Staying in France for a year - or moving to France
34 LEGGETTFRANCE.COM
there is evidence of enough funds
to support yourself during the
length of your visa.
You will also need to take out
private medical insurance and
have it in place by the time of your
appointment. At the appointment,
your passport(s) will be retained
until your application is processed.
During its period of validity,
the long-stay visa is equivalent
to a Schengen visa, enabling you
to move around and stay in the
Schengen area outside France for
periods not exceeding 90 days
in any 180 consecutive days.
Although it is said you should allow
up to three months for the visaapplication process,
once you have
got your personal appointment, it
can take as little as 15 days as one
Leggett buyer reported to us. Note
that you will need to validate your
visa online within three months of
your entry into France and if you
wish to renew it, this should be
done two months before its expiry
date.
Other categories:
Family reunification
If you have family in France, you
can apply for a Carte de Sejour vie
privée et familiale. This is actually
a carte de sejour (CDS or residency
card) - rather than a visa - for
'Family and private life'. This allows
you to live and work in France
if you have a spouse or a child
already there.
Remote workers
If you have been sent to France as
a remote worker for a UK company,
then you would need to request a
VLS-TS with 'salarié detaché'. There
are earnings levels requirements.
Entrepreneurs
There are different business visas
depending on your activity, and
the 'talent visa' (passeport talent)
is given to those who are highly
qualified and/or show a substantial
economic investment in France.
But you can also apply for a VLS-TS
for self-employment purposes. You
need to show that your business is
sustainable and that you will not
be a financial burden by showing a
three-year business plan.
Children
You can request a visa (mineur)
for your child if they are going to
be staying more than 90 days in
France and it is your information
as the parent that is used. Once in
France a child under the age of 16
does not need a residency permit if
their parents have one, but to travel
with their parents freely in and
out of France they must request a
DCEM (Document de circulation pour
étranger mineur) from the prefecture.
The VLS-TS (visa de long séjour -
titre de séjour) is for people who
want to stay for up to a year in
France. Equivalent to a residency
permit, this means that you do
not need to apply for a residence
permit during the first year. There
are different types, the cost varies
but can be up to €250, including
if you are student, employee,
temporary worker or special talent,
but if you are none of these, you
might apply for 'tourist, family or
private visits'.
The criterion for this visa is that
you should not be considered a
burden on your host country. You
can show this in different ways. If
you prove you own a property in
France then this can be considered
as an advantage during the visa
process. Equally, even if you are in
the process of buying a property
that you might have made an offer
on after viewing it virtually, or
if you are seriously planning to
buy, this can also be looked on
favourably.
You also need to prove you
can support yourself financially.
This means showing evidence of
approximately €1,230 per month
for the duration of your visa, or
for a couple, €1,500 per month. If
you do not have a regular pension
income, perhaps because you are
younger than retirement age, you
can show savings accounts in which
Do not forget that if you are
selling your property in France
for over 150,000 euros you
will probably need to appoint
a Fiscal Representative. You
will pay between 0.4-1.0% of
the sale price. The Notaire can
organise this or you can choose
your own, from a Government
approved shortlist.
SELLING YOUR
HOLIDAY HOME
AFTER BREXIT?