A free PDF guide — a card for 4 years
A guide to the PasseportTalent of France
A multi-year status for specialists, founders and investors: a card for 4 years from the start, the right to work and the family moving in one pack. We set out the three grounds, the requirements and how to file.
- PDF in English
- Free of charge
- Verified on 12.08.2026
- Sent by email, WhatsApp or Telegram
Preliminary information is not a guarantee of approval. The decision lies with the consulate and the prefecture.
01 / The essentials first
What to know about the category
Four things that decide which ground to take and what goes into the file.
- One card, several grounds
The Passeport Talent is an umbrella: a qualified specialist with an offer, the founder of an innovative project, an investor in a French company. Each has its own conditions; the card is the same.
- A card for 4 years from the start
Not a one-year permit renewed annually but a multi-year status from the outset. That noticeably lightens the paperwork for the family.
- The family in one pack
A spouse and minor children take the «famille accompagnante» card with the applicant, and the spouse may work without a separate permit.
- A path to permanent residence and citizenship
After 5 years of residence long-term residence opens, and with an actual move the right to apply for naturalisation as well.
02 / The budget
What your ground will require
Choose the ground and the family: we will show what is required in money and the costs of the process.
03 / Three grounds
A specialist, a founder or an investor
The card is the same, but what you evidence and which French party is involved differ.
The values were checked against the official material on 12.08.2026. Only the rows for which there is no official wording are marked separately.
| Criterion | A specialistAn offer from a French company | A founderAn innovative project from €30,000 | An investorDirect investment from €300,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Investment | not required | from €30,000 | from €300,000 |
| What you evidence | the degree, the experience and the salary under the contract | the project and its recognition as innovative | the investment in the company and the jobs |
| Who takes part | the employer | a state accelerator or the ministry | the French company |
| The term of the card | 4 years | 4 years | 4 years |
| The right to work | for the employer under the contract | in your own project | in your own company |
| The family | the accompanying-family card | the accompanying-family card | the accompanying-family card |
| Who it usually suitsA BRIDGES estimate | You have an offer in France | You have a technology project | You are ready to invest in a business |
- Investment
- not required
- from €30,000
- What you evidence
- the degree, the experience and the salary under the contract
- the project and its recognition as innovative
- Who takes part
- the employer
- a state accelerator or the ministry
- The term of the card
- 4 years
- 4 years
- The right to work
- for the employer under the contract
- in your own project
- The family
- the accompanying-family card
- the accompanying-family card
- Who it usually suitsA BRIDGES estimate
- You have an offer in France
- You have a technology project
On every ground the card is tied to it: at renewal it is checked whether the thing the status was granted for still holds.
04 / The country
What the country looks like
Briefly about the country and about what sets the terms of the category.
- The essentials firstThe key facts of the programme: what decides the matter.
- A comparisonThe options and the terms of the programme in one table.
- How the work runsThe process step by step — from the check to the documents.
- The analysisWhat is checked before the status is granted.
- The limitsWhat affects the timings, the costs and keeping the status.
- Your teamWho runs the case and what each specialist answers for.
05 / The order of work
How the process runs
The ground is chosen first: the documents and the French party to the case both follow from it.
- Choosing the ground
Specialist, founder or investor: the whole pack of documents and the parties involved follow from it.
- Building the file
The degree and the contract, or the description of the project, or the documents on the investment and the jobs plan.
- Confirmation from France
The employer, the accelerator or the company confirms its part: without the French side there is no case.
- Filing at the consulate
The application for the long-stay visa marked Passeport Talent, through France-Visas and the consulate.
- Entry and the OFII
Entry on the visa, registration with the migration office, the medical and administrative formalities.
- The four-year card
The Passeport Talent card is issued. The whole process takes 2-3 months.
07 / The check
What is examined in the file
The qualifications or the project, the financial side and the documents of the French party.
- Qualifications or the project
A master’s degree or five years of experience for a specialist; an appraisal of the project for a founder.
- The financial side
A salary no lower than the level set, investment in the project, or evidenced investment in the company.
- The French party
The employer, the accelerator or the company: their documents are half the file.
- The family pack
Marriage and birth certificates, translated and apostilled, and proof of housing.
There is no file without a French party: the employer, the accelerator or the company confirms its part.
08 / The limits
What to take into account in advance
Five limits that bear on renewal and on your plans after the move.
The ground has to holdThe card is tied to it
Losing the job, closing the project or exiting the investment puts the status in doubt at renewal.
The project is appraisedThe ministry confirms that it is innovative
A founder needs not any business but a project recognised as innovative.
Real residence is requiredFor permanent residence and citizenship
Long-term status and naturalisation count the actual years lived in France, not the holding of a card.
The language will be neededRequired for naturalisation
The card needs no language, but citizenship requires French evidenced by examination.
Tax residenceIt begins on the move
Living in France means worldwide income is taxed — that is planned before the move.
09 / Your team
Who runs your case
The work is led by specialists who deal with the French consulates and prefectures.
The editorial record
The material was prepared and checked by
- First published
- 12 August 2026
- Last updated
- 12 August 2026
The official sources
- France-Visas: the Passeport TalentThe Ministry of the Interior of France · checked 12.08.2026The grounds of the category, the set of documents and how to apply.
- CESEDA — the code on the entry and stay of foreignersLégifrance · checked 12.08.2026The legal basis of the multi-year card and the requirements on applicants.
- The French administration: the multi-year residence cardService-Public.fr · checked 12.08.2026How the card is issued and renewed, and the status of the accompanying family.
10 / Common questions
Questions about the Passeport Talent
Does any money have to be invested?
It depends on the ground: a specialist needs no investment, a founder from €30,000 in the project, an investor from €300,000 in a French company.
How long is the card granted for?
For 4 years from the start, renewed while the ground holds.
May I work?
Yes. The right to work is part of the status: for the employer under the contract, in your own project, or in your own company.
What about the family?
A spouse and minor children take the accompanying-family card, and the spouse may work without a separate permit.
Is French needed?
For the card, no. For naturalisation the language is evidenced by examination.
When does permanent residence open?
After 5 years of lawful residence — long-term residence; citizenship is considered on an actual move and integration.
How long does the process take?
2-3 months with the file ready and confirmation from the French party.
What happens if the ground falls away?
The card is tied to the ground: if you lose the job or the project closes, the status is revisited at renewal.
Free of charge
Take the guide and an analysis of your ground
We will send the PDF with the requirements of each ground and a preliminary analysis of your case.
- Every ground of the category and what each of them evidences
- The requirements on salary, project and investment
- How to file and how long it takes
- The terms for the family and the path to permanent residence