France Long-Stay Visitor Visa
France
Residency
At a glance
France's long-stay visitor route is for non-EU citizens who can support themselves while living in France without working. Applicants must document their resources, accommodation, and medical coverage and formally agree not to undertake professional activity during the stay.
- Type
- Long-stay visitor residence
- Income profile
- Retirees and other self-supporting people who will not work
- Core requirements
- At least €1,477.93 net per month for one person as of June 2026
- Work limits
- No professional activity during the stay
- Duration
- Up to 1 year
- Renewal / path
- Renewable while the visitor conditions remain satisfied
Summary
France's long-stay visitor route is for a non-EU, non-EEA, or non-Swiss citizen who wants to live in France for more than three months while supporting themselves without professional activity. It is often considered by retirees and people living from savings, pensions, investments, property income, or reliable family support.
The applicant must formally agree not to work, show adequate resources, provide accommodation evidence, and have medical coverage for the stay. For someone applying from abroad, the usual first document is a long-stay visitor visa that also acts as a residence permit (VLS-TS). It is normally valid for up to one year and must be validated after arrival.
This is a residence route, not an extended tourist stay with informal permission to work online. Anyone planning remote employment, freelancing, business management, or other paid professional activity should not assume that the visitor status covers it.
Eligibility
The main requirements are:
- No professional activity. The applicant signs a commitment not to undertake professional activity in France during the stay. Someone who needs to work should use an employee, self-employment, Talent, or other work-authorized route.
- Sufficient and stable resources. Current Service-Public guidance, verified in June 2026, uses €1,477.93 net per month for one person as the minimum reference. This amount is based on the net minimum wage and can change.
- Acceptable evidence of support. Pensions, investment or property income, savings, bank funds, or support from a solvent family member may be considered. Authorities assess the evidence as a whole, including its reliability and availability throughout the stay.
- Housing in France. The applicant must show suitable accommodation or a credible arrangement. Housing costs matter: an applicant with free or already-owned housing may be assessed differently from someone whose rent will consume much of the stated income.
- Medical coverage. The applicant must document medical insurance covering the stay as required by the visa checklist. Do not assume that future access to the French health system removes the need for initial coverage.
- The normal immigration file. This generally includes a valid passport, identity and civil-status documents, the signed no-work commitment, financial records, housing evidence, insurance, photographs, and any country-specific records generated by France-Visas.
A prefecture reviewing a renewal can ask for current proof that the holder still has resources, housing, medical coverage, and no professional activity. Bank balances should be explained clearly rather than presented as a one-day snapshot.
EU/EEA and Swiss citizens use free-movement rules instead. Algerian citizens are covered by a separate bilateral framework and should follow the France-Visas instructions for their nationality.
What This Route Allows
An approved holder may live in France as a financially self-supporting visitor for the visa or card's validity, generally up to one year at first. A VLS-TS must normally be validated online within three months after entry. The visitor status may be renewed when the person continues to meet the no-work, resources, housing, insurance, and residence requirements.
Visitor status can be relevant to the separate five-year long-term EU resident route because it is one of the statuses listed in current French guidance. That does not make long-term residence automatic. The later application has additional rules on continuous qualifying residence, absences, stable resources, health insurance, B1 French, and the civic exam, with current age-based exceptions.
What This Route Is Not
This route is not:
- authorization to take a French job;
- a digital-nomad visa;
- clear permission to work remotely for a foreign employer or operate a foreign business from France;
- an entrepreneur or freelance residence permit;
- a short-stay Schengen tourist visa;
- guaranteed renewal merely because the first visa was approved; or
- automatic permanent residence, citizenship, or family sponsorship.
The official wording is broader than “no French clients”: it requires a commitment not to undertake professional activity. A remote worker should obtain case-specific advice or choose a work-authorized route rather than relying on an informal interpretation.
Next Steps
- Decide honestly whether the stay can be funded without employment, freelancing, or day-to-day business activity.
- Build a month-by-month budget for housing, health insurance, food, tax, travel, and emergencies. Do not use the published minimum as a complete cost-of-living estimate.
- Assemble clear resource evidence: pension statements, investment or property-income records, bank history, and any support undertaking with the supporter’s financial proof.
- Secure and document suitable French accommodation and medical insurance that matches the France-Visas checklist.
- Run the official France-Visas assistant for the applicant's nationality, country of residence, and proposed stay. Use the document list it produces.
- After arrival, validate the VLS-TS online within three months and retain proof.
- Apply for renewal before expiry using the current prefecture or online procedure. Keep updated bank, income, housing, insurance, and tax records.
- If plans change and work becomes necessary, check whether a change of status is legally available before beginning the activity.
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