Visa & residency options
4-year multi-purpose permit for skills, founders (French Tech Visa), investors.
Long-stay employee visa convertible to residence permit.
Intra-company transfer up to 3 years.
Residency: Carte de résident (permanent) after 5 years; citizenship after 5.
Tax & cost of living
Progressive 0–45% + 9.7% CSG/CRDS; impatriate regime exempts foreign-source income up to 8 years.
- Rent (1BR city): €1,000–€1,800
- Meal out: €16
- Transport pass: €86/mo Navigo Paris
Banking & business setup
BNP Paribas, Société Générale, Crédit Agricole, Boursorama (online), Revolut France, N26. RIB issued for direct debits — essential for utilities and rent.
SAS / SARL minimum capital €1, single founder allowed. ~€200–€500 INPI registration + €40 publication. Setup 7–14 days. Micro-entrepreneur (freelancer) free online registration.
Living in country
Paris extremely tight; guarantor (garant) or Visale state guarantee required. Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes friendlier markets.
Universal PUMA + complementary mutuelle (~€40–€80/mo).
Free public incl. universities (€170–€243/yr); École Internationale, Lycée International for bilingual K-12.
Luxury (LVMH, Kering, L'Oréal), aerospace (Airbus, Safran), finance (BNP, AXA), AI (Mistral).