France (de_facto_dnv)
Profession Libérale Visa / Passeport Talent (Talent Passport — Independent variants)
Launched 2016.
- Income req
- $2K/mo
- Initial validity
- 4 yr
- Renewable
- Yes
- Application fee
- $110
- Permit fee
- $240
- Processing
- 8-16 wks
- Path to PR
- 5 yr
- Path to citizenship
- 5 yr
Income requirements
- Monthly minimum (USD): $2K
- Monthly minimum (native): 1,685 EUR
- Multiple of minimum wage: 1×
Business plan, projected income evidence, professional qualifications/portfolio
Income must match SMIC (French minimum wage) ~EUR 1,766.92/mo gross (2025), or 2x SMIC (~EUR 3,533) under Passeport Talent. Passeport Talent — Investor track needs EUR 300K investment; the cheaper independent freelancer track is profession libérale.
Tax treatment
- Becomes tax resident: After 183 days OR domicile/center of interests in France
- Special regime: Impatriate Regime (Article 155B CGI) — 50% exemption on impatriate bonus + foreign-source passive income exempt for up to 8 years
- Foreign income: If tax-resident: worldwide income at progressive PIT (0%–45%) + 7.5–17.2% social contributions. Impatriate regime can shield 30-50% of income for up to 8 years.
France not a tax haven but Impatriate Regime is one of EU's best for executives/specialists. CSG/CRDS social contributions add ~9.7% on top of PIT.
Remote work requirements
- Must work for foreign employer: No
- Local clients allowed: Yes
- Local employment allowed: No
- Self-employed accepted: Yes
- Salaried vs freelance: self-employed only
Family inclusion
- Spouse: Yes
- Children under 18: Yes
- Dependent adult children: No
- Parents dependent: No
Passeport Talent Familles permit covers spouse/children automatically — major advantage vs Schengen-state DNVs.
Path to PR & citizenship
Permanent residency
- Available: Yes
- Years required: 5
Carte de Résident (10-year PR) after 5 years legal residence + B2 French + income/integration.
Citizenship
- Available: Yes
- Years required: 5
- Language test: Yes
- Language level: B1 French (oral interview)
Naturalization at 5 years + B1 French + integration test. Dual citizenship allowed. French passport top-5 globally.
Eligibility requirements
- Non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizen
- Qualifying profession libérale
- Income matching SMIC (~EUR 1,767/mo)
- Business plan / client commitments
- Health insurance
- Accommodation in France
Disqualifiers
- Salaried employment in France (use different visa)
- Schengen entry ban
Recent changes
- 2016-11
Passeport Talent created via Loi Cazeneuve, consolidating multiple talent categories.
- 2024-2025
Loi Immigration (Jan 2024) added stricter integration requirements + 5-year residency for benefits; Passeport Talent reform consolidated 11 categories to 4.
Notes
France has no formal DNV but Profession Libérale + Passeport Talent serve self-employed nomads with 4-year permit + EU citizenship at 5 years. Strong family inclusion. Higher tax burden offset partially by Impatriate Regime.
EasyPassport is a document-organization tool focused on citizenship by descent. This page is reference research, not legal or financial advice. Always verify with the official program authority.