France Long Stay Visa (VLS-TS) For Retirees & Financially Independent Persons (2025/2026)
Looking for a long stay visa in France as a retiree or foreign passive income earner? The VLT TS visa enables you to stay in France for up to 12 months….
Whether you are retired or financially independent with income generated outside France, the VLT-TS could potentially work for you.
Offering relatively low income requirements, and lower application volumes than the Portuguese D7 Visa, this visa category offers an accessible, affordable and relatively quick path to settlement in France in 2026.
Find out more about the benefits of this French Retirement Visa below, or contact us now for more information.
Differences between France’s VLS-TS Retirement Visa vs the D-VLS Visa
The French Long-Stay Visa Equivalent to a Residence Permit (VLS-TS), or Visa de Long Séjour Valant Titre de Séjour in French, enables you to obtain residency status in France for a period of 12 months at a time.
There are 2 types of French long stay visas the D-VLS, and the VLS-TS. Normally, a D-VLS is issued for 90 days. The VLS visa holder can use it to enter France, and must request a residence permit card shortly after arrival. For each category, there are plenty of potential situations.
The VLS-TS visa – a sticker in your passport – is usually issued for 12 months. It replaces the regular French residence permit cards during the first 12 months of stay in France. From there on out, you can apply for a residency permit which is annually renewable from within France.
The VLS-TS visa class was introduced in June 2009, targeting four primary categories of long-stay visa holders in France:
- The foreign spouses of French nationals
- Foreign students
- Foreign salaried workers
- Foreign long-stay visitors and those seeking settlement.
The initial visa, after 12 months, is followed by an annually renewable residency permit, and unlike many of the other EU residency visas covered on this site, does not enforce any minimum in-country stay requirements.
VLS is granted to entrepreneurs (including the Talent Passport, or Passeport Talent in French), all types of workers, including ICT professionals, family reunification cases, ascendant of French nationals, and relatives of EU-citizens.
Key retirement visa benefits
Enjoy visa-free travel across the EU for up to 90 days out of every 180.
Bring your family to move to France with easy through family reunification.
Obtain French residency in 4-6 months with our proven application process.
Access France’s top-notch public healthcare system as a resident of the country.
Who can apply for the VLS-TS Passive Income Visa?
It is important to note that the VLS-TS is not strictly a French retirement visa. Sub-categories of this visa category can also be utilized by:
- Retirees with foreign pension income
- Financially independent individuals with stable external income
- Individuals with sufficient savings to support themselves in France (very significant thresholds)
As an individual with a foreign pension or foreign sourced stable income, you can apply for this class of residency visa on the basis of passive or stable recurring income in line with or above the French minimum wage level (€1,823+ per person in 2026).
If you wish to apply for French residency via the program as a foreign retiree or financially independent person, or even as a foreign remote worker or digital nomad, the following financial requirements will be applicable:
| WHO’S APPLYING | MINIMUM MONTHLY INCOME REQUIREMENT | MINIMUM ANNUAL SAVINGS REQUIREMENT |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | €1,554.60+ | €18,665.20+ |
| Spouse | €1,554.60+ | €18,665.20+ |
| Additional Dependents | €1,554.60+ | €18,665.20+ |
| Family of 4 | €6,218.40+ | €74,620.80+ |
PLEASE NOTE: As with all other passive and financially independent residency visas covered on this site, you should treat the above amounts as the bare minimum. Being able to prove substantially more income and/or savings will help maximize your chances of success.
What types of income qualify for the VLS-TS Retirement Visa?
It is important to note that the French bureaucracy is famously challenging to deal with, and that the exact requirements for the visa can vary significantly from one consular mission to the next – both in terms of the income/savings thresholds and the type of income considered.
It is therefore essential that you confirm the exact requirements with your visa service provider (if you opt to use one), and your local consulate.
Having said that, the following types of income have been known to be deemed as acceptable:
- Long term or for-life pension income
- Social security payments
- Stable rental income on movable or immovable assets
- Dividend income
- Royalties, etc
- Certain types of stable income from active employment or business ventures.
What additional requirements are there to apply?
- Address in France: You have to maintain a fixed address in France throughout the period for which your residency visa is valid. You could buy a home, or rent one, for this purpose.
While there is no minimum rental requirement, the property will have to be deemed suitable for your needs. (For example, a small studio apartment will not be suitable for a family of five people.)
- Private French health insurance: You will have to take out comprehensive French health insurance for each family member applying. It is advisable to opt for a policy without any co-payments or waiting periods pertaining to full coverage.
- Clean criminal record: You will have to submit a valid criminal record clearance certificate in order to apply for the VLS-TS visa.
IMPORTANT: If you apply for the VLS-TS visa as a retiree or financially independent person, you will NOT be able to seek local employment with a French company.
Can I gain French permanent residency and citizenship via the VLS-TS Visa?
In order to become eligible to apply for permanent residency after 5 years, you may, in theory, be required to demonstrate that you have lived in France for up to 80% of your residency period full-time. (In practice, however, this is not common.)
In order to apply for French citizenship, however, this will likely come into play. In addition, you’ll also be required to undertake a French language and cultural knowledge test, and you’ll have to prove that you’d been paying French taxes during your residency period.
Many people therefore opt to stop at the permanent residency stage, rather than proceeding to applying for citizenship.
France does recognize dual citizenship though, so you won’t be required to renounce your native citizenship should you choose to apply for French citizenship through naturalization after 5 years.
Why choose to work with us?
✓ A track record of success several hundred successful applications to date.
✓ A local team of seasoned French immigration experts.
✓ Services include application management, French bank account opening, tax numbers, and assistance with proof of accommodation.
✓ A deep understanding of application challenges – and how to overcome them.
Will France gain a Residency By Investment
Option in 2026?
A prominent international investment migration firm is purportedly developing a regional French Residency By Investment offering, with an expected launch date in late 2026.
While product details and the investment requirements are currently under embargo, we expect to publish more details on this Golden Visa type offering in the near future.
Presently, however, entrepreneurs and investors typically qualify instead through business-led residency pathways.