Moving to France takes 3 to 6 months from the moment you start your visa application, depending on the visa you choose. If you want to work for yourself, count on 5 to 6 months. If you're coming as a visitor who won't work, 2 to 3 months is usually enough.
In this article, I walk you through the steps and timescales for four visas: the visa profession libérale, the visa talent, the artist visa and the long-stay visitor visa. The idea is to help you plan backwards: pick the date you want to move, then work out when you need to start.
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The four visas at a glance
| Visa | Who it's for | Project validation needed? | Time to plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa Profession Libérale | Creating a business in France | Yes | 5–6 months |
| Visa Talent - Créateur Entreprise | Entrepreneurs with a master's degree (or 5 years equivalent experience) + investing €30,000 | Yes | 5-6 months |
| Artist visa / Visa Talent Artiste | Artists developing their career in France | No | 3–4 months |
| Long-stay visitor visa | Retirees, students, families with children at school: anyone not working | No | 3 months |
1. Visa profession libérale: 6 steps, 5 to 6 months
The visa profession libérale is for you if you want to create a business in France. It's valid for one year and renewable from France. The process has six steps.
- Prepare your dossier (1–2 months). This is your business plan, financial plan, proof of savings, choice of legal structure and evidence that you will have enough clients to support yourself. If you're already freelancing full time, one month can be enough. I plan for two to be safe: organising the finances with your bank alone can take three weeks.
- Submit your project for validation by DREETS (2–8 weeks). You submit your project online to the French administration and need a yes before you can move on. Each time they ask for more information, you have two weeks to reply and they may take up to two more weeks to answer. I allow two months, so there's time to adjust or reapply if needed. Bank holidays in May, the summer holidays and Christmas can slow things down too.
- Fill in your France-Visas application form (about 1 hour). It's an online form: take your time and avoid mistakes.
- Book your appointment (2–3 weeks to get a slot). Depending on your country, this is with TLScontact (in the US), VFS Global, or the French embassy or consulate.
- Attend your appointment. Bring your full dossier, the validation of your project, and extra documents such as proof of accommodation in France, proof of health cover and your flight details. You will hand over your passport.
- Get your passport back (about 2 weeks). It will be sent back to you by courier, with the visa sticker inside.
Total: 5 to 6 months. That's two months to prepare the dossier, up to two months for validation, and two months for the final steps. Those last two months also give you time to prepare the move itself: selling what you don't need, packing and organising travel for your pets, without rushing like mad.
2.Visa talent: 6 steps, 5 to 6 months
The visa talent is issued for one to four years. To apply, you need a master's degree or 5 years equivalent professional experience, and you must also invest €30,000 in your business in France.
You might be surprised that it takes about the same time as the visa profession libérale. Since December 2025, the validation step asks for more information for both visas, so the timescales are now very close. I would plan for six months rather than five, as there's a little more work: allow two to three extra weeks for the legal side, and securing the 30,000€ investment in France in a very specific way.
The steps are the same:
- Prepare your dossier: 1–2 months.
- Submit your project for validation: 2–8 weeks, on a different website from the profession libérale, but read by the same people.
- France-Visas form, appointment and passport return: about 1–2 months.
Total: 5 to 6 months.
3.Artist visa - Visa Talent Artiste : 3 to 4 months
The artist visa is interesting because there's no project validation step. You go straight from preparing your dossier to the France-Visas form and your appointment.
The dossier is lighter, but don't underestimate it. You'll need a motivation letter, sample of your portfolio or autistic career track, an explanation of what you want to do in France, proof of savings, and support from people locally or back home. I would spend at least a month on this dossier to show your track record as an artist and how coming to France will develop your skills, your visibility or your connections here. You still want to look like a mini business plan as you need to cover the finances.
Total: 3 to 4 months. It could be done in three, but an extra month on your project makes your application stronger.
4.Long-stay visitor visa: 2 to 3 months
The long-stay visitor visa is for people who won't work in France: retirees, students, or children coming to school, for example.
As a reminder, France has no digital nomad visa. If you want to freelance, even for clients based abroad, you need to apply for a visa profession libérale or a visa talent.
The long stay visitor dossier is light: a motivation letter, proof of savings, proof of where you'll stay and your international health cover. Then you fill in the France-Visas form, book and attend your appointment, and wait for your passport to come back.
Total: 2 to 3 months.
Moving as a couple: start the business visa first
Often, one partner applies for a business visa and the other comes on a visitor visa because they don't plan to work. Their timelines are different, so you don't start the visa application at the same time.
- The partner creating a business starts first, 5 to 6 months ahead, by preparing the dossier and submitting the project for validation.
- The visitor partner joins in 3 to 4 months later, once the project is approved.
- You then apply together: on France-Visas, you can group several applications so it's clear you're travelling together.
Plan backwards from your moving date
Depending on your visa, you are looking at 3 to 6 months. That may sound long, but remember your last couple of months at home are busy: clearing the house, selling things and saying goodbye to friends all take a lot of mental space. Building in time at the end means you can focus on the move instead of worrying about your visa.
So pick your moving date, count back 3 to 6 months depending on your visa, and that's when you need to start.
Get help with your business visa
If you're applying for a visa profession libérale or a visa talent, I can help you prepare and submit your visa application , from your business plan to your financial plan and project validation.
➡️ Find out about My French Business Visa support
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Timescales are based on my experience with clients and may vary with the season and the administration's workload.
