The 7 Categories — and Who They Fit
- Salarié qualifié — qualified employee: a degree and a 3+ month French contract (includes the "entreprise innovante" path, also known as the French Tech Visa for Employees). Fits IT specialists, engineers and managers with a French offer.
- Carte bleue européenne (EU Blue Card) — for highly paid specialists with a higher salary threshold; the strongest mobility rights inside the EU.
- Professions médicales et de la pharmacie — doctors, dentists and pharmacists entering the French health system.
- Chercheur — researchers with a hosting agreement (convention d'accueil) from a French research organisation or university.
- Porteur de projet — three sub-tracks: business creation, innovative economic project (the French Tech Visa for Founders) or direct investment of €300,000+.
- Mandataire social — executives appointed to lead a French entity.
- Profession artistique et culturelle — performers, authors, visual artists and other creators, working employed and/or independently.
Key Figures — Verified June 2026
- Permit duration matches your contract or project, up to 4 years, renewable.
- Porteur de projet: resources of at least the annual gross SMIC — €22,404.20 (service-public.gouv.fr).
- Investment sub-track: €300,000+ in tangible or intangible assets in France.
- Salarié qualifié: annual gross salary from approximately €39,582 (1.5× SMIC; re-checked at filing).
- Renewals: filed online via ANEF, between 4 and 2 months before your current visa or permit expires.
Family: talent-famille Without the Queue
Your spouse and minor children receive the talent-famille multi-year card under the simplified "famille accompagnante" procedure — no classic family reunification (regroupement familial), no 18-month waiting periods, no prior income history requirements. For relocating families this is one of the strongest arguments for the carte talent over other European routes.
Free Eligibility Check
Not sure which category fits? Send your profile — our team and the avocat will map you to a realistic track within 1 business day. No charge, no obligation.
Documents You Will Typically Need
| Document | What matters | Our tip |
|---|---|---|
| Passport & civil documents | Validity, consistent spelling across documents, apostilles/translations where required | Fix name-spelling mismatches before filing, not after a request from the prefecture |
| Diplomas & CV | Degree level matching the category; a CV that tells one coherent story | French-style CV conventions differ — we adapt yours |
| Category evidence | Contract & salary (salarié), convention d'accueil (chercheur), portfolio and press (artiste), business plan and support (porteur) | Evidence is weighed for coherence, not volume: 15 strong pages beat 150 weak ones |
| Resources & insurance | Bank statements / income meeting the category threshold; health cover for some routes | Resource structure (salary vs savings vs investor funds) must match the category's logic |
The Process, Step by Step
- Category selection and fallback track — the single most consequential decision of the case
- Evidence plan: what to collect, what to strengthen, what to drop
- Dossier assembly with the avocat; translations and formal checks
- Filing: visa de long séjour at the consulate (France-Visas) or directly via ANEF if you are already in France legally
- Decision; arrival formalities; renewals and talent-famille for the family
Common Mistakes That Sink Applications
Choosing the category by its name instead of its legal criteria. Splitting one career across two half-convincing categories instead of committing to the strongest one. Submitting raw volume — folders of certificates with no narrative. Resource proofs that technically reach the threshold but contradict the declared project. And the classic: discovering a name-transliteration mismatch between passport and diplomas at the prefecture stage. Every one of these is preventable at the strategy stage — which is exactly why the strategy stage exists.
How We Work — and Who Does What
What we do
Profile and eligibility assessment, category strategy, evidence curation, business narrative for founders, dossier assembly and coaching. We prepare the strongest possible case before anything is filed.
What the avocat does
We are not a French law firm. All legally significant acts in France — regulated advice, filings, representation before prefectures — are performed by a licensed French avocat (member of the bar) we work with as one team. The avocat's work is already included in our package prices.
Our honesty pledge
We are not affiliated with the French government. Consulates and prefectures decide — approval can never be guaranteed, and we never promise it. We assess every profile before taking it on, and we say no when the chances are weak.
Get Your Free Assessment
Tell us about your profession, citizenship and goal. We reply within 1 business day with the track we see, the gaps to close and a written quote.
FAQ
Can I switch to carte talent from inside France?
In many situations yes — for example from a student or visiteur status, via the prefecture/ANEF. The viability depends on your current status and category; this is one of the first things we check at the assessment.
Does the carte talent lead to permanent residence?
Years on a carte talent count towards long-term residence in France. The exact path (carte de résident, 10-year card, citizenship eligibility) depends on duration, integration and category — we map it in the strategy so your visa plan serves the end goal.
My profession is niche. Which category fits?
That is the normal case, not the exception. Most strong profiles could argue 2–3 categories with different risk profiles. We pick the primary and the fallback based on evidence you can actually produce.