Updated August 11, 2026

FR-FI

Residency for a visiteur

Residency in Francethe visiteur

A long-stay visa for those who live in France on their own means. It is arranged in two to three months, gives life in Schengen and travel around Europe with no visas. Nothing has to be invested — a regular income is evidenced.

Get a preliminary assessment Go through your situation

The conditions are checked against France-Visas and article L426-20 of the CESEDA
Working since 2004
We run the visa, the OFII validation and the renewal

A French residence card under the visiteur visa

from €1,867 a monthSufficient means

2-3 monthsFrom filing to the visa

Citizenship after 5 yearsWith actual residence

01 / About the program

How the visiteur visa works

This is a long-stay national visa for third-country nationals who want to live in France for more than three months and not to work. The visa is issued for up to a year, validated after entry through the OFII migration office and then exchanged for a residence card.

An undertaking not to work

The applicant undertakes in writing not to carry on any professional activity in France. That is a condition of the status, not a formality: breaching it leads to a refusal on renewal.

Means of at least the minimum wage

France-Visas requires resources of at least the annual SMIC to be evidenced. From 1 June 2026 the SMIC is €1,867.02 a month gross, that is around €22,400 a year.

Housing and insurance are compulsory

A place of residence in France and medical insurance for the whole stay are evidenced. Without them the file is not accepted.

A visa for a year, then a residence card

The long-stay visa runs for no more than a year. After that the status is renewed in France itself — through the prefecture, on the same requirements as to means.

02 / What you get

What the visiteur status gives you

Life in France

The right to stay in the country for more than three months, to enter and leave freely and to move around Schengen for up to 90 days in every 180.

A status for the family

A spouse and children arrange their own visiteur visas or come in through family reunification. Means are evidenced for each of them.

Schools for the children

Children study in state schools on equal terms with local pupils. Medical insurance is compulsory for the whole stay.

The road to permanent residence

Five years of continuous lawful residence open up long-term residency. The years on the visiteur status count.

A change of ground

If work or a business appears, the status is changed to the corresponding permit — through the prefecture and where its conditions are met.

Tax planning

Living in France means tax residency with all its obligations. The regime is worked out before the move, together with a tax adviser.

A preliminary assessment

Calculate the budget for your family

Set out who is applying with you. With the calculation you get the full French picture: the means required for each adult, the budget for the move, the timeline and a plan of action.

Who is applying for the residence permit?

Get the calculation

about a minuteno calls and no obligationsconfidential

The full calculation for your family composition
The timeline for each stage of the process
A plan of action: where to start

A French residence card and a set of documents

03 / Why people apply

Why people arrange the visiteur visa

It is a status for those moving to France without intending to work there: pensioners, people living on their assets, families with school-age children and those running their affairs outside the country.

A move with no investment

France has no investment programme. The visiteur visa is the main route for those living on their own means.

Education for the children

State schools, lycées and universities at resident rates. For families that is the main reason to move.

Medicine and infrastructure

After a year of residence a resident can join the French health system on general terms.

A base in the European Union

The status gives life in a Schengen country, travel around Europe and access to French banks as a resident.

A path to a passport

Five years of residence open up the right to apply for citizenship by naturalisation with knowledge of the language and integration.

A clear requirement

The threshold is tied to the minimum wage and changes with it — with no hidden multipliers.

04 / Travel

Where you can travel on the visiteur status

The long-stay visa and the residence card give the right to live in France and travel around Schengen, but no right to work.

Mode 01

France without limits

Residence, entry and exit for the whole term of the status. The visa is validated at OFII after entry.

Mode 02

Schengen, 90 days in 180

Travel around the Schengen countries without a visa — up to 90 days in every 180.

Mode 03

Work is forbidden

Professional activity in France is not allowed. A change to a work status is possible through the prefecture where its conditions are met.

Mode 04

The rest of the world on your own passport

You travel to third countries on your passport of citizenship: that is what sets the visa regime, not the residence card.

Sources: the CESEDA, article L426-20, the France-Visas rules on long-stay visas and the Schengen Borders Code (Regulation (EU) 2016/399).

05 / The composition of the application

Who can obtain the status

Adults arrange their own visiteur visas and children enter with their parents. Open a row to see the conditions.

Over 18
Means of at least the annual SMIC
Medical insurance for the whole stay
A written undertaking not to work in France

Arranges their own visiteur visa
Evidences means on the same basis as the applicant
Also signs the undertaking not to work

They enter with their parents
They are enrolled in state schools
Supporting the children is taken into account in assessing the means

They arrange their own visiteur visas where they have their own means
Family reunification with parents is not provided for on this status
Each evidences insurance and housing

06 / Cost

What means have to be evidenced

The programme requires no investment. Resources of at least the annual minimum wage are evidenced — and housing in France.

A single applicant · the annual SMIC

€22,404

≈ $26,000

Evidenced The whole term of the visa

A pension, rent, dividends, savings or other regular receipts
A written undertaking not to work in France
Medical insurance for the whole stay
Proof of a place of residence in France

The applicant and a spouse · the annual SMIC each

€44,808

≈ $52,000

Evidenced The whole term of the visa

Each adult arranges their own visiteur visa
Means are evidenced for each applicant
The housing must match the number of occupants
Both sign the undertaking not to work

A family with children · the adults plus supporting the children

€44,808

≈ $52,000

Evidenced The whole term of the visa

The children enter with their parents and go to school
The requirement as to means is assessed taking the children’s support into account
Insurance is arranged for each family member
The exact amount is confirmed by the consulate where the application is filed

The composition of the application

The main applicant

Spouse

Minor children

Parents

The guide is given on a SMIC of €1,867.02 a month gross from 1 June 2026. France-Visas requires resources of at least the annual SMIC; the consulate assesses the evidence as a whole. On top of that come the visa fee, the OFII fee, the insurance, the housing and the support.

07 / Comparison

France against the neighbouring options

France compares with Spain and Italy: everywhere income is evidenced and work is forbidden, but the thresholds and the timelines differ.

	France	Spain	Italy	Portugal D7	Greece FIP
Requirement as to means	from the annual SMIC	from €28,800 a year	a guide of €31,000	from €11,040 a year	from €24,000 a year
The right to work	No	No	No	Yes	No
The term of the first status	up to 1 year	1 year	1 year	2 years	2 years
The qualifying period for permanent residence	5 years	5 years	5 years	5 years	5 years
The qualifying period for citizenship	5 years	10 years	10 years	10 years	7 years

The thresholds are given as at the date this page was updated. The French requirement is tied to the SMIC and changes with it. The conditions for the other countries are set out on their own pages.

Full program comparison →

10 / How it works

How the process works

STEP 1

The preliminary check

We go through the sources of income and work out whether they cover the annual SMIC for each adult in the family.

STEP 2

Housing and insurance

Proof of a place of residence in France and a policy for the whole stay. Both documents are compulsory at filing.

STEP 3

Filing through France-Visas

The form is completed online and the documents are filed at the visa centre for your place of residence, together with the undertaking not to work.

STEP 4

The visa and the entry

The long-stay visa is issued for up to a year. After entry it has to be validated at the OFII migration office.

STEP 5

The residence card

Before the visa expires an application is filed with the prefecture for a residence card on the same ground.

STEP 6

Renewal and planning

We run the renewals, the record of residence and the preparation for long-term residency and naturalisation.

The visiteur status rests on two things: your own means and an undertaking not to work.

FranceThe European Union and SchengenCESEDA, art. L426-20

Go through your situation

11 / Our role

Why people arrange the visiteur visa with us

The consulate assesses the file as a whole: the income, the housing, the insurance and the logic of the move. We assemble it so that no questions are left.

We calculate the means correctly

The requirement is tied to the SMIC and changes when it is revised. We work out the current sum for each adult and show how to cover it.

We prepare the housing and the insurance

We help with the lease and choose a policy the French visa centres accept.

We run OFII and the prefecture

After entry the visa is validated at OFII and the residence card is then arranged. The deadlines are tight and we keep them.

We plan the next step

The renewal, a change of ground if work appears, long-term residency and naturalisation after five years.

12 / Team

Who runs the French residency process

The application is run by a permanent team: an immigration lawyer, a documents specialist and a family coordinator.

Irena SokolovskaHead of Europe OfficeThe strategy for the programme and complex cases

Tomas LinderCompliance and AML OfficerRunning the application legally and the documents

Dmitry NagyInternational Tax ConsultantTaxes on the move and residency

Elena TitovaClient Relationship ManagerCoordinating the family and contact at every stage

15 / Materials

Useful materials on France

Materials on the visiteur visa: calculating the means, the documents and the order of filing.

The main materialPresentation

A French residence permit for a visiteur

The presentation gathers the essentials: the requirements as to means, the documents, the order of filing and what happens after entry.

Inside:

how much money is required for the family
what is accepted as evidence
what the requirements are as to housing and insurance
how the visa is validated at OFII
how to obtain the residence card
what happens on renewal
how work with BRIDGES is organised

PDF · free · current as of August 2026

A short check: whether the means cover every adult, whether you are ready not to work in France and whether you have housing.

The list for the applicant and each family member, marking what has to be translated and certified.

We calculate the means required, the budget for the move, the fees and the support.

All the materials are updated regularly by our team and are used when supporting BRIDGES clients.

16 / News

What has changed in the rules

2026-06-01

The SMIC was raised to €12.31 an hour — €1,867.02 a month gross. The means requirement for the visiteur visa rose with it.

2026-01-01

The scheduled indexation of the SMIC: €1,823.03 a month gross. The visiteur visa threshold is recalculated at every change.

Worth having

Download the France checklist

The short document we give clients before the start: the requirements as to means, the documents, the stages and the timelines.

Inside the document

The means required by family composition
The requirements as to housing and insurance
The current conditions for 2026

We will send it after a short form - no call or obligation.

17 / Questions

Answers to common questions

France-Visas requires means of at least the annual minimum wage. From 1 June 2026 the SMIC is €1,867.02 a month gross, that is around €22,400 a year per adult. The consulate assesses the evidence as a whole: income, savings and commitments.

No. The applicant undertakes in writing not to carry on any professional activity in France. That is a condition of the visa; if work appears the status is changed through the prefecture.

The long-stay visa runs for no more than one year. After entry it has to be validated at the OFII migration office, and before it expires an application for a residence card is filed with the prefecture.

Yes. A place of residence in France is evidenced — a lease, an ownership document or other proof the consulate accepts.

Each adult arranges their own visiteur visa and evidences means. Minor children enter with their parents, and supporting them is taken into account in assessing whether the means are sufficient.

Yes, medical insurance for the whole stay is compulsory. After a year of residence a resident can join the French health system on general terms.

Long-term residency after five years of continuous lawful residence. Naturalisation is also possible after five years with knowledge of the language and evidenced integration.

On moving, yes: residency arises from your main home and the centre of your interests. The tax plan is prepared before the move, not from the results of the first year.

Usually two to three months: preparing the file, the appointment at the visa centre and the consideration. The timeline depends on the workload of the particular centre.

There are no restrictions on citizenship, but the appointment and consideration times may be longer. Evidencing the origin of funds is gone through before filing.

INITIAL ASSESSMENT

Tell us what outcome your family needs

We will design a solution for your case, choose the country and the right status, and take the whole process through to the result.

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Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL

Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice