# Which Visa do I apply for?



## SarahLilyHarvey

Hello, I’m a published author (internationally with some books in France a few years ago) and working artist, and hope to move with my partner to France this year, but going through the visa application process I am confused as to which visa to apply for. My first thought is the talent visa, but my partner and I also wish to buy a property with a gite or two to run as a small business, and as a yoga teacher I wish to teach also, so should I be applying for the business visa? Or will a talent visa also allow me to work as a business. Also does my partner have to apply separately or can I include him on my application? We are not married but have been together for four years. I would be so grateful if anyone can help. I am not a paperwork person lol, so any advice will be very gratefully received.


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## Bevdeforges

If you can qualify for one of the Passeport Talent categories there is a visa that goes with that for immediate family members. That said, France tends to insist that immediate families are limited to married or PACS'd partners. (For foreigners, the French do accept any sort of legal "civil union" that is recognized by your home country or countries, if different.) 

On the page regarding Passeport Talent, the introductory material includes this:


> Your family members may also accompany you and will be issued with multi-year residence permits. This permit will authorise your spouse and any children entering into their 18th year to work. In the three months following your arrival in France, you and your family must visit your local police station in France to request a multi-year residence permit corresponding to your situation.


But I think the term "police station" is something of a misnomer. Normally for all these sorts of immigration things you deal with the "prefecture" which is an administrative office in each departement - only in Paris do they refer to it as the "prefecture de police."

And you should be sure to read the material under the heading dealing with "national or international reputation." Generally speaking, you would need to have some sort of project in mind - research for a new book or artistic project relating to France in some way, establishing an educational program in writing or other arts, etc. You could combine the gite venture with your writing by setting up a "writer's retreat" or some such project. 

Back when the passport talent was a 3 year visa, I think it was renewable for a second 3 years if you were making steady progress on your "project" but I don't see anything offhand on the matter of renewing the visa now that it's 4 years. You may want to check that out as you start considering your options.


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## BackinFrance

Bevdeforges said:


> If you can qualify for one of the Passeport Talent categories there is a visa that goes with that for immediate family members. That said, France tends to insist that immediate families are limited to married or PACS'd partners. (For foreigners, the French do accept any sort of legal "civil union" that is recognized by your home country or countries, if different.)
> 
> On the page regarding Passeport Talent, the introductory material includes this:
> 
> But I think the term "police station" is something of a misnomer. Normally for all these sorts of immigration things you deal with the "prefecture" which is an administrative office in each departement - only in Paris do they refer to it as the "prefecture de police."
> 
> And you should be sure to read the material under the heading dealing with "national or international reputation." Generally speaking, you would need to have some sort of project in mind - research for a new book or artistic project relating to France in some way, establishing an educational program in writing or other arts, etc. You could combine the gite venture with your writing by setting up a "writer's retreat" or some such project.
> 
> Back when the passport talent was a 3 year visa, I think it was renewable for a second 3 years if you were making steady progress on your "project" but I don't see anything offhand on the matter of renewing the visa now that it's 4 years. You may want to check that out as you start considering your options.


Given that the Passeport Talent can be applied for whilst you are, legally I would think, I believe it would be possible to 'renew', in the sense of updating, it when you approach the 4 years of validity, provided of course that the conditions do not change in the meantime, though I think that would potentially be true of any renewable CDS/TDS.


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## Bevdeforges

I would have thought so, too - but I did note that on the page about the Passeport Talent it specifically states that the visa allows you to stay in France for four years, with no mention of renewal. The older version of the information always seemed to state that it was valid for three years and specifically stated that it could be renewed for an additional three years. By that time, I expect you'd be eligible for a more general multi-year visa (with work privileges). But after 4 years, I'm not sure what your status would be in terms of potentially changing your visa status. Don't have the time to dig through the visa site to see if they mention renewal of the Passeport Talent after the initial term. Just seems "odd" to me that they have always mentioned the renewal in the previous versions with nothing about it in this current version. May just be a slip of some kind.


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## BackinFrance

Bevdeforges said:


> I would have thought so, too - but I did note that on the page about the Passeport Talent it specifically states that the visa allows you to stay in France for four years, with no mention of renewal. The older version of the information always seemed to state that it was valid for three years and specifically stated that it could be renewed for an additional three years. By that time, I expect you'd be eligible for a more general multi-year visa (with work privileges). But after 4 years, I'm not sure what your status would be in terms of potentially changing your visa status. Don't have the time to dig through the visa site to see if they mention renewal of the Passeport Talent after the initial term. Just seems "odd" to me that they have always mentioned the renewal in the previous versions with nothing about it in this current version. May just be a slip of some kind.











Passeport talent : carte de séjour pluriannuelle d'un étranger en France


Si vous êtes étranger et souhaitez travailler en France plus de 3 mois, vous pouvez bénéficier d'une carte de séjour pluriannuelle passeport talent. Cette carte vous est délivrée dans plusieurs situations, notamment si vous êtes hautement qualifié ou souhaitez créer une entreprise ou investir en...




www.service-public.fr




.
It’s renewable.


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## Bevdeforges

OK - thanks for sharing that.


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## BackinFrance

Bevdeforges said:


> OK - thanks for sharing that.


You're more than welcome. 

In fact I know very little about visas etc, but since I had a flew spare minutes and you were busy, I thought I'd look it up. Plus it was something that sparked my interest, given it all seemed a bit strange in light of what I recalled reading in the media.


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## SarahLilyHarvey

Thank you so much to both of you, it is actually part of the plan to run writers retreats, integrating the yoga for flow of thought and removing writers block etc, and also art as therapy too, so what you have said is a really helpful prompt for structuring my application. Very very much appreciated. Thank you!


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## BackinFrance

I also seem to recall that we had people through this forum last year who were required to advise on the status of their business plan, and that at least one went the cultural passeport talent route, though that certainly doesn't mean that you can't amend your plan as you move forward.


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## Crabtree

Just going away from the visa application for a moment-if you are going to move to France then I suggest you get married in some form as France inheritance law and tax does not recognise "partners" per se So if one of you passes away then the other will have to pay 60% inheritance tax as a non blood inheritor and the situation will become even more complicated if there are children from a previous relationship Also it will help with visas frankly Iffor some reason you do not wish to marry then speak with a notaire in order to arrange things to minimise tax especially at the house purchase sale You may also find a discussion with the local Chambres de Commerce helpful for the business




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## SarahLilyHarvey

Crabtree said:


> Just going away from the visa application for a moment-if you are going to move to France then I suggest you get married in some form as France inheritance law and tax does not recognise "partners" per se So if one of you passes away then the other will have to pay 60% inheritance tax as a non blood inheritor and the situation will become even more complicated if there are children from a previous relationship Also it will help with visas frankly Iffor some reason you do not wish to marry then speak with a notaire in order to arrange things to minimise tax especially at the house purchase sale You may also find a discussion with the local Chambres de Commerce helpful for the business
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Thank you so much. Definitely something to discuss and consider. Especially from a tax point of view.


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