The route: the founder strand of the French Tech Visa
The founder strand of the French Tech Visa sits under the talent card and is designed for entrepreneurs building an innovative project in France. Unlike an investor route, it sets no investment threshold. The decisive condition is recognition: your project has to be selected or supported by a French-Tech-affiliated incubator or accelerator, or by a French Tech Capitale programme. The permit is issued for up to four years and lets you build and run your company without a separate work authorisation.
This is the single point founders most often miss. Registering a company in France, whether a micro-entreprise or an SAS, does not by itself open this route. A registered company is not recognition. The route turns on being accepted by a recognised French Tech structure, which is a separate step from incorporation.
What French Tech recognition means
Recognition comes from a body affiliated with the French Tech network: an incubator or accelerator inside that ecosystem, or a French Tech Capitale programme. Acceptance signals that your project is judged innovative and credible, which is the basis the route is built on. This is a French national process under the carte talent, and you apply to, and are assessed by, the French structure directly. The recognition it grants is what supports your talent card application, so securing it is the first practical step, ahead of or alongside incorporating your company.
The income condition
Alongside recognition, you have to show you can support yourself. The founder route requires personal income of at least the SMIC. As of June 2026 the gross annual SMIC is around 22,404 EUR, so plan to evidence personal income at or above that level. This can come from the project or from other declared resources, but it has to be real and documented. Figures move, so confirm the current SMIC on service-public.gouv.fr before you build your file.
Evidence that counts
- Recognition: the selection or support letter or agreement from the French-Tech-affiliated incubator, accelerator or French Tech Capitale programme.
- The project: a clear description of the innovative activity, its stage, and your role as founder.
- Income: evidence of personal resources at or above the SMIC level, from the project or other declared income.
- Company: incorporation and status documents where the company is already registered.
Recognition is the gate. Without it, a polished deck and a registered company are not enough for this route. With it, the income condition and company documents complete the file.
If you do not have recognition yet
The honest position: if no French-Tech-affiliated structure has recognised your project, this route is not open to you today, regardless of how far along your company is. The realistic path is to apply to the incubators, accelerators and French Tech Capitale programmes that fit your sector and stage, and to earn that recognition on the strength of a genuine innovative project. If the founder route does not fit, a qualified salaried role or, for those with the means, the investor route may be alternatives, each with its own conditions. We help you prepare a credible application. We do not invent recognition or income.
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FAQ
Do I need to invest or raise a set amount?
No. The founder strand of the French Tech Visa has no investment threshold. It is recognition-based. What you need is recognition from a French-Tech-affiliated incubator or accelerator, or a French Tech Capitale programme, plus personal income at or above the SMIC.
I already registered an SAS in France. Is that enough?
No. Registering a company is not the same as being recognised. The route turns on acceptance by a recognised French Tech structure, which is a separate step from incorporation. Without that recognition, a registered company does not open this route.
What does 'recognition' actually involve?
It means a French-Tech-affiliated incubator or accelerator, or a French Tech Capitale programme, has selected or agreed to support your project as innovative. You apply to the French structure directly, and the recognition it grants is what supports your talent card application. It is a French process under the carte talent, separate from registering a company.
How much personal income do I need to show?
At least the SMIC. As of June 2026 the gross annual SMIC is around 22,404 EUR. Plan to evidence personal income at or above that level, and confirm the current figure on service-public.gouv.fr, since the SMIC is updated periodically.
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