# US Citizen Applying for Startup Visa



## bjr1981

Hi All,

Apologies if this is a repeat question. I'm applying for a tech startup visa and have letters of recommendation from French companies I already work with and who need to hire me. I'm not so worried about the business plan and demand part of the visa. 

My main question is, it seems like in order to apply I need to have a documented residence in France, a commercial lease agreement, and a French bank account with a balance sufficient to prove I'm not a drain on the system. Do I need to move temporarily to France (3 months?) to establish these things first before applying? How do I get all these things without a visa? Seems like a cart/horse problem. I tried to hire the VFS service to assist me and they were hopeless. I'm going to submit my business plan to an incubator as well and see what they can offer.

I plan to apply for an EURL or Entreprise Unipersonelle à Responsibilité Limitée.

Thanks in advance. I know a lot of you have been on this journey.


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## Bevdeforges

I think you're confounding a couple different categories of visas and conditions here.



bjr1981 said:


> in order to apply I need to have a documented residence in France, a commercial lease agreement, and a French bank account with a balance sufficient to prove I'm not a drain on the system. Do I need to move temporarily to France (3 months?) to establish these things first before applying?


This is a no-go. I think what you probably are looking for is something like a passeport talent visa, which will then allow you to establish residency in France, at which point you can then set up your EURL to do business with your French clients and customers. Moving "temporarily" to France will not give you residence in France - you need a long-stay visa and the associated residence permit (the famous "titre de séjour"). 

You can't "hire" VFS to assist you - they work for the immigration service and all they do is "pre-process" visa applications to be processed by the French consulate in DC. This is the government information on this type of visa: International talents | France-Visas.gouv.fr

Once you are in France you can work with the CCI (Chambre de Commerce et d'Industrie) - which is a government agency - for assistance in setting up and developing your business, be it EURL or another designation.

But in general, things here in France take the time that they take. It may not be possible to pre-arrange things like business entities, business bank accounts and all. But I think you'll find that the passeport talent visa is your best option (and yes, they'll be very interested in your business plan as a part of the process).


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## Philip63

Bev is correct. You need to arrive in France with a proper visa in your passport. In fact this is the case in most countries- the US included. 
The passeport talent visa is a great option and France is keen on inbound tech talent as long as your project passes muster.


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## bjr1981

Thanks, both. The same conditions apply to a talented passport with the intent of business creation:


Starting a company under French law : Copy of the commercial lease agreement stating the business activity or of the sub-lease contract stating the activity and where possible authorization from the owner of the premises, or any other documents regarding the business premises + copy of the draft articles of association with a draft breakdown of share capital.
Proof of the letter of guarantee from a French-based credit institution or approved insurance company to stand guarantor, or proof of a credit balance from an account in the applicant’s name opened at a French-based credit institution.
My question is how do I get these things if I'm in the US and don't live in France? Do I need to come visit to arrange these things in person and go back to the US to finish the application? Thanks,

Ben


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## Philip63

You can rent a space at a co-working facility like WeWork from abroad pretty easily but you might want to see what you're renting before signing 
As for the organization documents you should be able to find an attorney to help with that. 
With respect to opening a bank account many banks will allow you to open an account without being here. 
I will PM you a resource I have used that is inexpensive and very knowledgeable.


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## Philip63

Take that back.. apparently I can't PM. Try reaching out to Valerie at www.startbusinessinfrance.com 
I have found her to be very helpful! I have no commercial connection to her.


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## tardigrade

Philip63 said:


> Take that back.. apparently I can't PM. Try reaching out to Valerie at www.startbusinessinfrance.com
> I have found her to be very helpful! I have no commercial connection to her.


FYI - you can pm but the responder cannot as I think he/she needs 5 posts or more to be able to send and receive pms'.


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## EuroTrash

Philip63 said:


> You can rent a space at a co-working facility like WeWork from abroad pretty easily but you might want to see what you're renting before signing


Whenever I've rented co-working space, I've had to provide a siret number.
Also in some cases, proof of insurance.


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## Philip63

EuroTrash said:


> Whenever I've rented co-working space, I've had to provide a siret number.
> Also in some cases, proof of insurance.


Not as a foreign entity. 

I've done it several times here for US companies here in Paris and it hasn't been required. They did however ask for articles of organization.


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## bjr1981

Philip63 said:


> Take that back.. apparently I can't PM. Try reaching out to Valerie at www.startbusinessinfrance.com
> I have found her to be very helpful! I have no commercial connection to her.


Thank you, Philip. I’ll reach out to her and see how I do. Thanks for your help.
Ben.


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## Bevdeforges

tardigrade said:


> FYI - you can pm but the responder cannot as I think he/she needs 5 posts or more to be able to send and receive pms'.


That changed when the forum format changed over to this new form. Click on the avatar of the person you want to message and on the panel you get, there is a button in the lower right corner for "Message" which will take you to the "Conversations" function, which is what the PM system is called here.


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