Conditions — Verified June 2026
- An innovative economic project in the broad sense: a new or significantly improved product, service, process, marketing or organisational method.
- Backing from a partner incubator or accelerator — OR support letters from recognised ecosystem players (research bodies, companies, qualified personalities) for non-incubated projects.
- Annual resources of at least the gross SMIC: €22,404.20 (€21,876.40 was the published figure on 1 January 2026 — we re-verify at filing).
- Your company may not legally exist yet, or may be registered abroad.
- Co-founder teams are eligible: each member must hold an executive mandate in the company.
- Permit duration: up to 4 years, renewable. Family — via talent-famille.
Incubator or Letters? Choosing Your Support Route
The incubator route is cleaner on paper: a partner incubator's backing answers the "is it innovative?" question with institutional weight. But admission is competitive and cohort calendars add months. The letters route is faster and fully legitimate — if the letters are specific. A letter that says "promising project" is wallpaper; a letter from a lab director explaining why your approach beats the current state of the art is evidence. We help you decide based on your vertical, timeline and network — and we draft the letter skeletons your supporters actually have time to sign.
What the Dossier Must Prove
| Block | What the examiner looks for | Where founders fail |
|---|---|---|
| Innovation | What is genuinely new vs the existing market | Describing features instead of the innovation claim |
| Economic reality | A business model that can plausibly sustain you in France | Spreadsheet fantasy revenue contradicting the resources block |
| The France plan | Why France, where, what you build in year one | A copy-pasted plan with no French market specifics |
| The team | Executive mandates, role split for co-founders | "Advisors" presented as co-founders, roles that overlap |
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.
The Process, Step by Step
- Project packaging: market, innovation claim, traction, France plan
- Support route: incubator application or ecosystem letters
- Certificate of innovative character — official procedure, handled by the avocat
- Visa dossier and filing (France-Visas / ANEF)
- Relocation, company registration, first renewals
Common Mistakes
Numbers that disagree with each other across the business plan, the resource proofs and the application form. Generic support letters. Treating the innovation attestation as a formality and writing the project description for investors instead of examiners — the two audiences reward different things. And waiting for the company to be "ready": the track explicitly allows filing before incorporation, and the calendar usually favours filing earlier.
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 co-founders apply together?
Yes — each co-founder holding an executive mandate can apply under the same project. We build the role map so the applications reinforce rather than contradict each other.
Do I need French investors or revenue?
No. You need a credible innovative project, a support route (incubator or letters) and the resource floor. French traction helps but is not a legal requirement.
What if my project is not deep tech?
The innovation definition is explicitly broad: service, process, business-model and social innovation qualify. The dossier must argue the innovation claim precisely — that is a writing and evidence problem, which is solvable.