France: French Tech Visa (Investor Visa)
The French Tech Visa lets tech startup investors and their family members move to France.
French Tech Visas also exist for tech startup founders and employees with a tech job offer.
Benefits
- Renewable after 4 years
- Includes family
- No diploma/degree required
- Includes right to work
- Access to EU
- Path to Permanent Residence
Introduction
France’s tech community is growing, with support from the government and from driven, creative founders and dedicated investors. This makes France an ideal place for tech investors.
Internet Speed
Fixed broadband: 192.25 Mbps download/137.82 Mbps upload
Mobile: 70.24 Mbps download/11.33 Mbps upload
Cost of living
No. 15 globally
Requirements
Invest at least $365,300 in an innovative tech company (invested directly or through a company in which you own at least 30% of the capital).
Own at least 10% of the company in which you are investing.
Commit to creating (or protecting) jobs in France within the next 4 years.
Fees
- Visa application fee: $118
- Residence permit fee: $270+
Application Process
Apply online. Your application will be reviewed on a one-to-one basis. If you are approved, the French Tech Mission will send you a letter certifying that you are eligible for a French Tech Visa for Investors.
Take this letter and all other documentation to the French embassy or consulate in the country where you live and apply for a long-stay visa. Apply 3 months before you plan to go to France, but no earlier. (More information about applying for a long-stay visa).
Use the long-stay visa to enter France. Then take your documents to the préfecture (government administration office) local to where you live. They will issue you a 4-year residence permit.
If you already live in France, you can apply for the residence permit directly at your local prefecture.
Documents Required
For your initial application:
- Passport, valid at least 3 months after your visa would expire
- Description of your investment project (300 to 1,000 characters long, including your general goal, investment amount, and targeted sectors)
- Your curriculum vitae
- Record of your past investments
- Bank statement showing $365,300+
- Letter of undertaking
- If investing through an investment company, include their registration certificate
For your long-stay visa:
- Letter from the French Tech Mission certifying your eligibility for a French Tech Visa (you will receive this after your initial application is approved)
- Completed and signed application form
- 3 35mm x 40mm passport photos
You may also need:
- Other proof of your investment and finances
- Documents proving family relationships to all dependents (such as marriage license and birth certificate)
- Police clearance from your home country and your country of residence
- Proof of current residence
Other documents may be required.
