France residence permit for financially independent people (the 'visiteur' card)

It is the only status that requires neither work, nor a business, nor investment: only means, insurance and an undertaking not to work. The flip side: the card is issued for 1 year and renewed annually, there is no right to work and no family card. For a business there is the 'talent' card, for employment the 'salarié' card.

The annual net SMIC: EUR 17,735.19 a year, or EUR 1,477.93 a month per applicant at the rate from 1 June 2026. Pension, dividends, rent, rental income, savings in an account and guarantees from solvent persons count. Disability allowance and the social top-up do not. The threshold is tied to the SMIC and changes when it is revised, so we calculate it on the filing date.

No. Article L426-20 CESEDA requires an undertaking not to carry out any professional activity in France, and remote work performed from French territory is activity in France. If you plan to keep working, we check other bases; 'working quietly' on a 'visiteur' card is a bad idea that puts the renewal and the future resident card at risk.

The status itself does not. Tax domicile is determined by Article 4 B of the Tax Code: a household or main place of stay in France, main professional activity or centre of economic interests, subject to double-taxation agreements, including those with India and the UAE. If the family really lives in France, the criteria apply over time; in our practice the first years' returns are almost nil, and from the fourth or fifth year worldwide income is taxed. That is a guideline from practice, not a rule: we build the plan for your case before the move.

Buying is not required. For the visa it is enough to show where you will live: a lease, a property or a letter from a host. For the card at the prefecture you need proof of residence less than 6 months old.

A policy covering the whole period of stay in France; this is an express condition of Article L426-20. Short travel insurance is not enough. We arrange a policy to the requirements of the consulate and the prefecture; the question of joining the public system after the move is handled separately for each case.

The visa has no statutory term: it depends on the workload of the specific consulate and document requests. For the card in France the rule is: no answer from the prefecture within 4 months means refusal, which can be appealed within 2 months. The digital receipt keeps your stay lawful while the application is processed. We do not promise 'two weeks'.

We file 4 to 2 months before the card expires via ANEF with current proof of means, insurance and accommodation; renewal costs EUR 250. If income has dropped below the threshold, before filing you must either restore it (savings also count) or switch to another basis.

Yes. Service-public expressly names the 'visiteur' card among the statuses that count towards the 5 years of residence for the EU long-term resident card for 10 years: stable means not below the SMIC, French at B1, a civic exam. Naturalisation by decree is possible after 5 years of residence, with proof of language, a civic exam and stable income. France does not require renunciation of a previous citizenship; India does not allow dual citizenship.

You apply at the French consulate in your country of lawful residence. In our practice, from the UAE it is enough to prove income for the last three months. UAE documents are legalised through the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Indian documents with an apostille; everything is translated by a sworn translator.

Means are assessed in euros: statements from your Indian accounts for the relevant period are enough, with a translation where needed. A French bank account is not required for the visa. Transfers for living in France are planned under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, and the double-taxation agreement between India and France is part of the tax plan.

With document preparation, the consulate appointment, the visa and arrival, a realistic path from the first meeting to the move takes several months and depends on the workload of the specific consulate. The 'visiteur' card is issued in France, before the visa expires. We do not promise 'within a month'.

There is no single 'family' application for 'visiteur', but parents and adult children can obtain the same status in separate files: each proves means of at least EUR 17,735.19 a year, insurance and an undertaking not to work. For parents a pension, rent and a guarantee from their children are suitable. Children under 18 do not need a residence permit, only a visa and a DCEM.

The threshold is set per applicant, EUR 1,477.93 a month net (EUR 17,735.19 a year), and each adult shows it in their own file. The law sets no fixed supplement for children: the consulate assesses whether the means are sufficient for the whole family. If the spouse comes later through family reunification (after 18 months of your residence), the threshold is calculated differently: from EUR 1,867.02 a month for a family of 2 or 3.

Yes. If the application is refused through the fault of our team or an error in building the case, we refund the company's service fee less a minimal retention for costs actually incurred. Refund terms, the payment schedule and the rules on retaining service costs are fixed in the contract before work begins. Before we start, we check your documents and risk history free of charge and tell you about any risks in advance.