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 barriers are real 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
Master's degree or equivalent plus a salary threshold indexed to the SMIC
Salary threshold at roughly 1.5x the average gross reference salary
Hosting agreement with an approved research body; no investment
EUR 30,000 investment in a real, viable project plus resources at least equal to the SMIC
Project recognised by a French public body; no fixed capital minimum
For established artists, athletes and figures of national or international standing
The facts
- Qualifying figure
- €30k
- Total landed cost
- EUR 99 long-stay visa plus EUR 150–350 residence permit fee and EUR 25 stamp duty per person from 1 May 2026, plus legal and structuring costs; the categories with an investment premise add that capital
- Timeline
- 2–6 months — consular applications up to 3 months before arrival; in-country status changes filed 4 to 2 months before permit expiry
- Physical presence
- substantive — the Talent permit presupposes real activity in France
- Family
- spouse and minor children receive accompanying 'famille' status with full work rights, matching the main applicant's permit duration — this is unusually generous and is the route's best feature
- Permanent residency
- 10-year resident card after 5 years of continuous residence
- Citizenship
- 5 years of habitual residence (reduced to 2 for graduates of French higher education); requires B1 French, assimilation interview and a civics test
- Language test
- B1 French (oral and written), plus an assimilation interview and knowledge of French history, culture and society
- Dual citizenship
- Permitted
- Requirements
- non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationalmeet the criteria of one specific Talent categoryclean criminal recordproof of accommodation and resourceslong-stay visa (VLS-TS) unless changing status in FranceOFII registration on arrival
- French tax residency is comprehensive and expensive: worldwide income at up to 49%, 30% flat tax on investment income, CFC rules under Articles 209 B and 123 bis, and inheritance tax at 45% in the direct line — the last is the sleeper issue for dynastic families and 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 citing '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 that must be modelled at entry, not at exit.