France · Talent & extraordinary ability
Talent Residence Permit (Carte de séjour pluriannuelle 'Talent')
Open. Restructured and renamed from Passeport Talent to Talent by the immigration law of 26 January 2024, which consolidated the categories. Residence permit fees changed from 1 May 2026.
France quietly offers what Portugal just took away. Naturalisation after five years of residence, in a G7 economy, with no investment requirement. The real barriers are genuine French tax residency and a genuine B1 assimilation standard. But for a family actually willing to live in Europe, the Talent permit plus five years is now a faster passport than a Portuguese Golden Visa.
Qualifying routes
A master's degree or equivalent, along with a salary threshold indexed to the SMIC.
A salary threshold set at roughly 1.5x the average gross reference salary.
A hosting agreement with an approved research body. No investment required.
A EUR 30,000 investment in a real, viable project, along with resources at least equal to the SMIC.
A project recognised by a French public body. There is no fixed capital minimum.
For established artists, athletes and figures of national or international standing.
The facts
- Minimum
- €30k
- Total landed cost
- EUR 99 for the long-stay visa, plus EUR 150–350 for the residence permit fee and EUR 25 in stamp duty per person from 1 May 2026, plus legal and structuring costs. Categories built on an investment premise add that capital on top.
- Route type
- By qualification
- Timeline
- 2–6 months (Consular applications can be filed up to 3 months before arrival. In-country status changes must be filed between 4 and 2 months before the permit expires.)
- Physical presence
- Substantive. The Talent permit presupposes real activity in France.
- Family
- The spouse and minor children receive accompanying family status with full work rights, matching the main applicant's permit duration. This is unusually generous, and it is the route's best feature
- Permanent residency
- A 10-year resident card becomes available after 5 years of continuous residence.
- Citizenship
- 5 years of habitual residence, reduced to 2 for graduates of French higher education. Applicants need B1 French, an assimilation interview and a civics test.
- Language test
- B1 French, both oral and written, plus an assimilation interview and knowledge of French history, culture and society.
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- Non-EU/EEA/Swiss national.Meet the criteria of one specific Talent category.Clean criminal record.Proof of accommodation and resources.Long-stay visa (VLS-TS) unless changing status in France.OFII registration on arrival.
- French tax residency is comprehensive and expensive. Worldwide income is taxed at up to 49%, investment income carries a 30% flat tax, and CFC rules apply under Articles 209 B and 123 bis. Inheritance tax runs at 45% in the direct line. That last point is the sleeper issue for dynastic families, and it is far more punitive than Portugal or Spain.
- The impatriate regime must be planned before arrival. It requires 5 clear years of non-residence and is generally unavailable to someone who moved first and structured later.
- B1 French plus an assimilation interview is a real bar. This is not an A2 test.
- The 2024 immigration law reorganised the categories. Older advisory material that cites the old Passeport Talent subcategory names may no longer map to the current permit structure.
- Exit tax under Article 167 bis applies on departure if you hold securities above EUR 800k or 50% of a company. Leaving France is a taxable event, and it needs to be modelled at entry, not at exit.