Who it’s for
For employment in France by a French company. You must have a job offer before you apply — the visa cannot be used to come and look for work.
The decisive step is not yours. Your employer must obtain a work authorisation (autorisation de travail) before your visa application can proceed, through the ANEF portal, which routes the request to the regional labour authority (DREETS).
How the process runs
- Your French employer offers you a position
- The employer applies for work authorisation through the ANEF portal — this has replaced the older paper-based process
- The authorisation is reviewed — officially a 2 month instruction period
- Once approved, you apply for the visa at the French consulate for your US region
- Visa processing typically takes 3–6 weeks
- The visa is issued and you may work on arrival
- Within 3 months of arrival, validate the visa online through ANEF
End to end, 3–6 months is a reasonable estimate including the employer’s authorisation step.
What you’ll need
- Passport valid 6+ months beyond your stay
- Signed work contract or a detailed job offer letter
- The employer’s work authorisation approval from DREETS via ANEF
- Proof of qualifications — diplomas with certified translations
- Proof of accommodation in France
- Health insurance cover
- Proof of financial means
- A clean criminal background check, apostilled
- The visa application fee of €99
The validation tax paid online after arrival is a separate cost from the €99 fee and easy to overlook. Its amount depends on contract length and salary level — confirm the current figure on france-visas.gouv.fr.
Consider the Talent Passport instead
If you have advanced qualifications and a sufficiently high salary, or specialised in-demand skills, the Talent Passport is generally faster to process, carries a card valid for up to 4 years, and automatically covers accompanying family members.
Its salary thresholds differ by sub-category and are indexed to the French minimum wage or an average reference salary, so the exact figure changes. Check the current threshold for your category on france-visas.gouv.fr rather than relying on a single number.