Updated October 2026. Most non-EU nationals work in France on a VLS-TS salarié tied to one job, or on a multi-year Passeport Talent. The talent salarié qualifié card needs €39,582 gross a year and the EU Blue Card €59,373, both unchanged since August 2025. Your employer files the work authorisation online on ANEF, then you apply through France-Visas. A salarié visa is validated on ANEF within three months for €300; talent visa holders skip validation and request their card instead.
Key takeaways
- The main employee route is the VLS-TS salarié, tied to one job and employer.
- Passeport Talent thresholds: €39,582 (talent salarié qualifié) and €59,373 (EU Blue Card) gross a year.
- Your employer files the autorisation de travail online on ANEF before the visa.
- Validate a VLS-TS salarié on ANEF within three months (€300); talent holders request their card instead (€350).
- Renew on ANEF 4 to 2 months before expiry: €250, plus €180 if late.
Which work visa do you need for France?
France has three main routes for non-EU employees. The VLS-TS salarié (visa long séjour valant titre de séjour) covers an open-ended or long contract and serves as your residence permit for year one. The travailleur temporaire visa covers fixed-term assignments. Highly qualified staff, researchers and founders use the Passeport Talent, which includes the EU Blue Card (carte bleue européenne).
For salarié and travailleur temporaire contracts, your employer files the autorisation de travail online on the ANEF platform before you submit your visa file. The salary must reach at least the SMIC, which is €1,867.02 gross a month since 1 June 2026. Graduates of a French master's degree paid at least €2,800.53 gross a month (1.5 × SMIC) skip the labour-market test.
The salarié card lasts one year and is renewable, while a talent card runs up to four years. Which one you qualify for depends mostly on your gross salary and where you earned your degree, as the salary table below shows. Confirm your category on France-Visas before your employer files anything.
What is the Passeport Talent?
The Passeport Talent is a multi-year residence card, valid up to four years, for people who bring economic, scientific or cultural value to France. Its categories include talent salarié qualifié, the EU Blue Card, researchers, company founders and investors, and recognised artists. Your spouse receives a talent-famille card with the right to work, and you skip the OFII medical visit.
The salary floors are €39,582 gross a year for talent salarié qualifié and €59,373 gross a year for the EU Blue Card, which is 1.5 × the €39,582 reference salary. The arrêté of 21 August 2025 set both figures after décret n° 2025-539 of 13 June 2025 decoupled them from the SMIC. They are unchanged in 2026. The €43,243 and €53,836 figures still quoted on many sites are outdated.
Talent salarié qualifié requires a master's degree obtained in France (or a labelled MSc) and a CDI or CDD of at least 3 months linked to it. The EU Blue Card asks for a three-year degree or 5 years of comparable experience, plus a contract of at least 6 months. Blue Card holders gain EU mobility rights, and renewal requires still meeting the threshold. Business France keeps the conditions on its talent salarié qualifié page.
Which route fits you
Which permit does your salary unlock in 2026?
Your gross annual salary decides which French work permit is open to you. No French job board offers a visa-sponsor filter: our October 2026 research found none on France Travail, Indeed, LinkedIn or HelloWork. You screen employers yourself, so the salary line in the offer is what matters. Our job platforms guide compares the boards.
| Gross salary a year | Per month | Route it unlocks | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| €25,000 | €2,083.33 | VLS-TS salarié only | Above the €22,404.24 annual SMIC; labour-market test not waived |
| €33,606 | €2,800.53 | VLS-TS salarié, labour-market test waived | French master's graduates only |
| €39,582 | €3,298.50 | Passeport Talent salarié qualifié | French master (or labelled MSc) and a CDI or CDD of 3 months or more |
| €42,000 (French master's graduate) | €3,500 | APS / RECE, then talent salarié qualifié | €42,000 clears the €39,582 floor |
| €59,373 | €4,947.75 | EU Blue Card | Three-year degree or 5 years' experience; contract of 6 months or more |
| €75,000 (no French master) | €6,250 | EU Blue Card | Talent salarié qualifié is closed without a French master |
French master's graduates can bridge the gap with the APS / carte RECE, a job-search permit valid 12 months and not renewable. It has cost €100 since 1 May 2026, after being free. You may work at any salary during the APS. To switch to salarié, the job must relate to your studies and pay at least €2,800.53 a month.
Use these thresholds when you negotiate. An offer just under €39,582 puts a French master's graduate on the one-year salarié card instead of a four-year talent card. Check the current figures on service-public.fr before you sign.
How do you apply step by step?
A French work visa takes six steps, from the signed contract to your first renewal. The employer acts first: the autorisation de travail is filed online on ANEF, not at a counter. You then deal with France-Visas and the consulate, and with ANEF again after arrival.
- Step 1: Secure a signed work contract or job offer, or qualify under a Passeport Talent category.
- Step 2: For salarié and travailleur temporaire contracts, your employer files the autorisation de travail online on ANEF.
- Step 3: Create your file on France-Visas and complete the long-stay visa application.
- Step 4: Attend the consulate or visa centre appointment with your passport, contract and supporting documents.
- Step 5: Within three months of arrival, validate your VLS-TS salarié online on ANEF and pay €300. Talent visa holders request their card on ANEF within two months instead (€350).
- Step 6: Renew on ANEF between 4 and 2 months before expiry, with updated proof of employment and income (€250).
How do you validate and renew?
A VLS-TS salarié becomes a valid residence document only once you validate it online on ANEF within three months of arrival. The validation tax has been €300 since 1 May 2026, up from €200, and you pay by card only. The OFII may then call you for a medical visit and the integration contract (CIR).
Passeport Talent visa holders do not validate: ANEF returns an error if they try. They request the talent card on ANEF within two months of arrival, for €350 (€300 tax plus €50 droit de timbre), with no OFII medical visit.
Renewal opens 4 months before expiry and closes 2 months before, according to Service-Public fiche N110. A renewal costs €250, and a late filing adds a €180 taxe de régularisation, per the loi de finances 2026 fee notice. A card expired for more than 9 months means a new application from the consulate. Since 1 January 2026, a multi-year card also requires the civic exam and French at A2 level.
ANEF had 930,000 pending files in 2025, with a mean instruction time of 117 days, and Paris-area renewals take 6 to 12 months. The ANEF attestation de dépôt is not a residence document: France Travail, the CAF, landlords and banks refuse it. Only a récépissé or an attestation de prolongation counts. The Conseil d'État confirmed on 5 May 2026 (n° 502860) that a prolongation attestation carries full rights.
Sources: ANEF, France-Visas, OFII, service-public.fr (fiches F16922 and N110, actualité A17599), loi de finances 2026 art. 128 and the arrêté of 21 August 2025, as of October 2026. Thresholds, fees and conditions change, so verify the current rules for your category before applying.
What people in France report
- ○ Talent visas skip validation: Passeport talent holders report ANEF validation errors with no explanation. The cause: their long-stay visa does not need validation at all, and the talent card is requested through a separate ANEF procedure. (r/Expats_In_France, April 2025)
- ○ Threshold shapes the offer: A foreign hire offered €40,000 at ENGIE realised that the then-€43,243 talent threshold meant negotiating the salary up. The threshold has since been reset to €39,582 by the arrêté of August 2025. (r/vosfinances, November 2024)
- − Attestation de dépôt refused: Renewal applicants report the ANEF attestation de dépôt being refused as proof of legal stay by the CAF, France Travail and landlords. Only a récépissé or an attestation de prolongation was accepted. (demarchesetrangers.fr, February 2026)
Paraphrased from public posts, each dated and linked. A small sample, not a representative survey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a job offer to get a French work visa?
For most employee routes, yes. The VLS-TS salarié and the EU Blue Card require a signed work contract or job offer from a French employer. For salarié and travailleur temporaire contracts, the employer then files the autorisation de travail online on ANEF. Some Passeport Talent categories, such as company founders or recognised talents, do not require a standard employment contract.
What is the difference between VLS-TS salarié and Passeport Talent?
The VLS-TS salarié is the standard employee long-stay visa, tied to one job and employer, and it leads to a one-year renewable card. The Passeport Talent is a multi-year card, valid up to four years, for qualified employees, EU Blue Card holders, researchers, founders and recognised talents. The spouse of a talent holder gets a talent-famille card with work rights.
Do you have to validate your work visa after arriving in France?
Yes, for a VLS-TS salarié. You validate it online on ANEF within three months of arrival and pay the €300 tax, up from €200 since 1 May 2026, by card only. Passeport Talent visa holders do not validate: they request their talent card on ANEF within two months of arrival instead.
How do you renew a French work permit?
You renew on ANEF between 4 and 2 months before your card expires (Service-Public fiche N110). A renewal costs €250 since 1 May 2026, and filing late adds a €180 taxe de régularisation. Keep the récépissé or attestation de prolongation as proof of status, because France Travail, the CAF and landlords refuse the ANEF attestation de dépôt.
What salary do you need for a Passeport Talent in 2026?
The talent salarié qualifié card needs €39,582 gross a year, a master's degree obtained in France and a contract of at least 3 months. The EU Blue Card needs €59,373 gross a year, 1.5 times the €39,582 reference salary. Both figures come from the arrêté of 21 August 2025 and are unchanged in 2026. The €43,243 and €53,836 figures quoted elsewhere are outdated.
Do passeport talent holders validate their visa?
No. A Passeport Talent long-stay visa does not need validation, and ANEF shows an error if you try. Request the talent card on ANEF within two months of arrival instead. It costs €350 (€300 tax plus €50 droit de timbre) and you skip the OFII medical visit.
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