Entrepreneur / Profession Libérale
Visa Overview
A practical, first-hand overview of the French long-stay route for people who want to move to France and work independently.
What the visa is, who it’s for, what your application needs to show, likely timescales and costs, and the exact documents we prepared, based on our own successful application.
Please note: this page is based on our own experience and is not legal or immigration advice. Every application is different, and you should always check the latest official requirements for your own situation.
At a Glance
01 What is it?
What is the Entrepreneur/Profession
Libérale visa?
The Entrepreneur/Profession Libérale visa is a French long-stay visa route for people who want to move to France and carry out an independent business, freelance, self-employed or professional activity.
We applied through this route because we wanted to move to France while continuing to run our own businesses. The initial visa works as a residence permit equivalent. After arrival, it must be validated online within the required timeframe.
Also Known As
You may see it described in different ways depending on where you read about it, they broadly refer to the same independent-activity route.
02 Who is it for?
Who this route may be relevant for
For people who want to move to France and work independently rather than take employment with a French employer.
From our understanding, it may suit:
- Freelancers, consultants and self-employed professionals
- People offering services remotely to clients in France, the UK, Europe or internationally
- People new to freelancing, if the project is realistic and financially viable
- Small business owners or people planning an independent activity
- People planning to register as a micro-entrepreneur after arrival
- People with existing clients, contracts or letters of intent as evidence
This route may not be suitable for everyone. If you are planning to work as an employee, study,
join family or retire, then another route may be more appropriate.
03 Why it works
Why this route can be attractive
For us, one of the main advantages of the Entrepreneur / Profession Libérale route was that it made sense for people who wanted to move to France and work for themselves.
The route can be attractive because, from our understanding:
New projects welcome
You may be able to apply with a new business or freelance project, as long as it’s realistic and financially viable.
Built for service work
Works well for service-based businesses, consultants, freelancers and independent professionals.
No qualifications needed
You don’t necessarily need a specific qualification, unless your activity is a regulated profession.
Work remotely
Suitable if you want to work remotely or internationally, or keep existing clients while living in France.
For us, the important part was showing that the activity was genuine, realistic and capable of generating enough income to support us in France.
04 Requirements
What the application needed to show
From our experience, the application was mainly about showing that the business or professional activity was real, viable and capable of supporting us financially in France.
Showing that we had savings as a backup was helpful, but we still needed to show that our businesses were capable of producing enough income.
The main things we understood we needed to show were:
- Expected income from the business
- Evidence the business can realistically generate income
- Savings or financial reserves as a backup
- Supporting evidence for previous or future work
- A clear explanation of how you’ll operate from France
Also Known As
You may see it described in different ways depending on where you read about it, they broadly refer to the same independent-activity route.
For this reason, the financial forecast was a key required document for our application. We used it to show projected revenue, costs, social contributions and estimated income from the business.
In practical terms, we aimed to show that the business could generate at least around the French SMIC-level income, and that we also had savings available as a safety net.
We treated savings as backup financial support, not as a replacement for showing that the business itself was viable.
Where possible, it can also help to provide evidence of future income potential. This could include contracts, letters of intent, client confirmations, future bookings, statements of work, previous invoices, business bank statements or evidence of ongoing client relationships.
05 Process
The high-level process we followed
When we applied, we had to submit our business/professional activity project through ANEF and wait for a favourable opinion / avis favorable before progressing with the France-Visas application.
At a high level, the process we followed was:
Applicants should always check the current official process before applying, as requirements and online procedures can change.
In our Visa Step-by-Step Guide, we explain the full process we followed from start to finish, including how we approached the ANEF submission, France-Visas application, TLScontact appointment booking and document preparation.
06 Timescale & Renewal
Visa length, renewal and timescale
~4 months
Our total
Start to finish, in our case.
~2 months
Longest stage
Wait for avis favorable.
1-6+ months
Typical range
What we’ve heard from others.
ON RENEWAL
Renewal isn’t automatic. The aim is to show the activity is still real, active and financially viable. Depending on your situation and the authorities’ decision, renewal may be for a further one-year residence permit or potentially a multi-year permit.
07 Costs
Costs to consider
Costs vary by country of application, appointment centre, optional services and your personal situation. Some of the costs we considered or encountered:
We recommend checking the latest official fees shown during the France-Visas and TLScontact process, as fees can change.
08 Dossier
The dossier/documents we prepared
The documents needed can vary depending on the applicant, country of application and exact situation.
For our application, we prepared a broad dossier to support both the business/project stage and the visa appointment stage.
Different documents were needed at different points in the process. The list below shows the overall dossier we prepared across the full application, rather than a stage-by-stage breakdown.
In our Visa Step-by-Step Guide, we explain in detail which documents we submitted at each stage of our successful application, including the ANEF submission, France-Visas application and TLScontact appointment.
Our overall dossier included:
- Business plan
- Proof of funds in a French euro account
- Contracts, letters of intent or future-work evidence
- Business bank statements
- Professional qualifications & certifications*
- Visa-compliant photos
- Financial forecast
- Evidence of any additional savings
- Recent business invoices
- Profit & loss summary
- Domiciliation contract
- Police certificate*
* where relevant to your situation
The business plan and financial forecast were two of the most important documents we prepared. We created our templates after reviewing a wide range of successful business plans and bringing the common sections together into one clear structure.