Is citizenship via investment available in France?
No, but four-year renewable French investment visas are available and you can apply for citizenship via naturalisation, usually after five years of residence. These visas can be useful to company directors and investors who do not have European citizenship (EU, EEA or Switzerland).
What is the minimum investment for an investor visa?
300,000 euros for a visa “passeport talent – mention Investisseur économique” (a visa, not a passport). However, the minimum investment is much lower, at 30,000 euros for a “Passeport talent mention Créateur d’entreprise”. There are also 12 month visas available for self-employed people called the “visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS) portant la mention « Entrepreneur/ Profession Libérale ». The 12-month self-employed visa doesn’t require any investment but you do have to show that you will earn at least €20,814.73 per year as of May 2023.
What is the investment criteria for the €300,000 investor visa?
You can invest as an individual, via company that you manage or via a company in which you own at last 30% of the shares. With your investment, you must commit to creating or protecting jobs over the course of your four year visa. The 300,000 euros can be invested into tangible or intangible assets in France. Purely financial investments are excluded, you cannot simply purchase 300,000 euros of French shares, you must invest into the company itself.
How can Aisa International France help you?
We can provide you with general information about French investment visas and point you in the right direction and, as regulated investment advisers, we can advise you on tax efficient investment products in France, manage your investment portfolios and also manage some non-French investments such as British personal pensions. Our range of products and services is continuously developing, so feel free to get in touch to discuss any investment related matters.
Useful links:
- https://www.welcometofrance.com/fiche/passeport-talent-investisseur
- https://www.welcometofrance.com/fiche/passeport-talent-createur-dentreprise
- https://www.welcometofrance.com/fiche/carte-de-sejour-temporaire-entrepreneur-profession-liberale
- https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en
- https://administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr/particuliers
- https://www.businessfrance.fr
The views expressed in this article are not to be construed as personal advice. Therefore, you should contact a qualified, and ideally, regulated adviser in order to obtain up-to-date personal advice with regard to your own personal circumstances. Consequently, if you do not, then you are acting under your own authority and deemed “execution only”. Additionally, the author does not accept any liability for people acting without personalised advice, who base a decision on views expressed in this generic article. Importantly, this article is dated and is based on legislation as of the date. It should be noted that legislation changes, but articles are rarely updated. Sometimes a new article is written; so, please check for later articles. Additionally, check for changes in legislation on official government websites. Finally, this article should not be relied on in isolation.
