France does not have a digital nomad visa at the legislative level. However, in this European country, there are alternative programs for self-employed individuals that allow them to live and provide services privately.
Current relocation programs in France in 2025:
- Freelance Visa (Entrepreneur/profession libérale);
- Working Holiday Visa (Vacances-Travail);
- Talent Visa (Passeport talent – Artistique et culturelle).
Each program provides a freelancer with a residence permit and offers a differentiated set of benefits. For potential participants in the digital nomad analog program, the most practical cities are considered to be Paris and Lyon. The French capital is abundant with coworking spaces, and the administrative center of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region and Paris are connected by one of the highest-speed communication lines (400 Gb per second).
Freelance Visa Specifics
The Professional Freelancer Visa (Profession Libérale) is geared towards freelancers and those involved in industrial, commercial, and craft activities. The document allows legal residence in the Fifth Republic and conducting business for a year.
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However, the applicant faces strict requirements regarding financial guarantees and the profitability of the business activity. The monthly profit must not be below the minimum wage in France (1,747 euros). In the absence of monthly profit, one can verify financial support with a bank statement for the year (minimum deposit amount – 21,000 euros). The business activity must be registered with the Social Security and Family Assistance Fund Collection Bureau (URSSAF).
If the applicant is applying for a working holiday visa, the financial support conditions are similar to those in the Profession Libérale program. Foreign guests aged 18 to 35 years from fifteen countries with which France has bilateral agreements can apply for the Vacances-Travail. Vacances-Travail is issued for 1 year.
For the self-employed going to France under the Passeport talent – Artistique et culturelle program, differentiated financial guarantee conditions are provided. In particular, a certified specialist must receive a salary not less than 1.5 times the average monthly gross salary established in France. Entrepreneurs seeking the Talent Visa must develop an industrial, craft, or commercial business project and invest at least 30,000 euros in it.
Freelancer Taxation
For applicants participating in the digital nomad analog programs, French authorities have provided a progressive income tax scale. A zero tax rate applies if the freelancer’s income profit does not exceed 10,770 euros per year. The maximum tax rate (45%) is imposed on those whose profit exceeded 169,000 euros per year.
Visa Costs
The consular fee for processing an analog freelancer visa in France is 99 euros. Services of the visa center will additionally cost the self-employed 35.5 euros (service fee).
Required Documents
For applying to the analog program of the digital nomad visa, the applicant will need:
- Application form;
- International passport;
- National ID passport;
- Biometric data;
- Color photo 3.5 x 4.5 cm (3 copies);
- Certificate of no criminal record;
- Rental agreement;
- Business project plan;
- Documents confirming financial guarantees (bank statement, proof of income and expenses);
- Cover letter explaining the need to move to France.
The list of documents may be expanded depending on the specifics of the chosen relocation program. For instance, applicants for Entrepreneur/profession libérale must fill out a special CERFA form No. 13473*01 – “Retail trader, craftsman, manufacturer”.
Recent Changes in Visa Issues with France
In 2024, not all program formats allowing remote work in the French state are available. In particular, the French authorities have not provided the possibility of issuing a working holiday visa to compatriots.
Popularity statistics for Digital Nomad Visa to France
According to open data from Google Trends, in the third quarter of 2024, the demand for a nomad visa to the Fifth Republic decreased, but by the fall there were trends of active growth in interest in the program.
Frequently Asked Questions
The visa for entrepreneurs and persons of a free profession (entrepreneur/profession libérale) is valid for 1 year from the date of issue. For comparison, some other special visas, such as Talent Passport, can be issued for up to 4 years.
Visa applications should be submitted no earlier than 6 months and no later than 15 days before the scheduled start of the trip. This is a general rule for all types of French visas, including visas for freelancers. It is recommended to start the registration process in advance, taking into account possible delays in processing documents.
The official deadline for reviewing documents is up to 15 days. In some cases, the process can take up to 3 weeks.
Upon arrival in France, you must request a visa confirmation within 15 days. This is a prerequisite for maintaining the validity of an entrepreneur/professional visa. Failure to comply with the requirement may lead to further legalization of the stay.
Making an appointment to submit documents can be a difficult procedure, as free slots appear rarely and run out quickly. For Moscow and St. Petersburg, free places in the calendar are usually opened 1-2 times a week. For other cities – about once every few weeks or even once a month. There is no exact schedule for the appearance of seats.
The full registration process can take from several weeks to several months. According to the applicants’ experience, the waiting period can be about 1.5 months.
After obtaining a visa and arriving in France, it is necessary to convert the visa into a residence permit. Applications for a residence permit are considered within 1-2 months. After submitting the application, a temporary residence permit is issued, and the resident’s plastic ID card is mailed after 1-2 months.
An application for an extension must be submitted 3 months before the expiration date of the current residence permit. In this case, you will need to provide documents confirming the effectiveness of the work / business and the achievement of previously stated conditions.
After 5 years of legal and continuous residence in France, you can apply for a long-term residence permit.
You must provide either a statement of monthly income of at least SMIC (1,747€), or a bank statement for the year with a balance of at least 21,000€. Sponsorship financing requires a notarized letter with the sponsor’s financial documents attached.
For regulated professions (doctors, lawyers, architects), diplomas and certificates translated into French and certified with an apostille are required. Representatives of creative professions need a portfolio of works and recommendations from relevant organizations.
All documents must have a notarized translation into French or English. The exception is international forms (bank statements, insurance policies), which can be provided in English without additional translation.
It is mandatory to provide a rental agreement for a period of at least 12 months or a letter of guarantee from the host party. To reduce costs, it is allowed to confirm residence with relatives or partners, provided that an appropriate invitation is issued.
Yes, you need to apply for a policy that is valid throughout the Schengen area and covers the costs of treatment, hospitalization and repatriation.
The certificate of absence of a criminal record issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia must be accompanied by an apostille and a translation. The document must be received no earlier than 3 months before the application is submitted.
It is recommended to attach documents on property, certificates of marital status, employment contracts or agreements with clients demonstrating the intention to return.
Within 15 days, you must submit a visa confirmation to the OFII (French Immigration Office), undergo a medical examination and sign an integration agreement. To extend the residence permit, you will need to provide a report on the activities for the year, tax returns and updated financial documents.
The full cost consists of the consular fee (99€ for long-term visas), the service fee of the visa application center (29.5€), additional costs for the translation of documents (from 16€ per page) and notarization (from 30€).
A long-term entrepreneur/profession libérale visa is subject to a fee of €99. Children under 6 years old are exempt from payment, and for persons from 6 to 12 years old there is a discounted rate of 50 €.
Mandatory expenses include:
- Medical insurance with coverage from 30,000 € (from 1 €/day);
- Rental of housing (the average cost in Paris is 1200 €/month);
- Translation of documents into French (160€ per full package);
- Notarization of a criminal record certificate (48€).
The applicant must confirm a monthly income of 1,747 € (SMIC) or a deposit of 21,000€. For a Visiteur visa, the minimum threshold is 1,800 €/month or 21,600 €/year. Sponsorship requires a notarized letter with the sponsor’s documents attached.
The minimum rental period is 12 months. In Lyon, the average cost of a 1-room apartment is 800 €/month, in Paris – 1,200 €/month. The alternative is to buy a property with a living area of 9 m2 or more. The minimum price of the property starts from 150,000€.
Upon arrival in France, you must pay the stamp duty for issuing a resident’s card (€225). The annual renewal requires the provision of updated financial documents and the payment of an administrative fee (100€).
The consular and service fees are non-refundable.
- Courier delivery of documents (5 €/package);
- Diploma legalization via apostille (≈80€);
- Opening an account in a French bank (100-300€);
- Annual contributions to URSSAF (Union for the Restoration of Social Security and Family Benefits) (≈40% of income) – if applicable.
It is possible to obtain French citizenship through a freelance visa, but this process is multi-step and requires long-term legal residence in the country.
- A freelance visa (VLS-TS “entrepreneur/profession libérale”) allows you to obtain a long-term residence permit for a period of 1 year with the possibility of annual renewal.
- After 5 years of continuous legal residence in France on the basis of a residence permit (including a freelance visa), you can apply for permanent residence (carte de resident).
- After 10 years of residence, you have the right to apply for naturalization citizenship if all the requirements are met (integration into society, knowledge of the French language, no criminal record, stable income and payment of taxes).
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