Carte Talent — the Seven Categories
Salarié qualifié
Qualified employees: a degree plus a French employment contract of 3+ months. The natural route for IT specialists, engineers and managers with a French offer, including the entreprise innovante path.
Details →Carte bleue européenne
The EU Blue Card for highly paid specialists: higher salary threshold, strongest intra-EU mobility. Fits senior engineers and specialists with strong contracts.
Details →Chercheur
Researchers with a hosting agreement (convention d'accueil) from a French university or research organisation. PhD students, postdocs and established scientists.
Details →Porteur de projet
Founders and entrepreneurs: business creation, an innovative economic project (the French Tech Visa) or direct investment from €300,000. Your company may not exist yet.
Details →Mandataire social
Executives appointed to lead a French legal entity: directors and corporate officers of companies establishing a French presence.
Details →Profession artistique et culturelle
Performers, authors, visual artists and other creators, employed or independent. Our strongest speciality: we build the artistic dossier itself, not just the paperwork.
Details →Professions médicales et de la pharmacie
Doctors, dentists, midwives and pharmacists entering the French health system under the dedicated medical category.
Details →Other Entry Routes
French Tech Visa (Founders)
The porteur de projet track in its startup form: incubator backing or ecosystem support letters and resources at SMIC level. The project matters more than the passport.
Founder's route →1-Year Visas (visiteur / student)
A legal year in France to close evidence gaps, learn the language and file for carte talent from inside the country. The landing strip before the long programme.
Start with a year →Schengen Scouting
A standard 90/180 short-stay engineered to feed your future dossier: incubator meetings, industry events, school visits, a meeting with the avocat.
Plan a trip →Talent-famille
Your spouse and children receive their own multi-year permits alongside yours — no family-reunification queue. Included in how we plan every case.
How family works →Not Sure Which Route Is Yours?
Most profiles fit two or three routes at once, and the right choice depends on evidence, timing and family plans — not on which page you happened to read first. Two shortcuts:
- Comparing jurisdictions? Read France Carte Talent vs UK Global Talent — one portfolio often serves both.
- Want a human answer? Send the free assessment form below — we reply within 1 business day with the track we see and the gaps to close.
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.
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 qualify for more than one category?
Very often, yes. A senior engineer with a French offer may fit both salarié qualifié and the Blue Card; a founder may choose between business creation and the innovative project track. We pick the category with the strongest evidence and the cleanest renewal path, and keep a fallback.
Do all categories give the same 4 years?
The permit length follows your contract or project, up to 4 years, and differs by category and file. Renewals are standard when the underlying activity continues.
Is there a general points system?
No. France assesses each category against its own documentary criteria — contracts, diplomas, resources, project quality. That is why category strategy matters more than raw achievement.