If you're dreaming of moving to France and planning to apply for a business visa or carte de sejour, you are in the right place. This article breaks down the visa application process into four essential pillars.
With over 20 different visas available for France, it can seem daunting… Yet, if you plan to freelance, you will narrow this down quickly to just two: the Visa Profession Libérale (Carte de séjour Entrepreneur Profession Libérale for the UK) and the visa talent. If you are already in France with a long-stay visitor visa, you may also be looking at switching to a visa profession libérale - provided you’ve renewed your visa at least once in France.
Pillar 1: Brainstorming and Reality Check
The first step in your business visa application for France is laying the foundation correctly. This means a mix of brainstorming and envisioning your future life in France. What is your business idea? Consider activities based on your existing experience or passions. This could be anything from marketing to teaching golf or yoga in France. The objective is to identify one or two business ideas to provide a steady income over the next few years. It's vital to envision how these activities will shape your life in France - think of your ideal day and imagine your routine.
It’s also crucial to do a quick reality check of regulations applicable to your activity in France. If your activity is regulated or requires specific authorisations, you should prepare accordingly or adjust your project. Other checks include ensuring your passport is up-to-date and all personal details are correct to avoid any last-minute hitches. Yes, it happens all the time.
Pillar 2: Creating a Business Plan
Once you’ve found the idea “la bonne idée”, it’s time to move on to the business plan. This document is your opportunity to demonstrate to the French Embassy that your project is financially viable. Your business plan should be clear and detailed, answering the five crucial W's - who, what, when, where, and why - along with "how" you will execute your strategy.
My advice is to approach this step as if you were pitching for an investment. Hello Dragons’ Den… Ensure it is detailed, includes external feedback, and is supported by visual elements such as a portfolio. Also consider the ideal legal structure for your business. Will you start as a micro entrepreneur, or is a more complex structure like a SARL or SAS more suitable for your long-term plans or visa type? Get external feedback to simplify this step for you.
Pillar 3: Financial Planning
Next, focus on your financial planning. This step is about ensuring you have enough savings and income to support your move and your future life in France. Start by assessing your savings and understand that the French Embassy requires a net income that meets the French minimum wage, called SMIC. This income can come from savings and/or business profit, or ideally, a combination of both.
You'll need to estimate your living costs in France, including rent and daily expenses. Even though the cost of living may be lower than in the US, it's important to maintain a safety net between your income and expenses. Prepare a 3-year financial forecast for your business, projecting income and expenses. Make sure you don’t forget to add your business social charges, based on the business type you chose. I see this mistake very often, we have a profit of 20,000€, but no social charges. Once we apply those… we’re not making enough to show a viable business.
Pillar 4: Submitting Your Business Visa Application
The final pillar is the submission of your business visa application. While preparing your application is the bulk of the work, the submission process involves specific steps, including potential project validation from French authorities “Ministère de l’Intérieur/ANEF” based on your activity. Prepare your online application with France Visa, book your appointment with TSL and prepare all necessary documents meticulously.
Requiring a project validation from “Ministère de l’Intérieur/ANEF” involves an extra delay of 2 to 8 weeks. We can never know in advance, as delay can come from the holiday season, as well as a significant increase in business visa applications since President Trump's election. Planning ahead is the key here.
Business visa course & 1-to-1 coaching
While the journey to securing a business visa for France may seem complex, tackling the process step by step with these four pillars makes it manageable. If you want more guidance, consider joining My French Business Visa.
My French Business Visa Course is designed specifically for business visa applications - Visa profession libérale, visa talent or carte de séjour entrepreneur. These are harder to get than a simple visitor visa and need to convince the French Embassy that your project is viable.
My French Business Visa is an online course and 1-to-1 coaching to help you steadily build your business visa application. After agreeing on a realistic timescale for our 1st call, you'll be guided on practical steps to take every week. We'll debrief every other other week to keep moving forward.
With My French Business Visa course, you will go from feeling lost and frustrated to being confident about choosing the right visa, project and business setup. No more going around in circles. You'll get a clear visa and business strategy and know what to expect once you land in France.
By the end of this course, you will have submitted your business visa or carte de sejour application. Valerie will also be at hand to help you with follow-up questions from ANEF/Mnistère de l'Intérieur.
Find out more about My French Business Visa course here. You can enrol at any time during the year.
