# French digital nomad visa



## ammonite123

With increasing numbers of countries starting up digital nomad visas - including Spain, due to arrive in January, I wonder if France would ever consider doing something similar? I keep hearing that France probably wouldn't. I haven't seen anything in the French news about such a thing being mooted or debated.


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## Clic Clac

Haven't heard anything over here -

but I heard something about Brits being able to work remotely in Spain, and it will be tax-free (for a while?).

Is that the one starting in January?


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## ammonite123

Clic Clac said:


> Haven't heard anything over here -
> 
> but I heard something about Brits being able to work remotely in Spain, and it will be tax-free (for a while?).
> 
> Is that the one starting in January?


That's it. From what I gather, if you have a remote job in the UK earning at least 2000 euros a month, you can apply for a digital nomad visa in Spain, pay 15 per cent tax and renew for up to five years, at which point you can become a Spanish resident. I would love it if France offered something similiar! Lots of EU countries are doing similar things, but not France it seems.


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## BackinFrance

France does not follow other EU countries because they all do different things. It certainly does not follow in the footsteps of Spain. 

I definitely have not seen anything on French news sites (or elsewhere that indicates that France is even considering visas for digital nomads. Go to Spain and forget France, because it is very unlikely to happen here in the near future.


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## Bevdeforges

I'll second what BiF has said. France doesn't really have any great need of encouraging digital nomads - for a variety of reasons, mostly related to tax (and tax evasion) and the state of the "cotisations" system (i.e. social insurances). There is also a fair amount of resistance on the part of many employers here to allowing their French employees to work from home 100% of the time. (Or so says my neighbor, who is loving working from home, but is now at the point where she is obligated to go into work a couple of days a week.) So net-net I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for France to embrace the idea of a digital nomad visa. But we'll certainly let folks know if something develops.


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## Harry Moles

The digital nomad thing really seems to be happening around the periphery of Europe: Portugal, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Croatia, Estonia are the ones I'm aware of at present.


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## endless.wander

FWIW, I have been able to stay in France for multiple years on a long-term visitor visa. I do not work for a company abroad, but I am a freelancer with international clients. Every time applying for or renewing my visa, I was very upfront with the fact that I am a freelancer and that my income would be coming from abroad while I am in France. During one application, I was told as long as I never work for a French client, they are not concerned by my freelance work. All I needed to do was have notarized statements saying I would not work for French clients and show my bank account as proof of income.


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## ammonite123

endless.wander said:


> FWIW, I have been able to stay in France for multiple years on a long-term visitor visa. I do not work for a company abroad, but I am a freelancer with international clients. Every time applying for or renewing my visa, I was very upfront with the fact that I am a freelancer and that my income would be coming from abroad while I am in France. During one application, I was told as long as I never work for a French client, they are not concerned by my freelance work. All I needed to do was have notarized statements saying I would not work for French clients and show my bank account as proof of income.


This is something experienced by many people. They have applied for a working visa (often as an auto entrepreneur) and have been explicitly told by consular staff that as their clients are based outside of France and have no connection to France they can simply use a visitor visa. Forums such as this one (and other well-served Facebook groups) then jump down their throats (no judgement here) and are told what they are doing is illegal. I don't really know what to make of it. You, for example, have had no issue renewing the visa and have clearly been up front with the authorities about everything. It would make everything a huge amount easier if I went down that route!

Can I ask what the process has been like for renewal? How did you get on getting into the heath system? And are you planning on applying for long-term residency further down the line? I assume you file a French tax return but list all your income as foreign. Thanks!


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## BackinFrance

You need to be aware that it depends on the Préfecture.


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