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Talent passport: The little-known French visa that could make moving to France a lot easier

In its ongoing quest to attract new talent, France has expanded the categories of people who are eligible for its 'talent passport' visa and moved the process online. Here's what you need to know.

Published: 26 May 2021 09:07 CEST
Updated: 4 September 2022 10:14 CEST

Talent passport: The little-known French visa that could make moving to France a lot easier

The French government is keen to attract talent from around the world. Photo: Ludovic Marin/AFP

Moving to France from a non-EU country (which now includes the UK) is a matter of visas and paperwork, but many people might be surprised to find that they are eligible straight away for a four-year visa that also allows them to being family members with them.

And in 2021, the entire process moved online making it much more user-friendly.

What’s a passeport talent?

The passeport talent (talent passport) offers a four-year work visa to people who can demonstrate certain business, creative or academic skills, or who have a provable reputation in their field – for example, scientific, literary, artistic, intellectual, educational, or sporting.

While businesses can use the passeport talent to bring non-EU employees to France, the programme does not require a holder to have a job waiting for them.

Holders can, for example, look for work or set up their own business after they arrive in the country. It also allows the holder’s immediate family to live in France.

Who’s eligible?

Importantly, it’s not limited to research scientists or mega-rich business leaders. Equally, it must be noted, it’s not a free-for-all. There are several categories, and some are harder to qualify for than others.

You can be a qualified or highly qualified paid employee of:

– a ‘young innovative company’

– a company in the same group as the company you currently work for

– a public or private research institute or higher education organisation

A self-employed person or engaged in a liberal profession planning to:

– create a business or take one over

– make a direct economic investment

– engage in an innovative economic project recognised by a public body

– take up a corporate appointment in a French company

The list of occupations classed as a ‘liberal profession’ is quite long and includes lawyers, physiotherapists, doctors, writers, editors, sports professionals – find the full list here.

Are able to prove your national or international reputation and plan to:

– engage in an activity in France linked to your national or international reputation

A performer or have created a literary or artistic work and:

– plan to come to France for employment or self-employment

As of 2024, France’s new immigration law added a new category for healthcare workers. There are also plans to streamline the processes above. More information to come.

Is the scheme any good?

It is. Fiona Mougenot, managing director of immigration consultancy Expat Partners believes it is one of the best around.

“Talent attraction and retention is one of the hardest things for any country. Everyone’s trying to attract talent,” she said.

“France has the most wonderful immigration category – this passeport talent category. It’s very unique what they have set up. In my opinion it’s one of the best visa methods for attracting talent.

“When you see that young students who have finished a Masters degree here – or a qualification at that level – can remain in France and could get a talent passport, that’s really saying France doesn’t just want to offer an education, it’s also offering the possibility for that person to stay … and France retains the talent.

“France is genuinely searching for talent.”

The current government is keen to attract foreign talent and investment and president Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly stated his ambition to wake up France’s economy, bring in international and talent and make France the ‘start-up nation’.

As Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness Franck Riester said in a Twitter thread in 2020: “The passeport talent offers the possibility for investors, entrepreneurs, and foreign executives to settle and work in France with their families.

“It is to encourage talents from all over the world to choose our country to develop growth and employment.”

Pour relancer notre pays, nous aurons besoin des talents du monde entier.

Je me réjouis que tous les titulaires d’un visa de long séjour #PasseportTalent puissent à nouveau venir en France sans restriction.

Toutes les informations utiles ici 👇https://t.co/oncCvnKb9g

— Franck Riester (@franckriester) August 18, 2020

There must be a catch…

Not really. There’s a lot of paperwork, and the requirements for most categories are strict.

For example, people applying under the investor category cannot simply stump up €300,000, or buy an apartment in Paris and expect to be handed a passeport talent, Mougenot said. They must take an active role in the business in which they are investing.

Meanwhile, those planning on setting up a new business must invest a minimum of €30,000 in it, and must hold a degree at least equivalent to a master’s degree or be able to prove a minimum five years of professional experience at a comparable level.

Financial records and business plans will be required as part of the application process. And applicants must be able to demonstrate that they would not be an immediate drain on the state – so there’s no applying for one and then promptly trying to claim French unemployment benefits.

But in 2019, 37,010 passeports talent were issued or renewed, so clearly plenty of people managed to fit into those categories.

For more information and to start the application process, click HERE

If you don’t fit into any of those categories, there are plenty of other visa types, find out more in our visa guide HERE.

Member comments

Anonymous - 26 May 2021 at 19:56 CEST

I’m here on a talent passport! One-year visa in 2019, another one-year visa in 2020, to attend an arts residence. As a self-employed/freelancer, though, I had to prove I had enough money in the bank saved up to support myself and my family. I wonder if you apply for a four-year visa, do you have to document four years worth of funds available? Our savings have run out and we’re headed back to Canada soon, but I’d definitely do it again if I could.
Anonymous - 5 June 2021 at 21:00 CEST

I completed all the necessary biz creation paperwork, funded a capital account in France, obtained insurance etc etc. Three months after submitting my very complete talent visa application, the consulate still has my passport (and those of my family). No updates other than “it is still in process”… It doesn’t seem that my application is actually being reviewed. I have made a substantial monetary investment and would be contributing to the French economy, so I am surprised to see the contrast between the promotion of the talent visa and my own experience! I have no option for communication / feedback.
Anonymous - 3 July 2021 at 19:44 CEST

I have found that many of the incubator sites have non-functional contact pages. I have called by telephone and received an email address but there is no answer. ([email protected])
Since the first step in the process is to be admitted into one of the regional organizations, I am baffled by the dysfunction.
Peter C Droste
[email protected]
Anonymous - 3 July 2021 at 19:48 CEST

I have found that many of the incubator sites have non-functional contact pages. I have called by telephone and received an email address but there is no answer. ([email protected])
Since the first step in the process is to be admitted into one of the regional organizations, I am baffled by the dysfunction.
Peter C Droste
[email protected]

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6 pension questions British people should ask before retiring to France

Retiring to France is a dream for many, but before turning that dream into reality there are some serious financial questions that you need to ask yourself to ensure that your retirement is a financially comfortable one.

For most retirees, their main or only income will be a UK pension, so it’s important that you understand how your pension will work once you make the move.

There are some specific rules and restrictions on taking pensions out of the UK, while there is also the question of how UK pensions interact with the French tax system.

Financial adviser, Maeve Hoffman, from Spectrum IFA Group, emphasised that people should not take these decisions lightly, telling The Local: “Figuring out what to do with your pension should be part of your wider financial plans for your life.

“This may be your most important asset, besides your home, and the best answer for what to do with your pension is highly individual. There are no sweeping generalisations when it comes to advice on private pensions. Everyone’s situation is different,” she said.

This article is intended as an overview of how the system works for UK pensioners and is not intended as a substitute for individual financial advice. The article is aimed at people who have worked most or all of their career in the UK and then intend to retire in France – the situation is slightly different for people who work in France and then retire here.

You can find an overview on French tax rules for pensions HERE.

Long-term or short-term

The first thing you need to carefully consider is whether or not your move to France will be for the long-term or short-term.

When it comes to your UK pension, there are some options that may be advantageous for French residents looking to stay here permanently, but they could make your life very complicated if you end up returning to the UK in the future.

Do not be afraid to ask yourself the tough questions – is there any chance you will have grandchildren in the future that you will want to be geographically close to? Have you ever spent a significant time in France, aside from short holidays? Do you have roots in France, such as friends, family or a home? If your health deteriorates, will you want to be cared for in France or the UK?

If are unsure about the answers to these questions, then take some time to really think about them. There are alternatives to permanently moving to France if you are unsure – for example, you could spend a few months a year here on a short-term visitor’s visa.

Understanding the different tax rules

British retirees should be aware that the UK and France have very different tax systems.

Once you become a tax resident in France, you have to file a yearly declaration, including your global income. The country that gets to tax that income is determined based on the tax treaty between the UK and France, which seeks to eliminate double-taxation.

As for your UK-based pension, the treaty states that if you have a UK government or civil service pension (eg a state school teachers’ pension), then this will remain taxable only in the UK. Some old NHS pensions were considered ‘government pensions’, but modern ones might not be. You can check if your pension is classified as ‘government’ here.

You still have to declare this income to the French tax authorities, but you will not be subject to tax in France on it. That being said, it will count towards your total household income, and could end up pushing you into a higher tax bracket which is something you should carefully consider, particularly if you want to take a large sum at once.

The same is not true of private pensions: these are taxed in France, not the UK, as soon as you become a tax resident here. Confusingly, the UK state pension is also considered a private pension, even though it is paid by the government.

You can find a complete guide to how UK pensions are taxed in France HERE.

As a result, you will want to think about whether your previous plans for your private pension were only advantageous to you as a UK resident. Once you become a French tax resident, they could have unforeseen implications.

You can find more information about tax rates in our tax guide.

Get reliable, expert financial advice before doing anything

If you have decided you want to be in France permanently, then you will need some expert tax and pension advice – but you need to be careful who you take advice from, this is a highly specialist area and it’s unlikely that high street financial advisers will have the knowledge that you need.

Brexit has also made getting financial advice more complicated, with fewer experts available.

Maeve told us: “Because of Brexit, you cannot use a UK-based financial adviser anymore – you have to use an EU-registered one. This has made things more complicated. When picking an adviser, seek out someone who has expertise on the local taxation rules in France. They should also be regulated with the financial regulator where you live and where they work.”

It can be especially complicated to parse out who you can and cannot take advice from – for example, some UK-based advisers have continued to give advice to EU-based clients, even though this can be particularly risky if the investments they recommend do not follow EU regulations.

There are also expat-oriented financial advice services that are located outside of France, but seek to offer tax advice to people in France.

She added: “Be smart and sensible. If you choose an adviser in Dubai or Spain for example, you will now be adding another regulatory organisation into the mix, plus another language.

“There are free, government-based services in the UK that can help you understand your private pension – Pension Wise and Money Helper. Before doing anything, you should consult the free services. Any financial adviser worth their salt would recommend this too.

“These services have begun to have longer wait times, so be sure to book well in advance of when you plan to draw from your pension.”

Deciding whether to transfer your pension

Another question that is important for Brits to think about is whether or not to transfer their pension into either a UK-based SIPP for non-residents, or a QROPS (Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes).

The SIPP will keep your pension in the UK, while the QROPS moves it out of the UK, to Malta specifically.

These options can be helpful for French residents, but you need to familiarise yourself with their benefits and drawbacks.

“The QROPS is not for someone who is unsure of their future in France, as if you return to the UK within five years of the pension transfer HMRC will seek their tax back as if it was a full encashment,” Maeve said.

In France, a QROPS is considered a trust, you may also have additional reporting requirements to fill out along with your annual declaration (more info here).

You should beware of scams on this subject, as the post-Brexit period saw many scammers seeking to persuade Brits that it was now mandatory to transfer their UK pension – always be wary of any cold-calling or unsolicited financial advice.

Determining how you will want to draw from your pension

The next question is how you want to receive your pension – either as regular income or as a lump sum. The option that you chose will have tax implications in France.

If you receive it as a regular income, when doing your yearly French tax declaration, you will add up your pension income for that year and you will be taxed at the normal marginal rates for income (the barème). These rates go up to 45 percent (for the highest earners only) plus social charges if they apply (more on this below).

Pension income can also benefit from a 10 percent tax deduction, as long as it does not exceed €4,123 or fall below €422 per household.

Lump-sums are more complicated. Technically, French tax authorities would allow a return of once off pension capital to be taxed at a flat rate of 7.5 percent.

But in reality, Hoffman explained that anyone seeking to do this would need the express, written confirmation from French tax authorities that this rate will be applied.

She also explained that the type of private pension matters when seeking to get the lump-sum flat rate.

“There are plenty of different types of private pensions in the UK, but the old ‘defined benefit schemes’ have been the gold-plated standard. These are the types of pensions that give you a portion of your salary for the rest of your life.

“In principle, you should be able to take out lump-sum of 25 percent of your ‘defined benefit scheme’ pension and be taxed at the 7.5 percent flat-rate. That being said, some people get refused, so you cannot make any assumptions and you need clarification from the French tax office.

“As for all of the other types of private pensions in the UK, like the money purchase or personal pension schemes, these are considered to be ‘funds’. If you want to benefit from the lump-sum then you would have to take out the entire pension. You would not be able to just take out 25 percent and get the lump-sum rate.

“For anyone considering taking their whole pension and seeking to use the 7.5 percent rate there are conditions to be met, so I advise people to write to their French tax office and explain their own situation in detail. Be sure to clarify the tax rate you are seeking to have applied and ask what documents they would need from your UK pension company to confirm that the contributions to this pension have been tax deductible.”

Healthcare and social charges

Deductions in France come in two types – impôts (income taxes) and prélèvements sociaux (social charges).

People who retire to France (and have never worked in France) and have already reached the state pension age can apply for the S1 – this means that the UK continues to pay for their healthcare costs and they would not be charged prélèvements sociaux. Non-working spouses of an S1 holder can also benefit from this.

People who take early retirement and make the move before they reach state pension age may have to pay social charges in addition to taxes until they reach the state pension age and can apply for their S1. However, there are several exemptions to social charges, so even if you expect a bill, you may not end up being charged. More information in our guide.

Social charges help pay for a lot of services from the French government, including access to healthcare. In France, you can access the state healthcare system (and get a carte vitale) after three months of residency.

READ MORE: Why you might get an unexpected French health bill

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