Live in France, travel freely across the Schengen Area, and get residency without having to make any investment
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The Visitor Visa (VLS-TS Visiteur), also known as the French residency permit for financially independent individuals, allows foreigners to reside permanently in a developed European country using income earned abroad. The legal basis for issuing the visa is the Code on the Entry and Residence of Foreigners and the Right of Asylum (CESEDA). Initially, the VLS-TS Visiteur is granted for 12 months and can then be renewed.
To obtain the visa, the applicant must prove a monthly income of at least €1,802 and provide evidence of either rented or owned accommodation in France. The Visiteur visa allows unrestricted entry into France, free travel across the Schengen Area, and the possibility to obtain French residency for a spouse and minor children.
A French residence permit based on the financially independent person visa grants the right to travel freely across all 27 EU member states.
Financially independent individuals are not required to become French tax residents.
When the residence permit expires, it can be renewed even while outside France.
Applicants for French residency are not required to learn French or pass a language exam.
French residency allows you to open accounts in reliable French banks and make SWIFT transfers.
After 5 years of residency, a foreign national can apply for French citizenship through naturalisation.
A French residence permit allows visa-free travel to over 45 countries, including Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, and Switzerland, for purposes such as leisure, short-term study or medical treatment, business matters, and participation in various events.
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An iWorld specialist will provide you with detailed information about the program conditions and answer all your questions regarding the procedure for obtaining a residence permit in France based on VLS-TS Visiteur.
The iWorld team will help you prepare the documents required to obtain a residence permit, as well as find real estate in France to buy or rent.
iWorld specialists will help you apply for a VLS-TS Visiteur visa, which is affixed to your passport and allows you to officially reside in France until you receive your plastic residence permit card.
You arrive in France on a VLS-TS Visiteur visa, pass a medical examination, and apply for a French residence permit within three months.
Immediately after obtaining French residency status, iWorld specialists will help you adapt to your new country of residence and offer a range of services:
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Spain
Greece
Portugal
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Obtaining a Visa Visiteur (Carte de sejour temporaire – Visiteur) in France
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What is a visitor visa (Carte de sejour temporaire - Visiteur) in France. How to apply for a long-term visa Visiteur. Who can get a Visiteur card: requirements and conditions of issuance. Required documents. Timing, cost of opening a visa and residence permit in France for financially independent persons.
Learn moreThe minimum amount is EUR 1,801.80 gross per month, equivalent to the French SMIC. On an annual basis, this is EUR 17,115.69. The income can come from a pension, annuities, rental income, or other passive sources.
No. Holders of the visiteur card must sign a written commitment not to work in France. The visiteur card does not allow employment, and it is not possible to obtain a work permit under this status.
A spouse and minor children can obtain residency through family reunification. However, parents are not eligible under this procedure with a visiteur card holder. They must apply for their own visiteur card if they have sufficient resources.
The visiteur card is issued for 1 year and must be renewed. The renewal application should be submitted no later than 2 months and no earlier than 4 months before its expiry date.
Yes. Applications are submitted online via the ANEF (Administration Numérique des Étrangers en France) platform. When applying online, you immediately receive a digital confirmation of submission.
There are no specific minimum stay requirements for visiteur card holders, unlike other types of residence permits. However, actual residence in France must be demonstrated for renewal.
Yes. You must have health insurance covering the entire period of stay in France. A medical certificate issued by the OFII (Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration) is also required.
The fee is EUR 225 (EUR 200 tax + EUR 25 stamp duty) payable via tax stamps. If documents are submitted late (except in force majeure situations), an additional regularisation fee of EUR 180 applies. Legal assistance costs EUR 4,900.
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