to start a business or an innovative project that a public body has acknowledged, you need to get an assessment of your project from your country’s economic ministry. This assessment is a necessary document for your application process.

The next step is to upload the required documents and submit your application online. In this task, you must carefully check that all the information is correct. Once you have submitted your application, you will immediately receive a confirmation email, which will also allow you to conveniently track and review your application online.

Once your application is approved, a fee of €225 will be due. Payment is made by purchasing tax stamps as described in the previous section. This step means that you’re financially securing the purchase of the France Talent Passport.

Finally, you must collect your residence card from the prefecture. This card signifies the beginning of the opportunities France has to offer and indicates that the application process for the France Talent Passport has been successfully completed.

Creating a company

• Your diploma (at least a master’s level) or proof of five years of relevant work experience.
• A completed “merchant, craftsman, industrialist” Cerfa Form.
• If you’re not living in France, get a criminal record statement from your home country.
• If you’re living in France, show proof of your income tax payments with a P237 slip.
• Describe your business idea, plan, and a budget for the next few years on plain paper.
• Any documents that show you can manage the business you’re planning.
• Proof of at least €30,000 invested in your new business, from your funds or a loan.
• A guarantee from a French bank or insurance company, or a statement showing you have enough funds in a French bank account.
• If you’re starting a business under your own name, provide a copy of a lease or sublease agreement that mentions the business activity, or get permission from the property owner or a copy of the domicile contract.
• If you’re taking over management, give a copy of the management lease agreement, a recent trade register excerpt from the previous manager, and a copy of the landowner’s lease.
• For a new French business:
  • A copy of the lease that describes the business activity and, if needed, permission from the property owner.
  • A draft of the business’s articles of association that details how the capital will be shared.
• If you’re setting up a French subsidiary of a foreign company:
  • Proof of the responsible party’s appointment or their intent to appoint.
  • The foreign company’s bylaws.
  • A copy of the lease and the draft of the articles of association as described above.
• If you’re establishing a foreign business entity in France, provide:
  • Proof of the appointment or a letter of intent to appoint from the responsible entity.
  • The foreign legal person’s bylaws.
• Show that you have financial resources at least equal to the French minimum wage.
• Provide proof of your company’s registration or your self-employment social security membership.

Innovative project recognised by a public body

• A statement from a public body confirming your project is innovative.
• Proof that a public body acknowledges your project.
• Evidence that your funding is at least equal to the minimum wage for full-time work.

Investor

• Evidence that you manage a company or own at least 30% of a business.
• Proof that you will create or maintain jobs within 4 years after investing in France.
• Confirmation that you have invested, or plan to invest, at least €300,000 in France.
• If your project involves your own money: a certificate showing you have deposited this money in your personal or business account with a bank in the European Union.
• If you plan to use a loan: a preliminary loan approval from a bank in the EU or a non-EU bank that follows the rules of the Monetary and Financial Code.
• If you have already made your investment: a document that shows you have transferred at least €300,000 to the business’s account.

Social agent

• Proof that you work as a representative in a company established in France.
• Your employment contract or another document confirming your function and showing that you have been employed for more than three months by a company belonging to the same group.
• Proof that your annual income before tax is at least €62,899.20.

Artistic and cultural profession

If you’re employed:

• Proof that you earn at least €1,223.04 per month for each month you intend to stay in France.
• For personal income: provide proof such as scholarships, pensions, rents, pensions or copyrights.
• For work in France: present your employment contract(s).
• Fill in your employer’s Cerfa form no. 15617 and prove that your job(s) will last at least 3 months within a 12-month period.

If you’re self-employed:

• Proof that you earn at least €1,223.04 per month for each month you intend to stay in France.
• For personal income: Provide evidence such as scholarships, pensions, rent or retirement benefits.
• For work in France: Provide contracts with an art gallery or commissioned work.
• Proof that you’re an artist or writer.
• Provide details about your project in France: what it is and how long it’ll take.

Person of international renown

• Proof that your income is at least equal to the minimum wage in France.
• Anything that shows you are known or respected in your field, e.g. awards, participation in festivals or recognition by peers.
• Details of your project in France, including the nature of the project, the reasons for undertaking it and the time period it will take.

To obtain the France Talent Passport, you must pay a fee of €225, which includes a tax stamp of €25 and a tax of €200. This mandatory fee is just the beginning, as you can expect additional costs for legal advice, translations and verification of the employment contract. For a full breakdown of costs, you should seek advice from immigration experts such as those of Total Law (Tel: +44 (0)333 305 9375) or French officials.

The processing time for a Talent Passport application in France is intended to be within 15 days from the acceptance of the application. However, it is not officially specified whether this timeframe is based on business or calendar days.