Do you want a special visa for Talents and come to work in France?
As a Talent, you may meet the requirements to get the EU Blue Card for France. It has been specifically tailored for high potentials.
The European Blue Card is one of the Passport-Talent residence permits in France. The EU Blue Card has been implemented following the EU regulations to attract foreign talents to the European job market. So one of its great advantages is to facilitate intra-European mobility for its cardholders.
Table of Contents
Passeport-Talent « European Union Blue Card »: residence permit focus
The different Passport-talent permit types
In 2016 [1], the multi-year “Passeport-Talent” residence permits were created to attract more skilled-foreigners. The French government has simplified the process to obtain certain working permits for non-EU/EEA/Swiss citizens, and the EU Blue Card is one of them. The passport-talent permits are the following:
- Skilled recent graduates
- Champions of an innovative economic project
- Artist/performers
- Employees of an innovative company
- Highly-skilled workers (European Union Blue cardholders)
- Researchers/Scientists
- Person internationally or nationally renowned in science, literature, arts, education, sports,…
- Economic or financial investors
- Employees on assignment (‘mission’) with a French work contract
- Company representatives
Who is the Passeport-Talent permit type for?
In short, if you are an independent professional, employee or an executive, who, according to the French authorities, has the potential to make a ‘significant contribution’ to the French economy, you can apply for one of the passport-talent permits.
What are the Talent-Passport European Blue Card criteria? [1]
- Hold a higher education degree (minimum 3 years) OR five years of professional experience in a specific area
- Have a 12 months work contract minimum or permanent contract
- Earn a minimum of 1,5 the average gross reference salary (published every year by the Ministry of Interior), therefore an annual gross salary of €53,836.50 in 2022 or above.
If you meet the three above criteria, the European Blue Card applies to you!
Foreigners not meeting the requirements for a Passport Talent – European Union Blue Card may still request another temporary residence permit. However, the employment situation may be ground to granting the work permit.
Also, if you are coming to France for less than 12 months you will be provided with a VLS-TS – Passeport-Talent Carte Bleue Européenne. VLS-TS stands for a long stay visa standing as a residence permit called in French Visa Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour.
The 3 advantages of the “Passeport-Talent” permits
- Passport-Talent family members may be issued a multi-year residence permit entitled “Passeport-Talent – Famille” which avoids the family reunification procedure. This permit also grants the right to work in France with no restriction for family members!
- No need to apply for a work permit from the Regional Directorate for Enterprises, Competition, Consumption, Labour and Employment – DIRECCTE) as it is the case for other permits.
- The renewal process doesn’t apply. Considering it is a multi-year card up to 4 years duration and matches your work contract duration, the annual renewal procedure at the Prefecture required for other status is not needed.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
During the two years following the first issuance of the EU Blue Card, you may only exercise the professional activity for which you were issued this permit.
This means that you have to stay with the same employer for at least 2 years, and then you will have access to any highly qualified activity of your choice.
The European Blue Card process
The European Union Blue Card visa request
To obtain your visa before coming to France, you should first contact the nearest French consulate of your current country of residence to submit your Passeport-Talent visa application. It is not necessarily your home country, but the country where you currently have the right to reside with the relevant residence permit.
The list of documents may vary from one consulate to another. They also may request extra documents if they feel necessary. The consulate is, therefore, the best source to prepare your file correctly.
Once you have received your visa, you are ready to pack your bags! Unfortunately, the French red tape is not over… get ready for some culture shock! You may already know that the French administration can be difficult but I’m here to explain to you the process step-by-step!
Shortly following your arrival you will have to request your residence permit to stay legally in France.
The residence permit request on arrival
You have arrived in France with your Passport-Talent “Carte Bleue Européenne” long-stay visa (visa D) and depending on the reason for your stay, the visa may hold the following mention:
- “Passeport-Talent – Carte Bleue Européenne” visa: for highly qualified employees with a work contract.
- “Passeport-Talent-Famille” visa [2]: for the spouse and underage children of a “Passeport-Talent” visa holder.
Within the first two months following your arrival in France, you should request your residence permit to legally stay in the country.
For that, you must make an appointment online on your local Prefecture website to submit your residence permit application. Appointments are not given over the phone or by email. Make sure you make the appointment with anticipation, as the waiting time can be about 6 to 7 weeks depending on the Prefecture. The appointment must take place within the first 2 months.
During this appointment, and subject to your application being complete, you will be provided with a temporary residence permit called an Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour (APS). You can legally reside and work in France, and also travel outside France, with the APS while waiting for your residence permit card.
You will receive a text message to let you know when you can collect your residence permit (about two months after the request). You should pay a tax of €225 in revenue stamps when collecting your permit. The amount will be confirmed in the text message.
List of documents to bring for the appointment with Prefecture (originals + copies)
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Prefecture may request additional documents. I recommend you to contact the Prefecture to check the list applying to your situation.
- Your current valid passport with a copy of all pages with writings and stamps, and the passport talent visa.
- Cerfa form n°15615-01 completed and signed by your employer + documents applying to you stated on page 2 of the Cerfa form
- Proof of residence (less than 6 months old):
- If you are a tenant:
– an energy bill such as electricity, gas, water, and landline phone, Internet in your name. CAREFUL: the mobile-phone bill is usually not accepted.
– Lease or rental contract (less than 3 months old), successive rental payment receipts, - If you are staying at a hotel or a residence: proof of residence + receipt for the previous month rent.
- If you are being hosted: a hand-written certificate of residence signed by your host + your host last energy bill + a copy of your host’s proof of identity
- If you are a tenant:
- 3 ID photos respecting the Prefecture requirements
- If you are married: a marriage certificate (original documents + French translations by a sworn translator by a French court of Appeal)
- Your higher education diploma (minimum 3 years), translated by a sworn translator by a French court of Appeal (if applicable)
- Any documents justifying 5 years of professional experience (if applicable)
- Your employment contract
Extra documents to prepare
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Prefecture may request additional documents in line with the Decree of October 28, 2016, especially if you are requesting a change of status or complementary documents from your employer. You could also prepare the following documents to be safe:
- Social Security attestation (Attestation de droits à l’Assurance Maladie) – if already affiliated
- OR Sworn declaration of application for affiliation with the French Social Security
- Employer attestation explaining your duties and the purpose of your assignment
- An up-to-date certificate of the commercial register of your employer (Extrait K-Bis)
- Confirmation of payment of social security contributions from the employer (attestation de versement de cotisation et contributions sociales)
- Documents proving the employee’s skills and experience in line with the position in question.
Keep in mind that your Passeport-Talent EU Blue Card allows you:
- To work on the mission mentioned in your visa application for the first 2 years [3]. From the beginning of the third year, under the same residence permit, you may work for another employer.
- To travel within the Schengen Area during the validity of your permit (including the first three months) under 90 days.
If you are coming with your family they should undertake this same process and validate their visa as a residence permit.
List of documents for Passeport-Talent - EU Blue Card visa holder accompanying spouse and underage children
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Prefecture may request additional documents. I recommend you to contact the Prefecture to check the list applying to your situation.
- Current valid passports with a copy of all pages with writings and stamps, and the passport talent visa.
- Proof of civil status (original documents + French translations by a sworn translator by a French court of Appeal):
- Marriage certificate and
- Children’s birth certificates (mentioning parents) if applicable
- Proof of residence (less than 6 months old) stating the spouse name:
- If you are a tenant:
an energy bill such as electricity, gas, water, and landline phone, Internet in your name. CAREFUL: the mobile phone bill is usually not accepted.
Lease or rental contract, successive rental payment receipts, - If you are staying at a hotel or a residence: proof of residence + receipt for the previous month rent.
- If you are being hosted: a hand-written certificate of residence signed by your host + your host last energy bill + a copy of your host’s proof of identity
- If you are a tenant:
- 3 ID photos respecting the Prefecture requirements
- The Passeport-Talent European Blue Card visa holder documents (originals and copies):
- Passport
- Residence permit or visa
- The revenue tax proof of payment (225€ same as for the Passeport-Talent Carte Bleue Européenne visa holder)
The Passeport-Talent EU Blue Card visa holder is required to be present for his/her spouse Prefecture appointment.
Residence permit renewal
The renewal process
When your Carte Bleue Européenne expires and depending on your situation, you can apply to stay in France. There are two options:
- You are looking for a job: Renewal of your passport talent permit based on involuntary loss of employment [4]
- You have a job meeting the Carte Bleue Européenne requirements: Apply for a renewal with the same documents listed below 2 months before the expiry of the previous permit.
Option 1: Renewal of your passport talent permit based on involuntary loss of employment
You can apply for the renewal of your “Passeport-talent” residence permit if you no longer have employment for reasons beyond your control (the end of your work contract, dismissal).
You can, therefore with the APS (Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour), look for a new job and to benefit from the unemployment benefits acquired during your previous position. The APS also gives the right to work.
As it is the case for standard renewal, you must make an appointment with the Prefecture within two months before the expiration of your current residence permit or visa.
During this appointment, and only if your application is complete, a receipt for your request for renewal (récépissé) of the “Passeport-Talent” residence permit will be provided to you.
List of documents for a renewal based on involuntary loss of employment:
Same documents as for the initial request as listed above, plus:
- Social Security attestation (Attestation de droits à l’Assurance Maladie)
- Pôle Emploi attestation provided by your employer
- Proof of the work contract: dismissal letter from your employer…
- Pôle Emploi attestation indicating your rights to unemployment benefits
- If creating a business: any documents proving the business creation
You will be notified by SMS when your residence permit is ready for collection (approximately 2 months after applying). A tax of €225 is payable in revenue stamps at this appointment.
Option 2: Apply for a renewal with the same documents listed above 2 months before the expiry of the previous permit
You are staying in France
If your work contract is extended or have a permanent contract, you will need to request a standard EU Blue Card residence permit renewal.
In the case of a change of status to “Passeport-Talent-Carte Bleue Européenne” (for example, from a Student residence permit) you must follow the same procedure as for renewal.
You can renew your “Passeport-Talent-Carte Bleue Européenne” residence permit (and your spouse’s if applicable) at the Prefecture within two months before the expiration of your current residence permit or visa.
You must make an appointment with your local Prefecture to submit your application for a residence permit.
During this appointment, and only if your application is complete, a receipt for your request for renewal (récépissé) of the “Passeport-Talent” residence permit will be provided to you.
You will be notified by SMS when your residence permit is available for collection (approximately two months after the request). A tax of €225 is payable in revenue stamps at this appointment.
The procedure is identical for all the following renewals. Two months before the expiration date of your residence permit you should request the renewal.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You can request French nationality after 5 consecutive years in France under an EU Blue Card. The absence of the French territory of 12 consecutive months is tolerated and up to a total of 18 months over the 5 years.
Keep in mind that even though you may meet all the requirements to get the nationality, it doesn’t guaranty to receive it. However, it allows submitting the request.
You are moving to another EU country
Congratulations!
You found a job position in another EU country participating in the EU Blue Card programme (EU member states except for Denmark and Ireland). In that case, after 18 months working in France [5] under an EU Blue Card, you can move to another EU member state.
You will need to notify the local authorities within one month after your arrival. You will be provided with the local version of the France EU Blue Card.
List of documents to renew your Passeport-Talent - UE Blue Card residence permit or change your status
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Prefecture may request additional documents. I recommend you to contact the Prefecture to check the list applying to your situation.
- The list of documents provided for the residence permit initial request stated above
And also:
- An employer attestation certifying you are still employed in the company
- The new work contract (if applicable)
- In case of change of status to Passeport Talent – Carte Bleue Européenne: Your higher education diploma (minimum 3 years)
- If there has been a change in your civil status, the relevant certificates (birth certificates, marriage certificate,…) translated by a sworn translator of a French court of Appeal
The list of documents for the accompanying spouse
All the above-listed documents for the UE Blue Cardholder, plus:
- Proof of civil status (original documents + French translations by a sworn translator by a French court of Appeal):
-
- Marriage certificate and
- Children’s birth certificates (mentioning parents) if applicable
-
- Proof of residence (less than 6 months old) stating the spouse name
The Carte Bleue Européenne permit holder is required to be present for his/her spouse Prefecture appointment.
France EU Blue Card FAQ
- Are the EU Blue Card rules the same for all EU countries?
Most of the EU countries take part in the EU Blue Card programme, however, there are differences in the application between countries. You should always check the specific requirements and rules in the specific country where you are planning to move.
- Can my family move with me under my EU Blue Card?
Yes, your spouse and underaged children can benefit from the accompanying dependent status. Your spouse will also have the right to work with not restriction. However, your adult children or other relatives will not be able to come to France under your EU Blue Card status.
- After how many years under the EU Blue Card can I request the 10-year residence card or the French nationality?
You can request the long term residence permit or the French nationality after 5 consecutive years in France under an EU Blue Card. Twelve consecutive months outside France is tolerated and up to a total of 18 months in total over the 5 years.
Be aware that even though you may meet all the requirements to obtain the French nationality, it doesn’t guaranty to receive it.
- Are there special avantages to the EU Blue Card compared to other visas in France?
Yes, the family members will be able to join with a multi-year residence permit. This permit also grants the right to work in France with no restriction for the spouse.
Also, no work permit is required from the Regional Directorate for Enterprises, Competition, Consumption, Labour and Employment – DIRECCTE). This means that the employer does not need to prove that they couldn’t recruit locally a French citizen or EU national as it is the case for other permits.
References:
[1] law n° 2016-274 dating March 7, 2016, Art. L. 313-20.
[2] Article L313-21 of the CESEDA
[3] Article R. 5221-3 of the Labor Code
[4] Article R. 5221-33 of the Labor Code
[5] Decree n° 2016-1456 dating October 28, 2016, Article R. 313-49
42 Comments
Ardi
Bonjour Guiga,
I have been working in france for 3 years with a Titre de sejour passport type “salarie en mission” or Employee on assignment. They set this visa type for me as I did not meet the salary requirements for the EU Blue Card.
I am about to potentially sign a contract with another french company that does meet the requirements for the EU Blue Card.
I have a few questions that I’m hoping you can help me with:
1. Do I have to reapply for a titre de sejour if I quit my current company. My current company HR told me that the “salarie en mission” card that I have is attached to them and I would lose the right to live in France if I left the company.
2. If I reapply with the new company and get an EU Blue card, will the 3 years that I’ve already lived in france count towards the 5 years I need to apply to become a citizen?
3. Lastly, if I lose my job while on the Titre de sejour “salarie en mission”, do I have the right to chomage in France? I can’t seem to get a clear answer on this.
Thank you for your help
Ardi
Ardi
I forgot to mention that my partner is a french national and we plan to get married next year. I’m not sure if this makes a differrence with the vie privée et familial visa.
The one other note is…my current salarie en mission visa expires next November 2024.
Thanks a lot for your advice again!
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hi Ardi,
1. Yes, you have to request a change of status at the Prefecture in France (online)
2. If it would have been another visa than the Salarié en mission, I would have answered yes. Now, the salarié en mission is not meant to remain in France. As far as I know, the years under this visa will not count but it should be confirmed by an immigration lawyer.
3. If you are under the salarié en mission (and mot the ICT visa), this means that you have a French work contract and therefore you are contributing to the French social contributions. This means that you could be entitled to French unemployment benefits IF you meant ALL the criteria. I strongly recommend you to go to Pole Emploi for more information (there has been a reform to access unemployment benefits recently).
Now, if you plan to marry your French partner, you could request the Vie Privée et Familiale status.
Best to you,
Naveen
Hello Guiga,
Appreciate your active replies on the topic.
I have recently applied for my French visa. I intended to apply for EU Blue card as I meet all the eligibility criteria. However, my employer in the motivation letter has wrongly mentioned the desired visa type as ‘Passeport Talent, JEI’ as its an young innovative organization. As I have already submitted the visa application a week ago, wondering what would be the process to change it to Eu blue card.
Can I do the change while applying for my residence permit after I arrive in France?
Many thanks for your reply.
Regards,
Naveen
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hello Naveen,
No change will be possible in France before you get the permit. They only grant permits on arrival matching your visa request. The main risk is that the Passport Talent visa you requested is not approved if it doesn’t fit your profile. If your Passport Talent innovative business project is approved and if it is really necessary, you could ask for a change of status at the time your permit is due for renewal in France. Your other option would be to start over the visa request. Best,
Sam
Hi Guiga,
Thanks a lot for these information.
I am holding a European blue card issued by France till 2023. Right now I want to change my job with a non-french employer ( the salary range meets the blue card restrictions). And I want to continue live in France. Do you think I can renew my blue card in France?
Thanks a lot for your time,
Sam
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hi Sam,
Your non-French employer will need to have a branch in France to allow you to stay on a French EU Blue card.
This visa is not done for remote work.
I hope this answers your question.
Best,
Naveen
Thanks Guiga for your response! Thats helpful
Rao
Hi, I am on “Passport Talent- EU blue card” for more than 18 months (and also my wife) in France. My child born in India and moved to France recently. He has not yet received the “Document de circulation pour étranger mineur (DCEM)”.
I understand that Me and my wife can go directly to Germany and notify the authorities in Germany (German residence permit/work permit). Is my child also allowed to travel to germany with us. Or this can be considerd as illegal entry to germany?
Thanks for your views!
Rao
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hello Rao,
Your question is based on the German immigration rules. Unfortunately, I’m not totally able to answer.
In any case, your child will be able to travel with you to Germany, since it is part of the Schengen area as well as France. Then, you’ll need to figure out how he will get the right to reside in Germany.
Best,
Alex Daniel
Bonjour Guiga,
Thankyou for all the active replies. I was looking for the queries that would resemble mine, but couldnt find it.
I would appreciate if you could read my case as well.
Me and my wife are living in Toulouse. She is planning to apply for talent visa for high skilled employees so that i also get work permit.
My question is :
Does prefecture looks only at CERFA doc to see weather the salary is enough for issuing Talent visa
or a salary certficate too, because my wife gets mandatory bonus which makes her annual salary more than 53,836 per year however without mandatory bonus its short of that amount.
Please let me know.
Thankyou
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hi Alex,
An employer attestation will also be requested. The amount to reach is before bonus, not after.
So it looks like your spouse will need to negotiate a pay rise to meet the EU Bleu card requirements.
Good luck! All the best,
Ikbel
Hello guys,
I am currently working in Austria as a full time employee, but I am a tunisian citizen, I would like to move to France with a job contract, should I apply from the France’s embassy here in Austria, or I do need to travel to Tunisia to make my application in there, JFYI I am completely eligible to travel to France, is there a way to submit my application in there directly ?
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hello Ikbel,
You should request a French visa from the French Embassy in Austria. You cannot request a French long-stay visa from France (a visa is an entry document).
A long-stay visa can only be requested:
1 – from your country of origin (the one you hold a passport from)
2 – your country of residence (the one you hold a valid residence permit from)
So, no need to go back to Tunisia to request a French visa as long as your Austrian permit is still valid.
I hope this clarifies. All the best to you.
Vahan
Hi GUIGA,
One question please: What are the restrictions of that 10 years residence permit. Should the person be able to leave the country more han 10 months ?
Can he/she work in other countries lets say for 3 years anc hen come back to France and work in France?
In case of Blue Card holder these restrictions are applied:
“absence of the EU/French territory of 12 consecutive months is tolerated and up to a total of 18 months over the 5 years”
What are the restrictions for 10 year residence permit holder?
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hi Vahan,
For both the 10-year residence card and the French passport request, periods of absence from French territory are taken into account in calculating the five-year residence requirement, provided that each period does not exceed six consecutive months and does not exceed ten months in total.
Best,
George
Hi Guiga,
Thank you for the detailed information!
If I’m already working in France under the carte de séjour – salarié and want to obtain Passeport-Talent – EU Blue Card visa, is the process to obtain the Passewport-Talent visa the same (as you described) or simplified?
George
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hello George,
There is a dozen type of Passport Talent visas, and the EU blue card is one of them.
I’m not sure I understand your question. This post gives the process for the EU blue card (which is simplified compared to other work visas – non-talent-passport).
Best to you
Joe
Hello Mmd Guiga! Thank you for always being so informative, I’m currently at the end of my VLS-TS Temp worker, but now I have the requirements for EU blue card, can I switch please and how? Do I still need a work permit? The administration website website has passport talent application unclickable and I’m unable to do it online due to that! Any info?
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hi Joe,
There is a Work permit exemption for the EU Blue holders.
Sorry, I’m not aware of this website issue. I’m afraid I can’t help with this.
You should request a change of status 2 months before the expiry of your current permit.
Declarer un changement de situation: https://administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr/particuliers/#/
Best to you,
Deepika
Hi Guiga. I’m Deepika. My husband lives in france since 2015. My husband signed a new work contract on 1 October with 37,140 Euro and he has already applied for passport talent salary status change on 9 December 2021. Thereafter I informed that the salary required for talent Passport has been changed with effect from 1st October 2021 now the new salary is required 38180 approximately. I want to ask you whether my husband’s talent passport request will be accepted or rejected? I am worried about it as I have already applied for tourist visa twice, once for long stay visitor visa but I got rejected. Since August 2019 my husband applied for family reunification but still no response from the province. I only hope to go to France with the process of passport talent.
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hello Deepika,
I’m afraid only the Prefecture will be able to answer your question.
But since the contract start date is the same day as the SMIC (French minimum wage) update implementation, there is a big chance the request is rejected. But again only the Prefecture can respond.
As a matter of fact, the salary request for the visas is in line with the SMIC that gets updated once or twice a year.
The solution would be for your husband to get a pay rise in line with the SMIC increase with a written attestation by his employer to be added to his permit request. That way he will still meet the minimum requirements for the Salarié Qualifié Talent- Passport type.
I’m afraid I don’t have better advice at this stage.
All the best to you both.
david
bonjour Guiga,
thank you for all your information, it is very helpful.
when you wrote about residence permit request on arrival, i understood that after arriving in france it took 6-7 weeks for the appointment at the prefecture and then another 2 months to actually receive the blue card ? and that means i can expect to wait roughly 4 months in total after arriving in france until i have the card ?
thanks
Mademoiselle Guiga
Bonjour David,
Yes, this looks like a good estimate, however, it can vary from one Prefecture to another. When you go to your Prefecture appointment and give your fule dossier, you will get a receipt (called recepissé), this will be your temporary permit until the card is ready to be collected.
Best,
Karolynn
Hello Guiga,
A very informative piece, Thankyou.
I am soon to complete my Masters degree here in France. Am I correct that upon successful completion, I can apply for Nationality? Is it through the talent passport or do I make a different application? I have been in France since December 2019? Also are there language requirements? I have completed the A2 Delft exams. I plan to begin studying also for the B1 soon.
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hello Karolynn,
Getting a residence permit and requesting naturalisation are two very different processes. The naturalisation can take a few years, so you need to keep renewing your permits in parallel with initiating the naturalisation request.
You will find more information about the naturalisation process here: https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2213?lang=en
All the best to you,
Karthik
Hello Mme.GUIGA,
Thank you for this detailed information.
I have been living in France for 5 consecutive years which include my 2 years of Master studies. I currently have Carte de Séjour – Passeport Talent Salarie valid till March 2023. I got a job offer in Italy and I expect to have a Italian EU Blue card. I have questions like 1)If I get this Italian Blue Card, then does my Passeport talent Salarie yet be valid? 2) let’s say after some months, If I want to move to France with a Italian Blue card , job offer in France and a salary lesser than required to request French EU Blue card but more than required for Passeport Talent Salarie, will I get a French Blue card or Passeport Talent Salarie?
Thanks again.
Karthik
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hello Karthik,
Congrats on the new job. From an immigration point of view, you cannot be a resident of two different countries. So once you transfer your EU Blue card to the Italian one, you lose the French one. You will still be able to transfer again to the French EU Blue card if you still meet the requirements. I hope this clarifies.
Best to you
Dan
Hello,
I have been working in France with the Talent Blue Visa for 3 years and have one year remaining. I have just recieved a new job offer in Luxembourg. Do you know if this would require a new Talent Blue application to LUX, or is the Visa valid for work in all of the EU ( Except Denmark and Ireland)
Regards,
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hello Dan,
As explained in the blog post, you will need to notify the local Luxemburgish authorities within the first month of your arrival. Luxemburg is part of the Blue Card programme so you shouldn’t need to request a visa (and just transfer your current French permit into a Luxemburgish one – since you have passed the 18 months period). But I still recommend you to reach out to the Consulate of Luxemburg in France to check if there are any specific requirements and rules.
All the best to you,
Avi
Hi Guiga,
Firstly, thanks a ton for writing up such an informative article and for trying to help others.
Hoping you can help answer the below for me please.
After spending 5 consecutive years. in France, what other requirements do I have to fulfil in order to apply for a French Citizenship (Passport) ?
I read somewhere that we need to prove french language skills and french culture test but I am unable to find out the exact detail on what this exam is, if there is a certain syllabus for and if there is a book that I can read for French culture ?
As an example here in UK, they expect people to pass an exam called SELT for proving english and there is another book for the ‘Life in UK’ culture test.
Alex
Hello Guiga,
I lived in Germany with blue care title for 2 years and then moved to France with blue card residence permit as well, i would like to know if the 2 years in Germany will be counted for my permanent residence or nationality in France?
Thanks for your help.
Regards,
Alex
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hi Alex,
No, periods outside of France are not counted towards the 5 years required duration to meet the requirement to request the residency or nationality.
Periods of absence from French territory are taken into account in calculating the five-year residence requirement, provided that each period does not exceed six consecutive months and does not exceed ten months in total.
Best to you,
Steve Lee
Hi Guiga,
We have dependent over aged children (both at university) our daughter is to start her studies in Italy in September and our son is hoping to study for his Masters in Germany. Are we able to include them on our EU Blue card visa ?
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hello Steve,
Since your daughter is over-aged, she will need to request a student visa to come to France. She can no longer be your dependent under your EU Blue card visa.
All the best for your visa request,
Lara Tabatabai
Hi Guiga, I didn’t know about this process and I admit it is great. I was wondering if only specific countries were included or if anyone from any country can apply?
Cheers 😀
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hi Lara,
Yes, it is a great permit, it gives many possibilities to its holder!
It applies to all nationalities except Algerian nationals that depend on a specific bilateral agreement between France and Algeria.
All other countries fall under the CESEDA (Code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d’asile) to which all the permits fall under except the ones specific to Algerians.
Let me know if you have other questions.
Lara Tabatabai
Thanks for that! 👍
Harrish
Hi Guiga,
Thanks for the information.
What is the residency requirement for a EU blue card holder to get the permanent residence in France? (Eg. In Germany, EU blue card holders can apply for PR in 21/33 months and not wait for 5 years).
Thanks for your help!
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hello Harrish,
You can request a 10-year residence permit after 5 consecutive years under an EU Blue Card in any EU country. You should have been residing in France the two years prior to the request. Same as for the nationality request, the residence within the EU should be continuous, but an absence of the EU/French territory of 12 consecutive months is tolerated and up to a total of 18 months over the 5 years. I would however avoid reaching that.
All the best,
Harrish
Hello Guiga,
Thanks a lot for sharing about the requirements. As per this information > https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/aamt/zugastimaa/buergerservice/faq/02a-what-is-the-blue-card/606754, it says it is possible to obtain a “settlement permit” after 21/33 months with a blue card. Do you think it is the same for all EU countries, specifically France? EU blue card seems to have some privileges and I was wondering if there is a strict requirement to wait for 5 years (similar to other permits) to apply for a PR!
Thanks a lot for your insights!
Harrish
Mademoiselle Guiga
Hello Harrish,
French immigration law is different from the German one.
In France, the UE blue card permit holders can request a 10-year residence permit after 5 consecutive years under an EU Blue Card in any EU country plus details I explained in my previous answer.
There are no shorter delays in France for EU blue cardholders.
https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F17359
All the best,