France's start-up visa: the talent card — porteur de projet

The French route for a founder rests on the state's assessment of the project. Without it neither money in the account nor a degree will help. We go through which body issues that assessment, what thresholds apply on each of the three routes and how long a decision takes.

What the status is actually called

It is the multi-year talent residence card marked “porteur de projet” — “project holder”. The rule is article L421-16 of the Code on the Entry and Residence of Foreign Nationals (CESEDA) as amended by the law of 26 January 2024. The card is issued for a term of up to four years.

The word “passeport” has been dropped from the name: decree no. 2025-539 of 13 June 2025 replaced “passeport talent” with “talent”. The old name still turns up on websites and in articles, but legally it is out of date.

Three routes inside one card

One marking, three grounds, and each has its own conditions:

• “parcours création d’entreprise” — you set up a company in France;
• “parcours projet économique innovant” — you have an innovative project;
• “parcours investissement économique” — you put money into assets.

The route is chosen before filing. It determines the set of documents and whether an assessment from the Ministry of the Economy is needed.

The “setting up a company” route: four conditions

Service-Public lists four requirements at once:

• a degree at master level or five years of comparable professional experience;
• a real and serious project to create a business in France;
• funds for yourself and your family no lower than the SMIC — 22,404.20 € gross a year;
• project funding of at least 30,000 €.

The SMIC is index-linked. The figure of 22,404.20 € applies as at 1 June 2026 — it is recalculated before filing.

The “innovative project” route: state recognition is the key

Formally there are two conditions here: the project is recognised by the Ministry of the Economy, and there are living funds no lower than the same SMIC. A degree is not named in this route's conditions — the project itself is what is examined.

The recognition file is handled by DRIEETS Île-de-France and is submitted through the government platform. At the time of the application the company need not yet exist legally in France.

How long the assessment of the project takes

The platform publishes an estimate drawn from applications over the past 30 days, rather than a set time limit. As at 4 September 2026 it reads:

• 18 days — if the file has been assembled in full;
• about 25 days — if minor clarifications were needed;
• about two months — if data is missing.

The “direct investment” route: 300,000 € and jobs

Three conditions are met at the same time:

• you invest personally or through a company that you run or in which you own at least 30% of the capital;
• you create or preserve jobs — or undertake to create or preserve them;
• investment in tangible or intangible fixed assets in France — from 300,000 €.

An assessment from the Ministry of the Economy does not appear in the list of documents for this route: it is required on the other two.

French Tech: an incubator or two letters of support

Business France describes entry through the ecosystem: selection by a partner French Tech incubator or accelerator, or support from French Tech Capital. Without incubation, letters of support from two recognised members of the ecosystem will do — laboratories, research organisations, companies, experts.

No named list of partner incubators is published on the French Tech website. The incubator or accelerator is confirmed within the programme itself, which is run by Mission French Tech.

Where to file: the consulate or the prefecture

The procedure depends on where you are and how long you are going for.

• From abroad the file is submitted through France-Visas and the consulate — no earlier than six months before the date of departure.
• A visa for up to 12 months is a VLS-TS. It is validated online within 3 months of entry, and no separate card is applied for.
• A visa of a year or more: the consulate issues a type D visa marked talent for 3 months, and the card application is filed online through ANEF within 2 months of entry.

The website of the French embassy in Russia lists three consulates general: Moscow, St Petersburg, Yekaterinburg. Which of them takes your particular file is decided by France-Visas according to the applicant's place of residence.

Fees and decision timelines

• The card costs 350 €: a tax stamp of 50 € plus tax of 300 €. The stamp is bought after the prefecture confirms that the card will be issued.
• Four months of silence from the prefecture means a refusal. It can be challenged within two months.
• A renewal is filed no earlier than 4 months and no later than 2 months before the card expires.

The family comes on a simplified procedure

A spouse and minor children fall under “famille accompagnante” and receive a “talent-famille” card for the term of your card. There is no need to go through the family reunification procedure. The spouse of a talent card holder gets access to work.

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

• After 5 years of continuous residence the résident de longue durée-UE card, issued for 10 years, becomes available. The conditions: French at B1, the civics exam with the “carte de résident” marking, resources and medical insurance.
• The fee for it is 250 € when moving from a valid residence permit (a stamp of 50 € and tax of 200 €) and 350 € if there is no valid title.
• As a general rule naturalisation requires 5 years of residence. For certain cases the period is reduced to 2 years.
• Since 1 January 2026 naturalisation by decree requires French at B2 both spoken and written — under the arrêté of 22 December 2025.
• The civics exam has 40 questions, and the pass mark is 32 correct answers.

Are there restrictions for Russian citizens

The conditions of the procedure place no restrictions on the applicant's nationality. There is one requirement: a passport of a country outside the EU, the EEA and Switzerland; a separate regime applies only to Algerian citizens. That sets France apart from Estonia, which does not issue residence for entrepreneurship to Russian and Belarusian citizens — the details are in the comparison of four European routes.

What to check before filing

1. 1Work out your route: the three routes have different thresholds and documents.
2. 2Recalculate the SMIC as at the day of filing — the figure is index-linked.
3. 3Check whether your route needs an assessment from the Ministry of the Economy.
4. 4Look at the term of the visa: up to a year means validating the VLS-TS, a year or more means the card through ANEF.
5. 5Allow time for recognition of the project: from 18 days to two months.

In France we handle the talent card from end to end, including the start-up route with an accelerator: French talent residence permit. Finding you an expert and the first consultation are free.

Sources

• Service-Public: the talent card, conditions for all routes — the page was verified by the authority on 1 June 2026
• Légifrance: article L421-16 CESEDA
• Business France: French Tech Visa for Founders
• The government platform: application for recognition of a project as innovative
• Service-Public: the EU long-term resident card
• Service-Public: naturalisation by decree