France Retirement Visa 2026
Long-stay Visitor (visiteur) — income requirement, rules & eligibility.
Income requirement
France's Long-stay Visitor (visiteur) is set by rule at CESEDA art. L426-20: resources at least equal to the annual net SMIC (€1,477.93/mo net since 2026-06-01, +2.41% inflation trigger — info.gouv.fr) — refloats with the SMIC; the current figure works out to €1,478/month (≈$1,718/month) and re-floats when the underlying index changes. Income must be passive (pensions, rent, dividends) — not remote employment. The rule is statutory; the exact amount is index-linked and re-floats (source: France-Visas — Ministère de l'Intérieur / Europe & Affaires étrangères, checked 2026-09-06).
Key facts
- €1,478/month (≈$1,718/month) Long-stay Visitor (visiteur) — single applicant
- Savings / deposit Savings can offset lower income (e.g. ~€50k) at consular discretion
- Family uplift Not codified; each accompanying adult expected to show comparable means
- Passive income only pensions, rent, dividends — not remote employment
- Watch out The floor is statutory (CESEDA L426-20: the annual net SMIC) but re-floats with the SMIC, so a stale cited figure can itself trigger scrutiny. You sign an undertaking not to work in France.
France Long-stay Visitor (visiteur): common questions
What is the income requirement for France's Long-stay Visitor (visiteur) in 2026?
France's Long-stay Visitor (visiteur) is set by rule at CESEDA art. L426-20: resources at least equal to the annual net SMIC (€1,477.93/mo net since 2026-06-01, +2.41% inflation trigger — info.gouv.fr) — refloats with the SMIC; the current figure works out to €1,478/month (≈$1,718/month) and re-floats when the underlying index changes. Income must be passive (pensions, rent, dividends) — not remote employment. The rule is statutory; the exact amount is index-linked and re-floats (source: France-Visas — Ministère de l'Intérieur / Europe & Affaires étrangères, checked 2026-09-06).
How does the France Long-stay Visitor (visiteur) requirement change for a couple or family?
Not codified; each accompanying adult expected to show comparable means Verify the current uplift with the consulate before applying.
Is the France Long-stay Visitor (visiteur) income allowed to be from remote work?
No. The Long-stay Visitor (visiteur) requires passive income — pensions, rental income, dividends or annuities — not salary from remote employment. The floor is statutory (CESEDA L426-20: the annual net SMIC) but re-floats with the SMIC, so a stale cited figure can itself trigger scrutiny. You sign an undertaking not to work in France.
Is France's Long-stay Visitor (visiteur) income figure a legal minimum?
The rule is statutory; the exact amount is index-linked and re-floats (source: France-Visas — Ministère de l'Intérieur / Europe & Affaires étrangères, checked 2026-09-06). Requirements change — often yearly as minimum-wage or index figures re-float — so re-verify before any decision.
Part of the WhereNext Retirement & Passive-Income Visa Requirements 2026 open dataset (CC BY 4.0), generated 2026-06-25. Figures are primary-sourced and dated; they change yearly — re-verify before any decision.
The nearest income bars in this dataset
France sits toward the edge of the range (≈$1,718/month), so the closest rows are still some distance away — above and below. USD figures are normalised monthly equivalents at current FX; each country's own currency and basis is the binding figure, on its page.
Get notified when relocation rules change
Email me only when a rule changes — dated, sourced, one-click unsubscribe.