By setting up a company in France with an investment starting at €30,000 under the Talent Créateur d’Entreprise program, an entrepreneur gets a multi-year residence permit for the whole family and the right to apply for French citizenship after 5 years of residence, running the business, and paying taxes.
In short
- The investment in your own business in France starts at €30,000, which stays in the company rather than going to the state as a fee
- The right to apply for citizenship arises after 5 years, versus 7 years under Greece’s golden visa at an investment from €400,000
- French at B1 level is mandatory for naturalization — each adult family member takes the exam separately
- Since January 1, 2026, Talent card holders are exempt from the new 40-question civic exam
- For SAS versus SARL, the key difference is the director’s social status: salaried employee with full coverage versus self-employed with lower contributions
Why a French company is a route to EU citizenship
Starting a company in France is a direct route to French citizenship, not a roundabout workaround. You register the business, get a Talent residence permit valid for up to 4 years and renewable — for yourself and your family — run the business and pay taxes, and after 5 years you gain the right to apply for citizenship. Each adult family member goes through naturalization separately and must meet its conditions on their own, including French language proficiency.
But the Talent card isn’t the only thing a company gives you before those 5 years are up. An invoice from a company registered outside the European Union may simply go unpaid by a large European or American client: on the counterparty’s side there’s a compliance check and a bank blocking the payment. A French company removes that friction — it has a European legal address, a VAT number, and a European bank account, so payments go through without having to explain who you are.
An invoice from a company registered outside the European Union may simply go unpaid by a large European or American client: on the counterparty’s side there’s a compliance check and a bank blocking the payment.
The same works in reverse, when you need funds coming in. An investor is far more willing to wire money into a company registered in the European Union than into a jurisdiction with less transparent law and courts.
How much it costs to open a company and the 5 years to citizenship
The investment in your own company in France under this route is €30,000. This isn’t a government fee or a non-refundable charge: the money stays in the business and works for the applicant instead of disappearing into the state budget. On top of the investment come taxes — paid on the profit the company itself generates, which is an ongoing cost of running the business, not a separate payment for status.
The right to apply for citizenship arises after 5 years — during which you need to actually live in France, run the company’s activity, pay taxes, and prove French language proficiency at a minimum of B1 level. This is a mandatory naturalization requirement regardless of anything else achieved. An applicant who has run a real business, paid taxes, and integrated into French life for five years meets the formal naturalization conditions — but the decision on each application still rests with the French authorities. The right to apply extends not only to the entrepreneur but also to their family.
For comparison: Greece’s golden visa costs €800,000 in the Attica category, €400,000 in the rest of the country, but grants only a residence card, and reaching citizenship there requires 7 years of residence plus a language exam. The French route requires a smaller sum and shaves two years off the waiting period.
The right to citizenship arises after 5 years of actual residence, running the business, paying taxes, and French proficiency at B1 level — without this condition, nothing else counts.
The French route versus Greece’s golden visa: cost and timeline compared
Passports from Vanuatu, Grenada, Turkey, and similar countries grant no access to the European Union at all: no freedom of movement across the Schengen area as a citizen, no right to work and live in 27 EU countries, no access to European banks as a resident. Greece’s golden visa sits formally closer to Europe, but you pay for it with real estate, not a business.
Passports from Vanuatu, Grenada, Turkey, and similar countries grant no access to the European Union at all: no freedom of movement across the Schengen area as a citizen, no right to work and live in 27 EU countries, no access to European banks as a resident.
| Parameter | Greek golden visa | French Talent Créateur d’Entreprise |
|---|---|---|
| Amount | €800,000 (Attica: Athens, Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and major islands) / €400,000 (rest of Greece) / €250,000 (conversion of commercial property to residential or restoration of listed buildings only) | €30,000 — investment in your own company, money stays in the business |
| What you get for the money | A residence card | A multi-year Talent residence permit for the family, a running business |
| Time to citizenship | 7 years of actual residence, minimum 183 days per year | 5 years |
| Additional requirements | Greek language exam at B1 level, test on history, geography, culture and the Greek state system | Paying tax on profit, running the business |
For comparison: according to available data, Greece’s golden visa costs €800,000 in the Attica category and €400,000 in the rest of the country, but grants only a residence card, and reaching citizenship there requires 7 years of residence plus a language exam. Under the French scheme, the €30,000 isn’t a payment to the state but an investment in your own business that keeps working for the owner, and the time to apply for citizenship shrinks to 5 years instead of 7. What you end up with is a French passport, which in strength and reputation is in a different league from a Greek one — let alone a Caribbean one. Seen this way, taxes paid in France aren’t a cost but a contribution to your own future, spread over 5 years.
Which company form to choose: SAS or SARL
Running a business in France splits into two worlds: sole trader activity and a legal entity. Sole trader status is a micro-enterprise: it registers in a few days, needs no share capital, tax is calculated as a percentage of turnover, and reporting is minimal. The format suits a freelancer or consultant, but it works poorly if you plan to hire staff, bring in investors, or present a serious project to a ministry — and it’s precisely that second case that calls for switching to a legal entity.
In practice, for a legal entity the choice comes down to SAS or SARL.
| Parameter | SAS | SARL |
|---|---|---|
| Head of the company | President (plus a board if there are several shareholders) | Managing director (gérant) |
| Director’s social status | Salaried employee | Self-employed |
| Social coverage | Full: pension, healthcare | More modest |
| Social contributions on salary | High | Significantly lower |
| Contributions on dividends | None, tax only | Apply above a certain threshold |
| Articles of association | Drafted freely | Tightly regulated by law |
| Typical choice | Startups, projects with investors | Less flexibility, fewer disputes |
If salary is paid regularly and a proper pension and healthcare coverage matter, SAS is the smarter pick. If the goal is to minimize mandatory ongoing payments and live mainly off dividends, SARL is worth a closer look. For projects with investors the choice is clear-cut — SAS: with its freely drafted articles, this form is considered the standard for startups and companies planning to raise outside capital.
This choice isn’t made alone — it’s worked out with the accountant who will handle the company, based on concrete numbers: projected income, how money will be withdrawn, family composition, and whether a French pension matters. This conversation happens before registration, because changing the company form later is a long process.
Planning to bring in investors? Choose SAS: free-form articles and salaried-employee status with full social coverage. If minimizing contributions and living off dividends matters more, look at SARL.
SAS versus SARL: which to choose for a company in France
| Parameter | SAS | SARL |
|---|---|---|
| Head of the company | President (plus a board if there are several shareholders) | Managing director (gérant) |
| Director’s social status | Salaried employee | Self-employed |
| Social coverage | Full: pension, healthcare | More modest |
| Social contributions on salary | High | Significantly lower |
| Contributions on dividends | None, tax only | Apply above a certain threshold |
| Articles of association | Drafted freely | Tightly regulated by law |
| Typical choice | Startups, projects with investors | Less flexibility, fewer disputes |
The final choice of form is worked out with the accountant based on income, how money is withdrawn, and family composition.
How to register a company: share capital, address and timeline
Formally, share capital can be symbolic, but it’s not advisable: banks, landlords, partners and the French administration all read the size of the capital as a signal of how serious the intent is.
- Drafting and signing the articles of association. Capital is deposited into a blocked account — at a bank, with a notary, or with a lawyer — after which the owner receives a deposit certificate.
- Publishing a notice of incorporation in an authorized legal announcements publication — a mandatory procedure in France.
- Filing the file through the single online portal. Since 2023 company registration has gone fully online — there is no other way.
- Receiving the SIREN number. If the file is complete and the activity isn’t regulated, the number arrives in about 1–2 weeks. Along with it come an extract from the commercial court registry and an extract from the national business register — from that point the company legally exists.
It sounds straightforward, but the real complication starts with the registered legal address. The company needs an address in France, and for anyone abroad this is the first wall: a home address abroad won’t work — it has to be a French one.
A common misconception concerns those already living in France: you can domicile a company at your own residential address indefinitely, if the lease or the building’s rules don’t forbid it, and for a maximum of 5 years if they do. But when there’s no French home yet at all, only two options remain — commercial lease, excessive at this early stage, or a specialized company that provides a legal address. Such companies don’t take every client and require a full set of documents.
Registering a company in France: from articles to a SIREN number
Four steps from drafting the articles of association to appearing in the registry.
- Drafting and signing the articles of association, depositing capital into a blocked accountBank, notary or lawyer — after this a deposit certificate is issued
- Publishing a notice of incorporationIn an authorized legal announcements publication
- Filing the file through the single online portalOnline only since 2023
- Receiving the SIREN number1–2 weeksIf the file is complete and the activity isn’t regulated
For anyone living abroad, a home address won’t do — it has to be a French one. That leaves only a commercial lease or a specialized domiciliation company.
Bank account, accounting and company taxes in France
Mainstream French banks are extremely reluctant to open accounts for non-residents without a French residence permit and a French track record, and an unexplained refusal is standard practice. This is a genuine bottleneck at the start, but not a dead end — three options work. Neobanks and payment institutions provide accounts fully suitable for day-to-day operations. A referral to a specific branch through people who already have a relationship with the bank raises the odds of approval. The third option is the procedure through the Banque de France: after repeated refusals, the regulator can forcibly assign the company a bank. This route is used rarely, but it works.
Mainstream French banks are extremely reluctant to open accounts for non-residents without a French residence permit and a French track record, and an unexplained refusal is standard practice.
An accountant isn’t formally required, but in practice you can’t do without one in France: annual filings, VAT returns, payroll records and the tax calendar are an area where small mistakes get fined. The company’s activity code determines the applicable industry agreement, and with it the minimum wages and allowances that must be observed. For a number of professions — construction, real estate, tourism, transport, food service, beauty, financial intermediation, security — a diploma, license, or professional liability insurance is additionally required.
A separate first-year trap is the annual local business contribution, for which no paper notice is sent: it has to be retrieved manually from the online tax account. That same first-year mail also brings letters disguised as official notices that are in fact commercial offers with an invoice attached — such documents are worth showing to the accountant rather than paying straight away.
Corporate income tax is 15% on the first tranche of profit for companies meeting the small-business criteria, and 25% on the rest. The standard VAT rate is 20%, and after registration the company is entitled to reclaim VAT on its expenses.
The annual local business contribution isn’t sent as a paper notice — it has to be found in the online tax account. Invoice-style letters from third-party firms are best shown to the accountant, not paid straight away.
What to check when opening a company in France
The Talent Créateur d’Entreprise card: conditions and the Talentpreneur alternative
The program for entrepreneurs is called Talent Création Entreprise and requires a minimum €30,000 investment in your own business in France. Separately from that sum, you need either a master’s degree or at least 5 years of verified professional experience, plus a real, viable project backed by a business plan that undergoes review.
Beyond the business investment, savings for living in France are counted separately. They must not fall below the annual minimum wage, which from June 1, 2026 stands at €22,404 gross per year. In practice, a couple is advised to set aside roughly €30,000, and a family with children roughly €40,000.
The card grants a residence permit valid for up to 4 years for the whole family: the right to work for a spouse, free education for children, full access to healthcare and banking services, and straightforward renewal. The right to apply for citizenship after 5 years arises for the applicant, and separately for each adult family member, provided they personally meet the naturalization conditions. The card is preceded by a long-stay entrepreneur visa valid for up to a year, which must be validated within 15 days of arrival. Average processing time is 3–6 months.
A separate advantage of the Talent card has appeared recently. Since January 1, 2026, most foreigners obtaining a multi-year resident card for the first time face a mandatory civic exam: 40 questions in French on republican values, rights and obligations, of which at least 32 must be answered correctly. Talent card holders are exempt from this exam — regardless of subcategory: entrepreneurs, startup founders, investors and highly skilled professionals are not required to take it.
An alternative for those without starting capital is the Talentpreneur program. It requires no initial investment at all, but needs an innovative project in one of the recognized categories, backed by confirmation from a French organization. Preliminary project approval can come within as little as one month.
Both cards lead to the same result: a route to EU citizenship for the whole family in 5 years.
Requirements for the Talent Créateur d’Entreprise card
Threshold requirements for obtaining the entrepreneur card.
- Business investmentfrom €30,000Minimum investment in your own company
- Education or experiencemaster’s degree or 5+ years of experiencePlus a viable business plan
- Living savings (single applicant)from €22,404 per yearAnnual minimum wage as of June 1, 2026
- Living savings (couple)around €30,000Recommended amount in practice
- Living savings (family with children)around €40,000Recommended amount in practice
- Processing time3–6 monthsAverage, including visa and validation
Frequently asked questions
Can you apply for French citizenship if one family member hasn’t passed the French language exam
No: each adult family member goes through naturalization separately and must meet all the conditions on their own, including French proficiency at a minimum of B1 level. If one spouse hasn’t passed the exam, it’s specifically that person who won’t gain the right to citizenship — other family members apply independently of their result.
What happens after filing a citizenship application — is it guaranteed to be approved after 5 years
No, there’s no automatic approval: an applicant who has run a real business, paid taxes, and integrated into the country’s life for five years meets the formal naturalization conditions, but the decision on each application rests with the French authorities.
What happens if a French bank has refused to open an account several times in a row
After repeated refusals, you can turn to the Banque de France: the regulator can forcibly assign the company a bank through the relevant procedure. This route is used rarely, but it works and remains a fallback option after neobanks and referrals haven’t helped.
Can taxes in France be handled without an accountant
An accountant isn’t formally required, but in practice you can’t do without one: annual filings, VAT returns, payroll records, and the tax calendar are an area where small mistakes get fined, and the company’s activity code additionally sets mandatory industry-specific conditions.
Do you need a separate work visa if you already hold a Talent card for your business
No: the Talent card itself grants the right to work for a spouse, access to healthcare and banking services, and doesn’t require a separate work permit for the holder — it’s already built around running your own business.
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