Long-Stay Visitor Visa (VLS-TS visiteur) (France): Requirements
France residence route
Long-Stay Visitor Visa (VLS-TS visiteur)
Retirees with stable passive income who will not work in France.
- Income threshold
- $1,635 / month
- For a couple
- $2,834 / month
- Minimum age
- None
- Validity
- Between four and twelve months, most commonly twelve, and it functions as a residence permit once validated online.
- Permanent residence
- Five years of continuous legal residence gives a ten-year carte de résident, subject to an A2 French language requirement and integration conditions.
- Processing
- 3 to 6 months from start to validated residence
The legal basis
Code de l entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d asile (CESEDA), long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit.
The financial test in detail
There is no single statutory figure. Consulates benchmark against the French minimum wage, the SMIC, and in 2026 commonly look for at least around 1,443 to 1,555 euros net per month for a single applicant, with more expected for a couple and for applicants intending to live in Paris or the Riviera. Savings can offset a shortfall.
Savings
Not formally required, but a strong liquid savings position is regularly used to make up a shortfall against the SMIC benchmark and is often decisive.
What the status gives you
- Renewal
- Renewed at your local prefecture as a carte de séjour temporaire visiteur, applied for two months before expiry.
- Work rights
- No. You sign a formal undertaking (attestation sur l honneur) not to carry out any professional activity in France, and this includes remote work.
- How much time you must spend there
- France expects the visitor permit to reflect genuine residence, and renewal requires it.
- Citizenship
- Five years of residence, with a B1 French language requirement and a civics test. France permits dual citizenship.
- Government fees
- Visa: 99 EUR. Residence permit: 225 EUR. Long-stay visa fee is 99 euros. Validating the VLS-TS online after arrival carries a tax of around 200 to 225 euros paid in electronic stamps.
- 1 Complete the France-Visas questionnaire The official France-Visas portal generates your personalised document list and application. Start there rather than with a third-party guide, because it produces the exact list your consulate will check.
- 2 Sign the no-work undertaking A handwritten and signed attestation that you will not engage in any professional activity in France. It is a required document and it is taken literally.
- 3 Arrange accommodation evidence A lease, a property deed, or an attestation d accueil from a host. France is somewhat more flexible than Italy here, and some consulates accept evidence of an arrangement for the first months plus proof of means.
- 4 Buy compliant health insurance Coverage valid in France for the full visa period with at least 30,000 euros for emergency care and repatriation, since you cannot join PUMA until three months after arrival.
- 5 Authenticate and translate Apostille U.S. vital records, then have them translated into French by a traducteur assermenté or a translator the consulate accepts.
- 6 File through VFS Global France uses VFS Global across the United States. Jurisdiction is by state of residence. Biometrics are collected at the appointment.
- 7 Validate the VLS-TS online within 3 months of arrival This is the step people miss. Your long-stay visa only becomes a residence permit once you validate it on the ANEF portal and pay the tax. Do it in the first weeks.
- 8 Apply for PUMA after three months Once you have three months of stable residence, apply to your CPAM for healthcare cover under Protection Universelle Maladie. Processing is slow, so file as soon as you are eligible and keep private cover until your carte Vitale arrives.
Your action Documents and authentication Government processing
Your document checklist for this route
11 documents in total, of which 4 need authentication: 1 through the U.S. Department of State and 3 through a Secretary of State. All authenticated documents also need certified translation into French.
- U.S. passport Identity and the physical book the visa is placed in. Lead time: Routine renewal takes weeks; check current published times
- Passport-format photographs Every application. Specifications differ by country and are enforced strictly. Lead time: Same day
- National long-stay visa application form The core filing. Almost always country-specific and often only valid if printed from the consulate portal. Lead time: Same day
- Certified birth certificate Secretary of State for the issuing state Apostille Proves identity, nationality and, where relevant, family relationships for dependants. Lead time: 3 to 20 days depending on state
- Certified marriage certificate Secretary of State for the issuing state Apostille Required whenever a spouse is included as a dependant, and to prove joint income or joint savings. Lead time: 3 to 20 days
- Social Security benefit verification letter U.S. Department of State, Office of Authentications (federal) Apostille The single most-used proof of "guaranteed lifetime pension" for pensionado-style visas. Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador all key on it. Lead time: Same day online
- Private pension, annuity or 401(k)/IRA income letter Secretary of State for the issuing state Apostille Used where Social Security alone does not meet the threshold, or where the visa requires a lifetime guaranteed payment. Lead time: 5 to 20 days
- Bank and brokerage statements Proof of savings or liquid assets, used either instead of income or alongside it. Lead time: 1 to 10 days
- Proof of accommodation in the destination country Italy, France, Spain and Greece in particular want to see where you will actually live. Lead time: Varies
- Private international health insurance certificate Nearly universal. Schengen countries usually require a minimum of EUR 30,000 of coverage valid across the zone; other countries set their own floor. Lead time: 1 to 3 days
- Certified translation of the authenticated set Non-English-speaking destinations require the document and its apostille translated by a translator they recognise. Lead time: 2 to 7 days
Why applications on this route fail
- Failing to validate the VLS-TS online within three months of arrival, which leaves you without valid status.
- Assuming you can keep doing remote consulting. The undertaking not to work is explicit.
- Underestimating the PUMA waiting period. Keep private insurance for at least six months after arrival.
- Applying for renewal too late. Prefectures require the application roughly two months before expiry and appointments can be scarce.
Apply here
- France-Visas official portal The authoritative wizard that generates your exact document list.
- ANEF: validate your long-stay visa Mandatory online validation after arrival.
- Service-Public.fr: foreigners in France Official plain-language guidance on residence permits and renewals.
- 1 Obtain the record Order certified copies from the issuing authority. Do not use photocopies, scans or hospital souvenir certificates.
- 2 Notarise if required Letters and affidavits need a notary acknowledgement before any state can authenticate them. Government-issued vital records do not.
- 3 County clerk (some states) A handful of states require the county clerk to certify the notary commission before the Secretary of State will act.
- 4 Authenticate State-issued documents go to the Secretary of State of the issuing state. Federal documents go to the U.S. Department of State Office of Authentications.
- 5 Apostille or legalise Hague Convention destination: an apostille finishes the chain. Non-Hague destination: the document then goes to that country embassy or consulate for legalisation. For France the apostille ends the chain.
- 6 Certified translation Translate the document together with its apostille. Translating first means paying twice.
- 7 File with the consulate Book the appointment at the consulate with jurisdiction over your state of residence and bring originals plus copies.
The expensive mistake: translating before the document is authenticated. The apostille or legalisation certificate is itself part of what the receiving government reads, so it has to be inside the translation. Do it the other way round and you pay for the same translation twice.
Long-Stay Visitor Visa (VLS-TS visiteur): common questions
How much income do I need for the Long-Stay Visitor Visa (VLS-TS visiteur)?
The published threshold is about $1,635 a month for a single applicant and $2,834 for a couple. There is no single statutory figure. Consulates benchmark against the French minimum wage, the SMIC, and in 2026 commonly look for at least around 1,443 to 1,555 euros net per month for a single applicant, with more expected for a couple and for applicants intending to live in Paris or the Riviera. Savings can offset a shortfall.
Do I need savings as well as income?
Not formally required, but a strong liquid savings position is regularly used to make up a shortfall against the SMIC benchmark and is often decisive.
Can I work on this visa?
No. You sign a formal undertaking (attestation sur l honneur) not to carry out any professional activity in France, and this includes remote work. This is the field applicants most often misread, and in several countries remote work for a U.S. employer counts as work performed locally.
What documents need an apostille?
For this route we count 4 documents needing authentication: 1 federal, through the U.S. Department of State, and 3 state-issued, through the Secretary of State of the issuing state. France is a Hague Convention country, so an apostille completes the chain.
How long does it take?
3 to 6 months from start to validated residence The consular stage is comparatively quick. PUMA healthcare registration after arrival is the slow part.
How much time must I spend in the country?
France expects the visitor permit to reflect genuine residence, and renewal requires it.
Does it lead to permanent residence?
Permanent residence: Five years of continuous legal residence gives a ten-year carte de résident, subject to an A2 French language requirement and integration conditions.. Citizenship: Five years of residence, with a B1 French language requirement and a civics test. France permits dual citizenship..
Verified Sep 7, 2026 Primary sources: france-visas.gouv.fr, www.service-public.fr
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This resource is provided free by Federal Apostille as an educational tool. It is not legal, tax, immigration or financial advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created by using it. Immigration rules, income thresholds, fees and processing times change frequently and often without notice, and consulates apply them differently. Always confirm current requirements with the official government source and the specific consulate that has jurisdiction over your U.S. state of residence before you act. Every figure on this site carries the date we last verified it and a link to the primary source.
