Who it’s for
A multi-year visa for highly-qualified workers, researchers, company founders and investors, valid for up to 4 years and renewable.
- Qualified employee (Talent – salarié qualifié) — a Master’s degree or equivalent experience, a contract of at least 3 months, and a salary of at least €39,582 a year gross
- EU Blue Card (Talent – carte bleue européenne) — the more senior variant, at a salary of at least €59,373 a year gross
- Company founder — an innovative business in France, via a BPI France- or incubator-recognised project
- Investor — a minimum €300,000 investment in a French company, with job-creation or job-maintenance commitments
- Researcher — a hosting agreement with a French research or higher-education institution
- Artist or cultural professional — recognized talent in the arts, literature or culture
The thresholds are set by ministerial order
The salary thresholds are fixed reference amounts set by ministerial order, not formulas indexed to the SMIC. The Arrêté of August 21, 2025, in force for applications and renewals filed since August 31, 2025, sets a single annual gross reference salary used for both cards (CESEDA articles R. 421-16 A and R. 421-21 A). The two 2026 SMIC increases did not change it.
On that basis the qualified employee needs at least €39,582 a year gross, and the EU Blue Card at least 1.5 times that, €59,373.
What it gives you
The Talent Passport costs more effort up front and repays it for years: a multi-year card, a working spouse, and fewer of the post-arrival obligations other categories carry. If you are near a threshold, the six benefits below are the reason to reach for it.
- 4-year validity, renewable, with a simplified renewal process
- Your spouse or partner receives automatic work authorization
- Family members apply under “Talent – famille”
- A path to permanent residency after 5 years of continuous residence
- You can change employer within the same category by notification
- Exempt from the post-arrival medical visit and the integration contract that other categories are summoned to
Applying
The standard visa documents, plus proof that you qualify for your specific category — an employment contract, a business plan, or project documentation. The visa fee is the ordinary long-stay €99, with the €300 validation tax paid online after arrival, and processing runs 2–10 weeks depending on consulate and category.
Read next
- The Salaried Work VisaThe standard salaried work visa
- Validating Your Visa After ArrivalAfter you land: validating the visa on ANEF
How we verify this guide
Every statement above is taken from the official French or US government pages listed below, through our knowledge base, which is re-checked against those sources every week. This guide was written from it and is dated: its facts were last verified in September 2026 and its text last changed on September 22, 2026.
Because a visa or tax decision is hard to undo, this guide is also reviewed by the Relo2France research team before it changes. What people who made the move report is kept apart, in the In Practice note, and is never stated as the rule.
Spotted something out of date? Write to support@relo2france.com. More on how we work.