France
Work permit in France.
To work in France without EU, EEA or Swiss citizenship you need a residence and work permit from préfecture (prefecture). The main routes are Work authorisation (autorisation de travail), Long-stay visa (VLS-TS or visa D), Residence card (carte de séjour), Multi-year Talent card (carte de séjour « talent »). Talent (qualified employee): reference salary (gross a year): €39,582 a year since 1 September 2025. Permanent residence is possible after 5 years on most routes.
Permit types
The permits France issues
- Work authorisation (autorisation de travail)
- Long-stay visa (VLS-TS or visa D)
- Residence card (carte de séjour)
- Multi-year Talent card (carte de séjour « talent »)
- EU Blue Card (carte « talent - carte bleue européenne »)
- ICT card (carte « salarié détaché ICT »)
- Seasonal worker card (carte « travailleur saisonnier »)
- Resident card (carte de résident)
- ANEF attestation (attestation de prolongation d'instruction)
- Social-security certificate (A1 or under an agreement)
Salary levels
What the permit has to pay
Each figure with its legal basis and the official page it comes from.
Talent (qualified employee): reference salary (gross a year)
€39,582 a year · from 1 September 2025
Arrêté du 21 août 2025, art. 1 (R421-16 A CESEDA)
Official sourceEU Blue Card salary threshold (gross a year)
€59,373 a year · from 1 September 2025
1.5 × the reference salary of the arrêté du 21 août 2025 (L421-11, R421-21 A CESEDA)
Official sourceTalent (employee on assignment): minimum salary (gross a year)
€39,582 a year · from 1 September 2025
Official sourceSMIC: minimum wage, gross a month for 35 hours a week
€1,867 a month · from 1 June 2026
Official sourceSMIC: minimum wage, gross a year for 35 hours a week
€22,404 a year · from 1 June 2026
Twelve times the monthly SMIC; the resources a project founder shows
Official sourceLong-stay visa fee
€99 · from 3 October 2026
Official sourceTax on validating the VLS-TS
€300 · from 1 May 2026
Official sourceResidence card: first issue (tax and stamp duty)
Residence card: first issue at the reduced rate (seasonal workers and others)
€150 · from 1 May 2026
Official sourceResidence card: renewal (tax and stamp duty)
Employer tax to OFII for a contract of twelve months or more: cap
Employer tax to OFII for a seasonal worker: per month of work
€50 · from 18 June 2026
Official sourceStaying longer
Faster routes and settling
Permanent residence: after 5 years
- Five years of regular and continuous residence in France
- French at level B1 and the civic examination
- Stable resources of at least the SMIC
EU long-term residence: after 5 years
- Stable and regular resources
- Sickness insurance
- Integration conditions where national law sets them
Citizenship: after 5 years
- Five years of residence in France (two after two years of higher education in France)
- Sufficient knowledge of French
- Assimilation into French society, as the naturalisation decree assesses
Authorities
Who does what in France
préfecture (prefecture)
Issues and renews residence cards; applications are filed online on ANEF
Official websiteService des impôts des particuliers (tax office)
The local tax office of the DGFiP; impots.gouv.fr is the personal space
Official websiteAssurance Maladie (national health insurance)
The CPAM registers the person and issues the social-security number and the carte Vitale
Official websiteplateforme de main-d'œuvre étrangère (foreign-labour platform)
Decides the employer's work-authorisation applications filed on ANEF
Official websiteOther countries
Official sources
- ANEF : administration numérique des étrangers en France
- Service-public.fr: the multi-year « talent » card (qualified employee, employee on assignment, EU Blue Card)
- Arrêté du 21 août 2025: reference salary for the « talent - salarié qualifié » and « talent - carte bleue européenne » cards (JORF 31 August 2025)
- Service-public.fr: residence card « salarié » and the VLS-TS
- Service-public.fr: residence-permit fees from 1 May 2026 (art. 128, loi n° 2026-103 de finances pour 2026)
- France-Visas: visa fees
- Service-public.fr: the SMIC (minimum wage)
- Service-public.fr (Entreprendre): work authorisation for a foreign employee, the labour-market test and the employer tax
- Arrêté du 21 mai 2025: the occupations in shortage by region (métiers en tension)
- Service-public.fr (Entreprendre), hiring a foreign employee: checking the title with the préfecture
- Urssaf: the pre-hire declaration (DPAE)
- Service-public.fr: the multi-year card « salarié détaché ICT »
- Service-public.fr: the multi-year card « travailleur saisonnier »
- Service-public.fr: exchanging a non-European driving licence
- Service-public.fr: a foreign national's change of address
FAQ
Questions, answered.
What is the minimum salary for a work permit in France?
Talent (qualified employee): reference salary (gross a year): €39,582 a year (from 1 September 2025). EU Blue Card salary threshold (gross a year): €59,373 a year (from 1 September 2025). Talent (employee on assignment): minimum salary (gross a year): €39,582 a year (from 1 September 2025).
Who issues work permits in France?
préfecture (prefecture): Issues and renews residence cards; applications are filed online on ANEF.
When can someone get permanent residence in France?
After 5 years on most routes. Five years of regular and continuous residence in France. French at level B1 and the civic examination. Stable resources of at least the SMIC.
When can someone get eu long-term residence in France?
After 5 years on most routes. Stable and regular resources. Sickness insurance. Integration conditions where national law sets them.
How does Settio help with work permits in France?
Settio builds the step-by-step plan for each person moving to France, checks documents before filing, tracks deadlines and gives the person a portal in their own language.
More
- Relocating to France: the first weeks
- Relocation and immigration across Europe
- AI immigration compliance
Informational only. This guide is not legal advice. Always verify requirements with official government sources before acting. Facts checked 3 October 2026. About this information