Talent Passport or Visitor Visa: Which to Choose?

Talent Passport and Visitor Visa are popular residence permit programs for moving to France. Each of them has its peculiarities, requirements, and conditions. Each of these types of residence permits gives its privileges to the holder, but in parallel, each has certain limitations. The specialists of the migration agency GARANT.IN broke down the main points of each program and conducted a comparative analysis of several important points.

The main advantages of French residence permit in 2024

Whatever type of residence permit the future resident chooses, together with the new status, he gets access to a lot of advantages:

• The opportunity to move to another country with a family. The spouse and children up to 18 years old can submit documents together with the main applicant. Children are entitled to receive free education in French educational institutions. Unlike the Talent Passport program, under the Visitor Visa, the applicant must show that he/she is ready to financially support each additional applicant entered in the application form.
• Ability to use banking services in the EU. A French resident can open an account in any bank in Europe, receive/send transfers, open deposit accounts, and conduct settlement transactions.
• Free movement in European countries. French residents do not need to obtain a Schengen visa for travel. Access to EU countries is free.
• Possibility to continue the migration path. After obtaining a residence permit, the holder can apply for permanent residence and subsequently apply for citizenship. It is important to meet the conditions for obtaining the status, show financial stability, knowledge of the French language, and have a registered temporary/permanent residence.
• Quality medical services. With any type of visa, residents have the right to take out national health insurance and use medicine on an equal footing with citizens of the country.
• Education in Europe. A resident or his children can enroll in any European university and receive a quality European education. For French residents, the chances of admission will be higher than for applicants from third countries. There is also an opportunity to get a discount on the chosen course or make an installment plan.

Talent Passport - grounds for obtaining documents

Talent Passport is a special state program that allows you to get a residence permit for 4 years at a time. The main purpose of the project is to attract to the country highly specialized employees, skilled workers, startups, investors, and persons who can make a significant contribution to the development of the economy, culture, art, and science of France.

This type of residence permit can be obtained under a simplified procedure, and the request for it is usually considered on a priority basis. At the same time, the applicant has more requirements than applicants applying for a residence permit under other programs. The applicant needs to show a diploma in the chosen field of activity (at least master's level) and a certain level of income. If it is a person of art, he must show the receipt of recognition in the chosen field of activity - awards, titles, published books, works, etc.

To obtain a residence permit through French Tech Visa, the following documents are required:

• A valid passport with an open D category visa;
• 3 photos for documents of 3.5 x 4.5 cm format, taken not more than one month ago;
• an application form in two copies filled out by the applicant;
• a contract of purchase/sale of housing in France or a long-term rental contract;
• a letter from the inviting party;
• in case of moving with family, marriage certificates, and birth certificates of children.

Before applying, it is necessary to consult a lawyer, prepare a business idea (if the candidate enters the program as a start-up), prepare a motivation letter, and send a request. It takes about 4-6 months to review the application.

Once approved, the candidate needs to open a D visa and travel to France. Creating a working business plan plus the support of experienced specialists brings the chances of obtaining a residence permit to 100%.

Visitor Visa (Carte de sejour temporaire - Visiteur) - grounds for obtaining and documents

Visitor Visa is a long-term type of permit, similar to a residence permit. The visa is issued for 12 months. At the end of the validity period, the applicant can request a residence permit for financially independent persons (Carte de sejour temporaire).

The peculiarity of the Visiteur permit is that it does NOT allow the holder to conduct business, work, and other income-generating activities in France. The resident can live on his savings or income received outside the country. This can be rental income, dividends, pensions, royalties, etc. In addition, the applicant must show an income of 1360 € per month for himself/herself, a registered health insurance policy, and a permanent address in France. The applicant must prove himself/herself as a solvent person who can financially support himself/herself and the family members indicated in the application for the period of long-term stay in France. 

To obtain a VLS-TS visa it is necessary to prepare the following package of documents:

• valid passport of the applicant with a minimum of 3 months of the planned period of stay in the country;
• two photos for documents, taken not more than six months ago;
• a valid health insurance policy with a coverage of 30,000 € or more;
• confirmation that the applicant does not plan to carry out financial activities in the country;
• bank statements, tax returns, income statements - documents confirming the financial security of the applicant;
• document of ownership of housing and long-term lease agreement.

Issuance of a Visitor Visa takes no more than 2 months (and in some cases up to 2 days) if you address this issue to qualified lawyers of the migration agency GARANT.IN. Getting such a visa, the applicant can live on the territory of France for 12 months and then already issue a residence permit. 

Talent Passport and Visitor Visa - the main differences between the programs

Despite some similar aspects - the opportunity to live in France for a long period, to enjoy the privileges of a resident, and the opportunity to obtain a passport of the country at the end of the migration path, each of these programs has its features. Let's analyze the most important of them.

Citizenship

French Tech Visa allows you to get a residence permit at once for 4 years and apply for French citizenship after 5 years of permanent residence in the country.

With a Visitor Visa and residence permit status, the applicant needs to live in the country for a total of 10 years and only after that, he can apply for a passport. In both cases, the applicant will need to pass exams and language proficiency tests.

Tax residency

By obtaining a residence permit through the Talent Passport, the applicant starts working and carrying out his/her main activity in France, automatically becoming a tax resident.

After obtaining a residence permit for FNP, the resident can decide whether to become a tax resident in France or not. To pay taxes in France, he needs to live in the country for at least 183 days a year and then submit documents to the tax office.

Permit renewal

French Tech Visa is issued immediately for 4 years under a simplified scheme, then you can extend or apply for permanent residence and then for French citizenship.

Visiter Visa is issued for 1 year and then you need to renew your residence permit every year.

Doing business

A Talent Passport allows one to develop a business not only in France but also significantly expand it, entering the European market. 

With the Visiter Visa, the applicant is prohibited from doing business or other profit-generating activities in France.

Which type of permit is better and more practical? 

It all depends on the client's goals, capabilities, and background. It is not uncommon for a client to come with one request and our lawyers offer several other options to choose from, which will optimally cover the client's needs and give more opportunities in the long run. 

Friends, it is very important to come to the initial consultation and do not hesitate to ask questions. Our specialists will not only advise you on all important points but will also help you choose and implement the best solution for you. We will help you not only to prepare and issue visas and permits but also solve any related issues - renting/buying a real estate object, solving tax issues, opening a bank account, issuing a tax number, creating and developing a business idea, obtaining a driver's license in another country, selecting an educational institution for the applicant or his/her child.

With our help and support, you increase the chances of a favorable outcome by several dozen times. Do not put off the opportunity to change your life for tomorrow!