Residency & Golden Visas / France / Route
France · Residency route
Live in France on independent means, with no business to run and no employer to find — and no right to work of any kind.
Last updated: 2026-10-01
Programme overviewنظرة عامة
Advising UAE residents on residency abroad from our Dubai office.
Overview
The visitor card lets you live in France without an employer, a business or an investment. In exchange, it forbids all work — and the prefecture asks you to sign a handwritten declaration confirming you understand that.
Three conditions carry the application: sufficient resources for the whole stay, health insurance covering it, and the undertaking not to work. For a single person the resources floor is €1,477.93 net per month, evidenced across a year, which the official guidance also states as €17,735.19 annually.
Fees and renewal
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| First issue | €350 |
| Renewal | €250 |
| Late regularisation | €180 |
| Renewal window | 4 to 2 months before expiry, filed online |
The citizenship caveat
This route is often sold as a quiet path to French citizenship. Be careful with that.
Naturalisation requires five years of residence, and separately requires stable and sufficient income from professional integration — language the official guidance calls an essential condition of assimilation. A permit that forbids every form of work sits uncomfortably beside that requirement.
The official guidance does not state whether visitor years count towards the five years. If citizenship is your objective rather than a bonus, a talent card is the better foundation.
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
Residence in France without needing an employer, a business or an investment.
Renewable annually and counts towards long-term residence.
Schengen mobility as a legal French resident.
Housing conditions and third-party support are both taken into account.
Suits retirees and people living on passive income.
Investment & costsالتكاليف
Qualifying investment
Resources to evidence (single applicant)
Across the year covered · Minimum of €1,477.93 net per month over one year, stated officially as €17,735.19 annually for a single person.
First issue — residence card
At issuance · Prefecture fee.
Renewal
At each renewal · Filed online between four and two months before expiry.
Late regularisation fee
If filed late · Avoidable — diary the renewal window.
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.
Sufficient resources for the whole stay — at least €1,477.93 net per month for a single person.
Health insurance covering the stay.
A handwritten sworn statement that you will not work in France.
Valid passport and clean criminal record.
Proof of funds
Who cannot apply
Any intention to work — employment, trading, self-employment, craft trades or the liberal professions are all excluded.
Resources below the published threshold, or resources that cannot be evidenced.
Reliance on family allowances to meet the threshold.
The processكيف نعمل
Evidence the resources
Assemble twelve months of income proof meeting the monthly threshold.
Arrange accommodation and insurance
Secure French accommodation and health cover for the full period.
Apply for the long-stay visa
File at the French consulate covering your place of residence, including the handwritten undertaking.
Validate on arrival
Validate the visa or attend the prefecture for the residence card.
Renew annually
File online between four and two months before expiry to avoid the late fee.
Document checklistالوثائق
Identity
Sworn translation into French where required.
- ✦Valid passport and certified copy
- ✦Passport photographs to French specification
- ✦Civil status documents
Resources
Family allowances do not count towards the threshold.
- ✦Pension statements, rental income evidence or bank statements
- ✦Third-party undertaking where someone else supports you
Undertaking
A required document, not a formality.
- ✦Handwritten sworn statement not to work in France
Housing and health
Housing conditions are taken into account in the assessment.
- ✦Proof of accommodation in France
- ✦Health insurance covering the whole stay
Your XIPHIAS advisor prepares a personalised document list at onboarding. The checklist above is indicative and may vary by family size.
Approved projectsالمشاريع
Retirement in France
Pension income evidenced annually; renewable.
Living on rental or investment income
Passive income from outside France; no French economic activity permitted.
Project availability and inventory change. Your advisor confirms current options and any exclusive allocations at onboarding.
Risk notes
This card forbids all work — employment, trading, self-employment, craft trades and the liberal professions.
French naturalisation separately requires stable and sufficient income from professional integration, described officially as an essential condition of assimilation. The official guidance does not state whether visitor years count towards the five years of residence.
If citizenship is the main objective, take advice on that point before committing to this route.
Questionsأسئلة شائعة
This route, answered.
No. The exclusion is broad and explicit — employment, trading, self-employment, craft trades and the liberal professions are all ruled out, and you sign a handwritten declaration to that effect. Remote work for a foreign employer sits in a grey area that needs case-specific advice rather than a general answer.
Start the France route.
A senior advisor will confirm the exact costs, timeline and documents for your case — privately, and entirely off the record.