France Freelance / Entrepreneur Visa (Profession Libérale)

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Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months beyond your planned stay and have at least 2 blank pages.

Three recent biometric photos meeting Schengen format (35×45 mm, white background, neutral expression). Three because France requires more than the standard two.

Complete the France-Visas online application for a long-stay visa with the entrepreneur / profession libérale annotation. Print, sign, and bring to the consular appointment.

A signed letter explaining your liberal-profession or entrepreneurial activity, ties to your current country, intended French city, and how the activity will be registered.

Detailed CV with qualifications, professional history, and links to portfolio / website / publications / GitHub. Establishes that the activity is real and ongoing.

Foreign degrees and professional licenses must be apostilled per the Hague Convention and translated into French by a sworn (assermenté) translator.

If your profession is regulated in France (osteopath, architect, doctor, lawyer, expert-comptable, etc.), obtain authorization to practice from the relevant ordre professionnel. Skip if your activity is not regulated.

A business plan with multi-year (2–3 year) revenue and expense projection, showing the activity is economically viable and that projected income exceeds €1,823/mo gross. Have an expert-comptable review it.

Six months of bank statements showing current balances and any income deposits. Demonstrates the viability cushion behind the projected activity.

Bulletin n°3 equivalent (criminal-record extract) from your country of legal residence, issued in the last 3 months. Apostilled per Hague Convention and translated into French by a sworn translator.

Signed declaration that the applicant is not in a polygamous marriage. Required under CESEDA L412-6.

Signed commitment to respect the principles of the French Republic, introduced in 2024 under the Loi pour contrôler l'immigration, améliorer l'intégration.

Private health insurance covering the VLS-TS period, Schengen-compliant with ≥ €30,000 medical coverage. Transitions to CPAM after 3 months of regular resident activity.

Lease agreement, property deed, or notarized hosting attestation (attestation d'hébergement) for the address you'll occupy. Required at the consulate.

Pay the consular long-stay visa fee at the appointment.

Book and attend the appointment at the French consulate (or TLScontact / VFS service centre) covering your country of legal residence. Submit all originals + biometrics.

Once approved, the consulate stamps a 1-year VLS-TS in your passport. Book your flight to France within the validity window.

Within 3 months of entering France, log into the OFII portal and validate your VLS-TS. Pay the €200 stamp duty online. Failure to validate voids the visa and forces re-application from abroad.

After OFII validation, attend a medical visit at an OFII-approved provider. The OFII medical certificate is required for the carte de séjour renewal.

Register your activity (commercial, artisanal, or liberal-profession) at the INPI Guichet unique des formalités des entreprises — the single window for all business formalities since January 2023. Receive your SIRET (or Kbis for commercial entities).

Register with URSSAF — typically as autoentrepreneur (micro-entrepreneur) for the lighter regime or as régime général for higher revenue. URSSAF collects social contributions (~22% of net revenue).

Open a French bank account using your VLS-TS + lease + SIRET. Required for receiving income, paying URSSAF contributions, and tax filing.

Submit the renewal application via the ANEF portal 2–4 months before VLS-TS expiry. Upload SIRET / Kbis, URSSAF registration, bank statements showing actual revenue, OFII medical certificate, and updated business plan.

Pay the carte de séjour fee online via the ANEF portal. €350 for the initial issuance (€50 stamp duty + €300 tax); €250 for renewal.

Pick up your physical carte de séjour temporaire at the préfecture, or have it delivered to your French address (where the local préfecture supports courier delivery).