Updated

FR-TP

Talent and specialists

Residency in Franceby talent

A multi-year residence permit for specialists, founders and investors: a card for four years at once, the right to work and the family’s move in a single pack.

  • The conditions under the CESEDA code as in force
  • Working since 2004
  • We choose the ground to fit your profile
A French residence permit under the Passeport Talent programme
up to 4 yearsThe term of the card
no investmentOn the specialist ground
2-3 monthsTo the status

01 / About the program

How the Passeport Talent works

The Passeport Talent is not one programme but a group of grounds within a single status: a qualified specialist with an employment contract, the founder of an innovative company, an investor, a person of international standing, a seconded employee. The card is issued at once for up to four years, gives the right to work and lets the family move under a simplified procedure.

01

Several grounds

A specialist with a salary above the set threshold, a founder of a project, an investor, a figure in science and the arts. Each has its own requirements; the status is the same.

02

A card for four years at once

There is no need to renew documents every year as on ordinary grounds. That makes a family’s life noticeably simpler.

03

The family under a simplified procedure

A spouse and minor children receive the “family of a talent” status with the right to work — without the general reunification procedure.

04

A path to permanent residence and citizenship

After five years of residence the long-term resident status opens up, and naturalisation is then possible with knowledge of the language and integration.

02 / What you get

What the Passeport Talent gives you

Four years with no renewals

One of the longest first terms among European work statuses.

The right to work

The status allows work on the ground on which it was issued — under a contract, in your own company or on a project.

Work for the spouse

The spouse receives the “family of a talent” card with the right to work in France without a separate permit.

Schengen without a visa

Travel around the Schengen area for up to 90 days in every 180.

Education and medicine

Children study in French and international schools and the family uses the health system.

The ground can be changed

On a change of job or a move to your own project the status is reissued on another ground within the same programme.

A preliminary assessment

Find the ground that fits your profile

Set out who is moving with you. At the review we choose the ground within the programme, check the requirements and show the timeline by stage and a plan of action.

Who is moving?

Get the assessment

about a minuteno calls and no obligationsconfidential

  • The ground chosen for your profile
  • The requirements and thresholds as at the date of filing
  • A plan of action: where to start
A French residence permit and a set of documents

03 / Why people apply

Why people arrange the Passeport Talent

France is chosen by those who genuinely move to work or to launch a project: the status is long and the family moves at once and with the right to work.

A long status

Four years is a horizon on which you can plan a school, a mortgage and the growth of a project.

The spouse is not left idle

The right to work for a spouse is a rarity among European work statuses and a frequent reason for choosing France.

A project rather than capital

On the founder ground what is assessed is how innovative and viable the project is, not the size of the investment.

A strong labour market

International companies, research centres, engineering and medical schools.

Education for the children

State schools, lycées and universities at a cost that is affordable for residents.

The prospect of citizenship

After five years the long-term status, and then naturalisation with integration and knowledge of the language.

04 / Travel

What the residence card gives you for travel

The Passeport Talent card gives the right to live and work in France and to travel around the Schengen area, but it is not citizenship.

Mode 01

France without limits

Residence and work on the ground on which the status was issued, for all four years of the card.

Mode 02

Schengen, 90 days in 180

Travel around the Schengen countries without a visa. The card does not give the right to work in other EU countries.

Mode 03

Changing the ground

On a move from employment to your own project the status is reissued within the programme, without leaving the country.

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.

Sources: the code on the entry and stay of foreigners and the right of asylum (CESEDA) as regards the multi-year Passeport Talent card. The pay thresholds are tied to the minimum wage and reviewed annually.

05 / The composition of the application

Who moves with you

The family receives a separate “family of a talent” card with the right to work. Open a row to see the conditions.

  • Meets one of the grounds of the programme
  • A degree or confirmed professional experience
  • Proof of income or of funds for the project
  • No convictions and no ban on entering the Schengen area
  • In a registered marriage
  • Receives the “family of a talent” card with the right to work in France
  • The children of the applicant or the spouse
  • They study in French or international schools
  • They are not covered by the programme
  • Separate grounds are found for them
  • We go through it individually

06 / Cost

What the Passeport Talent costs

The costs depend on the ground. On the specialist and founder lines no investment is required; on the investor line a monetary threshold applies.

A qualified specialist · no investment

No investment is required

No investment is required

Holding period The term of the employment contract

  • A master’s degree or comparable experience
  • An employment contract with a French employer for a year or more
  • A salary above the set threshold, tied to the minimum wage
  • The labour market priority procedure does not apply
  • The card is issued for up to four years

The founder of a company · an innovative project

€30,000

≈ $35,000

Holding period The whole time the status is in force

  • The project is recognised as innovative by the responsible state body
  • A degree or experience and the funds to carry the project out are confirmed
  • Personal involvement in running the project is required
  • The investment threshold is lower than in most European programmes

Ground

The main applicant
1
Spouse
0
Minor children
0
Parents and adult children
0

The salary thresholds are tied to the French minimum wage and reviewed annually — the exact values are checked as at the date of filing. The consular and administrative fees, the stamp duty on issue of the card, legalisation and translation of documents and the support are payable. This is a preliminary calculation, not a decision of a state authority.

07 / Comparison

France against other statuses

A specialist or a founder has several European paths. Here are the main parameters side by side.

FranceSwitzerlandPortugalHungaryUS O-1
The term of the first card4 years1-5 years2 years1-2 years3 years
Investment requiredNo on the specialist lineNofrom €200,000NoNo
Work for the spouseYesYesYesYesNo
QuotasNoYesNoNoNo
Processing time2-3 months2-4 months6-18 months2-3 months2-4 months

The data are given as at the date this page was updated and are checked again before the agreement is signed.

Full program comparison →

10 / How it works

How the Passeport Talent process works

STEP 1

Choosing the ground

We go through the profile: education, experience, whether there is an employer or a project. The ground sets the requirements and the whole route that follows.

STEP 2

Preparing the basis

For a specialist, the employment contract and proof of salary; for a founder, the project and its recognition as innovative; for an investor, the structure of the investment.

STEP 3

The file

Degrees, proof of experience, certificates, translations and legalisation. Each ground has its own requirements for documents.

STEP 4

Filing for the visa

The application is filed with the consulate for the place of residence. The family files at the same time for the “family of a talent” cards.

STEP 5

The visa and the entry

A long-stay visa is issued, on which you enter France.

STEP 6

The residence card

After entry the multi-year card is arranged for up to four years. The overall time is 2-3 months.

STEP 7

Renewal and permanent residence

Renewal on the same or a new ground. After five years of residence, the long-term resident status.

A step-by-step plan of the process

The same seven steps as a document: what is prepared at each stage, how the grounds differ and which documents the family needs.

Download the step-by-step plan
France, Paris

The multi-year Passeport Talent card is issued under the CESEDA code.

FranceThe European Union and SchengenA card for up to 4 years
Find the ground

11 / Our role

Why people arrange the Passeport Talent with us

In this programme the main thing is choosing the right ground. The same person may get through on the specialist line and not on the founder line, and the other way round.

01

We choose the ground

We look at education, experience, income and plans. A mistake at this step means a refusal on a perfectly good profile.

02

We prepare the founder’s project

Recognising a project as innovative is a separate procedure with its own criteria. We run it together with the client.

03

We work out the salary thresholds

The level is tied to the minimum wage and changes every year. We check it as at the date of filing, not from last year’s figures.

04

We move the whole family

“Family of a talent” cards, schools, insurance, registration. The family files at the same time as the main applicant.

15 / Materials

Useful materials on France

Materials on the Passeport Talent: the grounds, the requirements and how the family moves.

The main materialPresentation

A French residence permit under the Passeport Talent

The presentation gathers the essentials: the grounds of the programme, the requirements of each, how the family moves, the documents and how the work is done.

Inside:

  • which grounds exist
  • what the requirements are for a specialist and a founder
  • what salary threshold applies
  • how the family moves and how the spouse works
  • which documents will be needed
  • what happens on a change of job
  • how work with BRIDGES is organised

PDF · free · current as of August 2026

A comparison of the programme’s lines by the requirements as to education, income and project.

The list for the applicant and the family, marking what has to be translated and legalised.

We look at your education, experience and plans and choose the line of the programme.

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

16 / News

What has changed in the programme

2024-01-26

The immigration act clarified the list of grounds for the multi-year card and the requirements for proving qualifications.

2026-01-01

The pay thresholds were revised following the rise in the minimum wage. We check the current values as at the date of filing.

Worth having

Download the Passeport Talent checklist

The short document we give clients before the start: the grounds of the programme, the requirements of each, the stages and the timelines — in one list, with nothing padded.

Inside the document

  • A comparison of the grounds and the requirements
  • The income thresholds and the requirements for a project
  • The current conditions for 2026

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

17 / Questions

Answers to common questions

It is a multi-year residence card bringing together several grounds: a qualified specialist with an employment contract, the founder of an innovative project, an investor, a figure in science, culture and sport, a seconded employee. Each ground has its own requirements, while the status and the rights are the same.

On the specialist line, no — the ground lies in the qualifications and the contract. A founder has to show funds to carry the project out, and an investor a monetary threshold for the investment in a French company.

Above the set threshold, which is tied to the French minimum wage and reviewed annually. We check the exact value as at the date of filing before the documents are prepared — this is exactly where information from the internet goes out of date most often.

For up to four years on the first application — one of the longest first terms in Europe. After that the card is renewed on the same or a new ground.

Yes. The spouse receives the “family of a talent” card, which gives the right to work in France without a separate permit. That is one of the main advantages of the programme.

The status is reissued on a new ground within the programme — there is no need to leave the country. If you move from employment to your own project, the line changes, not the status itself.

2-3 months from filing the documents to the card. For a founder, the time to have the project recognised as innovative is added.

After five years of residence the long-term resident status opens up, and naturalisation is possible with knowledge of French, integration and a stable income. The years on this card count towards the qualifying period.

There is no language requirement for obtaining the card. It appears later — on the move to the long-term status and especially on naturalisation.

Yes, on the founder line: the project must be recognised as innovative by the responsible state body, and the applicant must confirm their qualifications and the funds to carry it out. This is not buying a status but support for a particular venture.

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.

Or message us on WhatsApp or Telegram

Anna Kovalevskaya, lead lawyer at BRIDGES GLOBAL
Anna KovalevskayaLead lawyer, citizenship and residency, 12 years of practice