Spouse of a French citizen
You apply for a vie privée et familiale visa at the French consulate, and you have the right to work immediately on arrival. There is no income requirement on the French spouse.
- Your marriage certificate, apostilled — digital apostilles are now accepted
- Your spouse’s French identity document
- Proof that the relationship is genuine
Processing runs 2–10 weeks depending on the consulate. Family-based visas are often issued as “carte de séjour à solliciter” rather than a VLS-TS, which means a prefecture appointment within 2 months of arrival instead of online validation — see the guide on the two visa types.
Spouse of a non-EU resident: family reunification
Here the spouse already in France applies for regroupement familial on your behalf, and only after holding their first residence permit for 18 months.
- Sponsor income of 1.3× the minimum wage — approximately €2,730 a month as of 2026
- Housing of adequate size and condition, verified by the prefecture
- Processing of 6–15 months after submission
PACS partners
A civil union follows the same vie privée et familiale process as marriage, with more scrutiny. The PACS must have been registered for 12+ months with continuous cohabitation, and you should expect to prove a shared life in depth — joint accounts, lease, travel together, utility bills, insurance policies.
Moving together, and children
- Each spouse needs their own visa application — there is no joint file
- If one of you holds an EU Blue Card or Talent Passport, the other gets automatic work authorisation
- Time the applications together for consistency
- Minor children under 18 are included on a parent’s application, with birth certificates and, where relevant, custody agreements
Spouses of French nationals are among the categories exempt from the post-arrival visa validation tax. Confirm your category on the ANEF portal, since the exemptions are set by the finance law and can change.