How to work remotely from France: the 2026 visa guide for digital nomads
France has no digital nomad visa. Here are the three routes that work in 2026, with official income thresholds, timelines, costs and what changes in your resume.
France has no digital nomad visa. In 2026, anyone who wants to work remotely from there uses one of three routes: the long-stay visiteur visa (VLS-TS), which requires personal income around the net SMIC, roughly 1,426 euros per month, and bans professional activity on French soil; the liberal profession or entrepreneur visa, for people who will invoice as a self-employed worker registered in France; or Talent, formerly passeport talent, for people with a contract at a French company and a salary starting at 39,582 euros gross per year. Each route carries a different tax rule and a different risk of refusal.
This guide shows which one fits your case, with official 2026 figures, plus the part almost nobody explains: if you plan to work for a French company, the first obstacle is not the consulate. It is the software that reads your resume.
No. Unlike Portugal, Spain and Italy, France never launched a visa specifically for remote workers. The subject has been publicly discussed for years, with no regulation published as of August 2026.
In practice, that does not stop anyone from living and working from there. It only means you will enter through a category created for another purpose, and that is where most applications are refused: people pick the wrong route for their own situation.
The three real doors, and who fits each one:
| Route | Who it is for | Work allowed in France | Income required (2026) | |---|---|---|---| | VLS-TS visiteur | People living off foreign income, savings, pension or rent | No professional activity on French soil | Net SMIC as a reference, around 1,426 euros per month | | Liberal profession / entrepreneur | Freelancers or business owners registering in France | Yes, as a registered self-employed worker | Around 1,430 euros net per month, with a viable business plan | | Talent, salarié qualifié | People with a contract at a company established in France | Yes, as an employee | 39,582 euros gross per year, around 3,298 euros per month | | Talent, EU Blue Card | Highly qualified profiles with a French contract | Yes, as an employee | 59,373 euros gross per year, with a reduced floor of 47,498 euros for shortage STEM roles |