Residency & Golden Visas / France / Route
France · Residency route
€300,000 into productive French assets, held personally or through a company you control, in exchange for a multi-year right to live and work in France.
Last updated: 2026-10-01
Programme overviewنظرة عامة
Advising UAE residents on residency abroad from our Dubai office.
Overview
The direct economic investment talent card is the closest France comes to an investor route, and it is deliberately not a golden visa. You invest at least €300,000 in tangible or intangible fixed assets in France — plant, premises, equipment, qualifying intangibles — either held personally or through a company in which you hold at least 30% of the capital. Alongside the investment you undertake to create or preserve employment.
What you receive is a carte de séjour pluriannuelle "talent" valid for up to four years, carrying the right to work and automatic accompanying-family rights for a spouse and minor children.
How this differs from a golden visa
| France, direct investment | A typical golden visa | |
|---|---|---|
| What the money buys | Fixed assets of a business you control | Property, a fund unit, or a contribution |
| Who holds the risk | You, as an equity investor | You, but often with a promoter's buy-back promise |
| Job commitment | Required | Rarely required |
| Return | Whatever the business earns | Frequently marketed as fixed |
| Right to work | Included | Often excluded |
| Card length | Up to 4 years, renewable | Commonly 1–2 years, renewable |
Who this suits
Someone who intends to own and run something in France, and for whom residence is the consequence of that rather than the purpose of it. If your goal is a European base with no operating involvement, this is the wrong route and Portugal or Greece will fit better — we will tell you that at the assessment stage rather than after a fee.
Talk to an immigration consultant in Dubai
XIPHIAS Immigration has guided families abroad since 2009, and our Dubai team works with UAE residents. We were named Best Immigration Consultant by The Times of India in 2022. Our immigration consultants in Dubai will take you through the legal requirements, costs and timeline.
What you getالمزايا
Multi-year talent card, issued for up to four years and renewable.
Spouse and minor children receive a talent-famille card without the family reunification procedure.
Right to work in France, not merely to reside there.
Schengen mobility and access to French healthcare and public education.
Counts towards the residence required for naturalisation. Applicants who completed two years of higher education in France leading to a French diploma may qualify after two years, under Article 21-18 of the Civil Code.
Investment & costsالتكاليف
Qualifying investment
Direct investment in tangible or intangible fixed assets
Before the residence card is issued · Held personally, or through a company in which you hold at least 30% of the capital. This is capital deployed into a business, not a fee and not a contribution.
Residence card tax
At issuance · Payable at the prefecture.
Stamp duty
At issuance · Droit de timbre.
Figures are indicative and exclusive of professional fees. Your advisor confirms an exact, written cost breakdown for your family size.
Eligibilityالأهلية
Requirements
Non-EU, non-EEA and non-Swiss nationality.
Direct investment of at least €300,000 in tangible or intangible fixed assets in France.
The investment is made personally, or through a company in which you hold at least 30% of the capital — the threshold applies to the investing vehicle, not to your stake in the recipient business.
An undertaking to create or preserve employment in France.
Valid passport, clean criminal record and health cover.
Proof of funds
Who cannot apply
Investment held below the 30% capital threshold where a company vehicle is used.
Capital placed in a passive product rather than in fixed assets of a real business.
Serious criminal convictions or international sanctions listing.
Funds whose origin cannot be documented.
The processكيف نعمل
Structure the investment
Decide between a personal holding and a company vehicle, and confirm the 30% capital test is met if a company is used.
Document the employment undertaking
Set out how the investment creates or preserves jobs in France.
Apply for the long-stay visa
File at the French consulate for your place of residence with the full investment file.
Deploy the capital
Complete the acquisition of the qualifying assets and evidence the transfer.
Travel and attend the prefecture
Give biometrics, pay the tax and stamp duty, and collect the talent card.
Add the family
Spouse and minor children apply for talent-famille cards.
Maintain and renew
Keep the investment and the employment commitment in place, and renew before expiry.
Document checklistالوثائق
Identity
Sworn translation into French where required.
- ✦Valid passport and certified copy
- ✦Passport photographs to French specification
- ✦Civil status documents — birth and marriage certificates
Investment
The investment must be in fixed assets. Passive holdings do not qualify.
- ✦Evidence of the assets acquired and their value
- ✦Company statutes and shareholding evidence where a vehicle is used
- ✦Employment undertaking — creation or preservation of jobs
Financial
Traceable and AML-compliant.
- ✦Source of funds documentation
- ✦Bank statements covering the transfer
Compliance
- ✦Criminal record certificate
- ✦Health insurance covering the stay
Your XIPHIAS advisor prepares a personalised document list at onboarding. The checklist above is indicative and may vary by family size.
Family scopeالأسرة
All eligible dependants can be included in one application or added after approval.
Age limits, dependency definitions, and addition fees vary by jurisdiction. Your advisor confirms exact rules at onboarding.
Approved projectsالمشاريع
Direct acquisition of productive assets
Plant, equipment, premises or qualifying intangible assets acquired and held personally.
Investment through a controlled company
Where a company vehicle is used, you must hold at least 30% of that vehicle's capital. The threshold applies to the investing vehicle, not to a minimum stake in the recipient business.
Project availability and inventory change. Your advisor confirms current options and any exclusive allocations at onboarding.
Risk notes
This is an equity investment in productive assets and carries ordinary commercial risk.
France guarantees no return, offers no buy-back and has no exit mechanism attached to the permit. A fixed return over a fixed term is a feature of a private investment product, not of this route.
Take independent financial advice before committing capital.
Questionsأسئلة شائعة
This route, answered.
No, and the distinction is worth keeping straight. A golden visa buys residence with a contribution or a passive purchase. This route asks you to put €300,000 into the fixed assets of a real business and commit to jobs. France issues no permit in exchange for a contribution.
Start the France route.
A senior advisor will confirm the exact costs, timeline and documents for your case — privately, and entirely off the record.