France is one of the exciting countries to live, study and do business for UHNW individuals.  France aims to become technology capital in Europe and brexit also contributed a number of businesses moving from London to Paris. The South of France also attracts large number of wealthy foreigners

 

 

Between 2008 to 2016, France approved 13 first time applications, each with minimum €10 million investment for economic residency.

 

Economic Residence Permit

 

Between 2008 and 2016, France operated a golden visa scheme offering Economic Residence Card  for investors having made an exceptional economic contribution of €10 million euros.

 

Table 1 Number of residence cards for exceptional economic contribution issued between 2009 and 2013 (issuing of first cards )

Year	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Residence cards for exceptional economic contribution		1	4	4	4

 

In 2016, this Economic residence scheme was closed and new Talent passport scheme was introduced came into effect on 1 November 2016.

 

Talent Passport

 

France opened a investor visa scheme in 1 November 2016 known as ‘Talent Passport’ scheme to facilitate the immigration of certain categories of third-country nationals.  The multi-annual stay permit includes the mention ‘Talent Passport’ (Passeport Talent) (and is hereinafter referred to as Talent Passport residence permit).

The Talent Passport residence permit covers ten categories, including employees of young innovative companies, highly qualified workers, recent graduates, company creators, leaders of innovative project and investors. The aim of this reform was to make France more attractive for these categories and simplify the immigration procedures.

 

• The investment threshold was lowered from EUR 300,000 to EUR 10 million;
• The condition to create or maintain or commit at least 50 jobs within the four years following the investment in France (i.e. no specific targets for the amount of jobs created);
• The investor and his/her family are granted a four-year residency card
• The Talent Passport residence permit allows third-country nationals having obtained a long-stay visa to enter France to request the residence permit directly upon their arrival in France.
• Family can be accompanied by investor

 

The prefecture is the competent authority for receiving the application for the Talent Passport residence permit France.

There is no cap for the Talent Passport residence permit

 

From 2016, some 30 applications were received for Talent passport scheme according to the draft report published by EU in consultation with the french authorities.

 

Applicable fees

• The applicable fee for the long-stay visa is EUR 99.
• The applicable fee for the Talent Passport Residence permit is EUR 269 (fee of EUR 250 and a stamp duty of EUR 19).
• In total the application costs EUR 368.

 

French Citizenship

 

Investors are not given to preferential treatment for french citizenship and have to follow the normal naturalization law in France which requires ten years of living without interruption, no criminal record, integration to language and society and culture.

 

French Passport

 

The French passport is one of the powerful passports in the world. In 2019 Henley rankings, the France had the third powerful passport in the world with visa free travel to 188 countries out of 195 countries in the world.