France talent — qualified employee residence card
France's talent — qualified employee residence card runs along three parallel tracks: holders of a French diploma at master's level or above (or a level 1 diploma labelled by the Conférence des grandes écoles), employees of innovative companies, and employees on an intra-group assignment. All three share the same gross annual pay threshold of EUR 39,582; the diploma track additionally needs a work contract of more than three months, and the assignment track at least three months' seniority in the group. The employer needs no work authorisation and is exempt from the tax on employing a foreign national, and the card lasts as long as the work contract, capped at four years.
Core requirements
The talent — qualified employee residence card authorises its holder to stay in France and carry on salaried professional activity. The employer does not have to apply for a work authorisation and is exempt from the tax on employing a foreign national. The card is valid for the same period as the work contract, up to a maximum of four years. For a stay of less than one year, a long-stay visa serving as a residence permit marked "talent" is sufficient.
The card may be issued on one of three grounds: qualified employee, employee of an innovative company, or employee on assignment. The conditions for issue differ by ground.
The qualified employee track requires both of: a diploma obtained in France at least equivalent to a master's, or a level 1 diploma labelled by the Conférence des grandes écoles and issued by a nationally accredited higher education institution; and a work contract of more than three months providing gross annual pay of at least EUR 39,582.
The innovative company track requires all of: being recruited by a young innovative company (jeune entreprise innovante) or a company recognised as innovative by the Ministry of the Economy; holding duties directly linked to that company's research and development project; and a work contract providing gross annual pay of at least EUR 39,582.
The assignment track requires all of: being an employee of a company established abroad coming to France for salaried activity in the framework of mobility between establishments of the same company or between companies of the same group (intra-group mobility); at least three months' seniority in the employing group; a work contract with the company employing the applicant in France; and gross annual pay of at least EUR 39,582.
Someone living abroad applies for the visa at the French consular authorities in their country of residence. For a stay of less than 12 months the consulate issues a long-stay visa serving as a residence permit marked "talent", to be validated online through ANEF within three months of arrival. For a stay of one year or more the consulate issues a three-month long-stay visa marked "talent", and the residence card application is then made online through ANEF.
A holder of a long-stay visa must apply online within two months of entering France; a holder of a long-stay visa serving as a residence permit (VLS-TS) or of a residence card must apply online no earlier than four months and no later than two months before their current document expires. An electronic receipt of filing is issued immediately on submission.
All three tracks require a valid long-stay visa or residence card; a passport showing civil status, validity dates, entry stamps and visas, or a consular attestation, identity card, consular card with photo, or certificate of nationality less than six months old with photo; proof of address less than six months old; the e-photo code; where the activity is regulated, proof of compliance with the regulatory conditions for practising the profession — practising authorisation, diploma, title, certification, accreditation, declaration or registration; and a signed copy of the undertaking to respect the principles of the Republic.
The qualified employee track additionally requires the diploma and an employer's attestation, for which a template for talent/employee-ground files is available online.
The innovative company track additionally requires documents about the company — an attestation from the Ministry of the Economy recognising its innovative character, or a tax document establishing its status as a young innovative company — and an employer's attestation showing that the duties performed relate to the company's research and development project or to its economic, social, international and environmental development, for which a template can be downloaded online.
The assignment track additionally requires a social security posting certificate, or a sworn statement of application for registration with the French social security system; a letter detailing the duties performed and the purpose of the assignment; an employer's attestation; and proof, produced by the employer abroad, of at least three months' professional seniority in the group or company established abroad.
If the card is granted, EUR 350 is payable in fiscal stamps — a EUR 50 stamp duty plus a EUR 300 tax — and proof of payment is required when the card is handed over. Stamps can be bought online or at a tobacconist equipped to issue them; online payment accepts Carte bleue and e-carte bleue, Visa and Mastercard, but not Paypal or American Express. The electronic stamp comes either as a PDF with a 2D code or as an SMS containing the stamp's 16-digit identifier. Care is needed not to buy a fine stamp (timbre amende) by mistake.
The préfecture confirms that the card is available and states the amount of tax due. The card is handed over by the préfecture or sous-préfecture of the holder's place of residence; most require an appointment, so their website is worth checking.
Family members can use the simplified "accompanying family" procedure to obtain a talent-famille residence card without going through family reunification. The accompanying family comprises the spouse and minor children, who may come to France for the duration of the holder's stay and receive a multi-year talent-famille residence card.
Where the prefect notifies an explicit refusal by reasoned letter, that refusal is, save in exceptional cases, accompanied by an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) naming the country of removal, and can be challenged before the administrative court. If the préfecture has not replied after four months the refusal is implicit, and an administrative appeal — to the prefect and/or hierarchically to the Minister of the Interior — and/or a contentious appeal to the administrative court may be brought within two months of that refusal.
Official sources
- Multi-year talent residence card (verified 1 June 2026)Service-Public.fr — Direction de l'information légale et administrative (Prime Minister), France · Reviewed 2026-09-06
How immigration works in France — the process in order, the current figures with their dates, and what commonly blocks an application.
General educational information only, not personalized immigration or legal advice. Requirements can change; confirm them with the responsible government authority before acting. Next scheduled review: 2026-12-06.