If you do not have citizenship of an EU or Schengen zone country, then moving to France requires a visa, and the first step is to work out which one you need.
The different visa types are based on personal circumstances and what you intend to do in France, for example if you're coming to study you want a student visa, if you're coming to work you need a working visa etc.
READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What type of French visa do you need?✎
Figuring out which one to apply for is important - if you apply for the wrong type and therefore don't fit the criteria your application will be rejected and you will have to start again (and pay the fee again) with a new application for the correct visa type.
The French government has a handy little "visa wizard", which allows you to enter your personal circumstances and receive guidance on the correct visa type, and you can also find a full explanation of each visa type and its requirements.
For most people it's not a question of choosing a visa exactly, just finding the one that matches your circumstances. But there are some people who would qualify for several visa types - for example if you're married to a French person but you also have a job lined up in France you could apply for either the spouse visa (vie privée) or the employee (salarié) visa. In that case it's a matter of choosing which is best for you.
Here's a look at the most common visa types, and how easy they are to obtain. The standard fee for a visa is €99, although certain types of vie privée visa are free.
Visitor (short stay)
Who for - let's start with the one on this list that is not intended for people moving to France. The short stay visitor visa (visa de long séjour temporaire visiteur - or VLS-T) is intended for people who want to keep their residency in another country, but pay extended visits to France, up to six months of the year. It's most commonly used by second-home owners, or people who to visit for a little longer than the standard tourist stay.
How easy - because this visitor visa isn't intended for people who are moving here, there is less required in the way of paperwork. The main qualification is financial - you will need to prove that you can support yourself financially while in France. This visa type does not allow work in France.
You will need to provide bank statements, proof that you have accommodation arranged for your stay in France and proof of income (for example a pension) if applicable and health insurance (for Brits an EHIC/GHIC is sufficient for short stays). You will also need to give an undertaking that you will not exercise any professional activity in France.
The basic process for all visas is the same - you apply online via the French government visa website, and then the application is dealt with in the country you are applying from (usually applications are dealt with via a subcontractor such as TLS Global). The application will be processed and, if everything is in order, you will need to visit a visa centre to show hard copies of documents.
Because this is only a short-stay visa it does not lead to residency and if you want to benefit from this every year you will need to make a fresh application each time. Only one six-month visa can be delivered per year.
Visitor (long stay)
Who for - despite a confusingly similar name, this is a totally different visa category to the one above. The visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour visiteur or VLS-TS is intended for people who are moving to France and are not working.
It is therefore most commonly used by retirees, but can be used by anyone who is not working in France. It has begun to be used by some people who are working in France, but remotely for companies in another country - although anyone who does this should be aware of possible immigration and tax complications further down the line.
How easy - the requirements for this one are also mainly financial, and you are required to show that you will have sufficient resources to support yourself while in France - this can be in the form of income such as a pension, a lump sum of savings. You will also need health insurance for the first visa, although after three months' residence in France you are entitled to register in the French public health system. You will need to give a declaration that you will not work in France.
READ ALSO: VLS-T or VLS-TS: What are the key differences between France's visitor visas?✎
Student visa
Who for - as the name suggests, this is for people studying in France and you will need to have been accepted onto a study programme with an accredited academic institution before you can apply for this. University courses qualify but in most cases a language school place will not entitle you to a student visa.
How easy - Provided you meet the criteria and have your university place lined up, the student visa is generally regarded as one of the most straightforward visas, with the quickest processing times.
There are, however, some extra requirements including having a minimum level of savings in order to be able to pay for accommodation. You can work in France while on a student visa, but there are a maximum number of hours permitted per year.
Entrepreneur visa
Who for - to anglophones, the word entrepreneur conjures up images of a high-flying rich businessmen, but this visa type is for anyone self-employed. That could be running your own business or working freelance or as a contractor or sole trader - it's commonly used by freelance journalists, translators or teachers.
How easy - this requires more paperwork than the visitor or student visas, and you will need to prove that your activity - whether that is running a business or working on a self-employed basis, will be enough to live on.
You will certainly need a business plan and other proofs such as contracts with clients or tax returns from previous years if you are already working in this field. Depending on the work, you may also need proof of your qualifications and membership of a French guild/professional organisation. The financial requirement is not especially onerous - you need to prove that you will be making at least as much as the French minimum wage (Smic) - this is regularly revised but at present stands at around €24,000 a year.
It's important to note that if you are applying for an entrepreneur visa, you must show that you can support yourself entirely from this activity - you cannot show proof of savings to 'top up' the amounts. This can be difficult for people who want to semi-retire to France - ie work part time as a freelancer and use savings or a pension to cover the rest of their living costs. Health insurance is not required for this visa.
READ ALSO: France's 'entrepreneur visa' and how to apply for it✎
Salarié
Who for - this is for people working as employees, and you will need a job already lined up with a French employer (or international organisation with a presence in France) in order to apply for this.
How easy - this visa requires input from the employer as well as the employee - first the company will need to agree to sponsor your visa, and depending on the sector they may also need to apply for a work permit for you.
These extra requirements make non-EU candidates less attractive to French employers, but if your new employer is happy to sponsor you, then the visa process is quite straightforward since you need to provide only the signed employment contract. There is no financial requirement for this visa type if you are working full time, since it's assumed that a French employer will be paying you at least minimum wage. Health insurance is not required.
READ ALSO: Explained: How to get a visa if you want to move to France for work✎
Talent
Who for - previously known as the Talent Passport and now simply as the 'talent', this is a visa for highly-skilled or highly paid workers, who can either be employees or self-employed. It was originally introduced to try and attract highly skilled tech workers, but has since then been expanded so that it covers quite a few categories including artists, researchers or people with an international reputation in their field. This is a highly advantageous visa type as it allows you to bring a spouse or family members with you, and entitles you to a four-year residency card straight away.
How easy - the hard thing with this visa type is qualifying for it, the proof required varies depending on the category that you fall into but you will need to provide proof of your professional situation that meets one of the criteria for this visa.
It's worth noting that the 'investor' category requires genuine investment and an ongoing commitment to a business, simply having a lump sum of cash is not enough.
READ ALSO: 'Talent' card: The little-known French visa that could make moving to France a lot easier✎
Vie privée
Who for - commonly known as the 'spouse visa', this is for people who have some kind of family connection to France. That would most commonly be a French spouse, but it can be other family members too.
How easy - if you haven't already, you'll need to find a French person willing to marry you. Try Tinder.
There are in fact a lot of different types of vie privée visa, and many of them have additional qualification requirements - for example you could qualify if you have children under the age of 18 who live in France and go to school here, or you could qualify if you have adult children upon whom you are financially dependent. For most of these visa types it is the spouse/other family member that will need to provide proof of financial means, not you. In most cases you can work while in France on the vie privée.
If your spouse/family connection is not French but is a French resident, there may be a time delay before they can apply for the visa on your behalf.
It's commonly thought that having a French spouse is a kind of 'magic bullet' for avoiding French immigration formalities - in fact that is not the case, you still need a visa it's just that the vie privée visa is open to you. If you are married to a French person you can apply for French citizenship, which removes the visa requirements, but even here there are conditions to fulfil and you normally cannot apply until you have been married for four years.
Golden visa - it's worth noting that France does not have a 'golden visa' or similar so if you're rich - well done, but don't expect a special visa. High earners or people with money to invest in businesses may, however, qualify for the 'talent' visa.
This is an overview of the most common types of French visa, other types exist, you can get a personalised overview by using the French visa wizard.
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