The Long-Stay Visitor Visa

Who it’s for

For people who want to live in France without working. You must sign a declaration promising not to engage in any professional activity — paid or unpaid.

It suits retirees, people living on savings, pensions or investments, and accompanying spouses who will not be working.

What you’ll need in 2026

The visitor route asks for less than the work routes, but it asks for it precisely: the consulate is checking that you can support yourself without working and that you are insured if something goes wrong. Gather the five items below and read the note under them before deciding how much to show, because the resources figure is a benchmark the consulate reasons from, not a line you either clear or fail.

• A passport valid for 6+ months beyond your intended stay
• Proof of accommodation — lease, deed, or host attestation
• Financial resources benchmarked to net SMIC: €1,478/month from June 2026, up from €1,443 in January
• Private health insurance covering the full stay
• A signed declaration of no professional activity

The insurance is stricter than it sounds

Basic travel or Schengen cover will not do. You need comprehensive private health insurance written for the whole visa period, and it has to meet all four conditions below.

• At least €30,000 of medical cover
• Repatriation cover
• No exclusion for pre-existing conditions
• Cover running for the full visa period — travel and Schengen policies capped at 30–90 days a trip are refused, even when they carry the same €30,000 figure

Three more documents for the file

Beyond the passport, housing, money and insurance, the visitor file carries three documents of its own. The birth certificate is the slow one, because the certified copy and the apostille each take time; start it first.

• Birth certificate with apostille (the translation comes after arrival, for the prefecture and CPAM)
• A clean criminal background check — the FBI Identity History Summary for US citizens
• The signed attestation sur l’honneur promising not to work in France

How the application runs

The application runs in five steps, and the order matters: the online account comes first because the appointment cannot be booked without it, and the appointment is where the file, the fingerprints and the fee all happen at once. Book early in the summer months, when waits stretch.

1. 1Create an account on France-Visas.gouv.fr and complete the eligibility wizard
2. 2Book an appointment at a TLScontact center — any of the ten US centers, wherever you live
3. 3Submit documents and biometrics, and pay the fee of about €99
4. 4Wait roughly 2–6 weeks for a decision, longer in the summer peak, roughly May–August
5. 5Collect your passport with the VLS-TS sticker in it

What happens after you land

Validate online through the ANEF portal within 3 months of entry — counted from your entry stamp or EES record, not from the date the visa was issued.

The validation tax rose from €200 to €300 on May 1, 2026 under the 2026 finance law.

• Visitor-visa holders are typically also called for a mandatory OFII medical visit — a chest X-ray and a brief screening
• The appointment letter arrives by post or email after validation, so keep your registered address current
• Waiting times for that convocation vary widely by region

A new annual health contribution

Once your status makes you eligible for French public health cover, the 2026 Social Security Financing Law creates a mandatory annual contribution (participation financière, CSS Article L.160-1-1), estimated at €300–600 a year.

It is separate from the existing Cotisation Subsidiaire Maladie. The exact amount is set by an implementing decree that had not been published as of mid-2026 — check service-public.gouv.fr for the current figure rather than assuming you are exempt.

Remote work is the unsettled question

This visa does not permit working for a French employer or French clients. That part is clear.

Whether it permits remote work for a purely foreign employer is genuinely contested and still evolving — a mid-2026 policy clarification pointed toward some remote workers with strictly foreign employers or clients. Do not assume either way on the strength of a forum post, including an optimistic one.