France

Visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour – visiteur. France’s visitor residence permit for someone who can live on pension, rental, or investment income and promises not to work there.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour – visiteur

A one-year, renewable residence permit to live in France without working.

Who qualifies

Stable, regular resources at least equal to the French minimum wage (SMIC), about €1,478 net a month as of June 2026 for a single applicant; consulates in practice look for a comfortable margin above that, often around €3,000 a month.
France-Visas: Visitor long-stay visa
A signed declaration not to work in France, proof of accommodation, and health insurance covering the stay.
France-Visas: Visitor long-stay visa
The permit must be renewed each year and is not itself a way to work; it must be validated online (VLS-TS) within 3 months of arrival.
France-Visas: Visitor long-stay visa

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Does it fit your family?

2 questions, from the program’s own rules.

Steady monthly income, from any source?

Not legal advice.

What it takes.

Income: At least $1,626 a month, steady and documented.
Time: 1–3 months for the visa; validation on arrival is quick, but renewal is annual.
Cost: About $200–400 a year: visa and validation fees plus health insurance; no minimum investment.
The hard part: Clearing the income bar every year with income a consulate accepts as stable and non-speculative, and later, the 2026 B2 French requirement for naturalisation.

Dollar figures are converted from the local currency at the rate the program’s research used; the official figure is in the local currency.

Citizens by 2034.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

2027
First residence permit
1 year, renewable for 1 year at a time.
2028
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2029
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2030
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2031
Renew the permit
Filed before the old one lapses; renews for 1 year.
2032
Permanent residence
The 10-year long-term resident card: 5 unbroken years on a qualifying card (no absence over 6 months in a row or 10 months in total), French at B1, and a pass in the ‘carte de résident’ civic exam.
2032
Apply for citizenship
With a language test and a civics test.
2034
Citizenship
The decision usually takes 12–21 months.

Language: French at B2 in speaking and writing, shown with a TCF or TEF certificate under 2 years old or a French diploma at that level (raised from B1 on 1 January 2026).
Civics: The civic exam, compulsory since 1 January 2026: 40 multiple-choice questions in 45 minutes on French values, institutions and history, with at least 32 right to pass. Then an assimilation interview at the prefecture.
Time away: France must be your home: the centre of your working life and family ties, with a valid residence card when you apply. There is no fixed day count, but long spells abroad can break the 5 years.
Two passports: Yes. You keep your U.S. citizenship.

The visitor card stays a one-year card renewed each year; after 5 years it can lead to the 10-year resident card and to naturalisation.

The law behind these dates

Living there.

Time you must spend there: Must remain the family’s main home; long absences can prevent renewal and reset the naturalisation clock (absences over 6 months can break continuity).
Tax: Living in France on this visa normally makes you a French tax resident, with worldwide income taxable; France has no special low-tax regime for visitor-visa holders.

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Start the visitor long-stay visa application.Open france-visas.gouv.fr ↗
Gather these documents.
- Proof of steady income: at least $1,626 a month
- Request your FBI Identity History Summary
- Health insurance that meets the program’s rules
- A lease or other proof of where you’ll live in France

Postern can’t run this for you yet.

Which state do you live in?

Tell us which state you live in. Postern runs this application through any TLScontact US centre authorised by France-Visas; the Washington consulate decides every US application, for residents of AL, AK, AZ, AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, MT, NE, NV, NH, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY.

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