Expat Academy

France's long-stay visitor visa for retirees: income requirement and steps

France's long-stay visitor visa for US retirees in 2026: the minimum income in euros and dollars, health insurance, and how to apply, validate and renew.

Updated · Expat Academy · Education, not advice

1 EUR = 1.1193 USD · 1 USD = €0.8934 ECB euro foreign exchange reference rate, 23 Oct 2026

Euro amounts are converted at this rate and are estimates. Currency moves change what your life in Europe costs in dollars: a weaker dollar makes it more expensive.

The long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit, visitor (VLS-TS "visiteur") is the usual route for American retirees moving to France. It lets you live in France for a year without working, and is then renewed as a residence card.

The conditions

  • Resources of at least the net minimum wage (SMIC) per applicant: €1,443 (about $1,615 today) a month in 2026, or about €17,317 (about $19,383 today) a year. Consulates look for stable income, such as Social Security, pensions and regular retirement-account withdrawals, and often more than the minimum. Savings can help, but steady income carries more weight.
  • Private health insurance covering your whole first year, with real limits. A travel policy with a low cap doesn't qualify.
  • A signed promise not to work in France, including remote work for French clients.
  • An address in France, or proof you're arranging one.

Because the test is in euros and your income is in dollars, your margin moves with the exchange rate. Enter your own income in the free Visa Income Checker to see your margin today, and what a weaker dollar would do to it.

The steps

  1. France-Visas website. Answer the questions; it produces your document list and application form.
  2. Appointment at the visa centre that serves your US state, where biometrics are taken, no more than three months before you leave. Processing usually takes a few weeks.
  3. Arrive and validate the visa online within three months, paying the residence tax.
  4. Renew at your local préfecture two to four months before the visa's year ends, for a residence card (carte de séjour visiteur).

Couples submit two applications, each with their own file, though they can rely on shared income.

The longer term

Since the 2024 immigration law, one-year cards can't be renewed indefinitely on the same ground: after three renewals the préfecture decides on a multi-year card or a refusal. From 2026, a multi-year card needs French at level A2 and a civic exam, and the 10-year resident card needs B1. People aged 65 or over are exempt from the language and civic tests.

A visa isn't tax residence

The VLS-TS signals that France is where you live, and in practice you'll be a French tax resident from the day you move your home there. That brings French returns, the treaty and French social charges into your life; see How to retire in France as an American.

If you want a long season in France without moving, the temporary long-stay visitor visa (VLS-T) covers one stay of more than three months, up to about six. It uses the same monthly resources test for the months of the stay, needs at least €30,000 of medical and repatriation cover, and can't be renewed in France. See spending part of the year in France without becoming tax resident.

Health insurance after year one

After three months of stable residence you can apply to join French public healthcare (PUMa). Once you're in, renewals usually accept your carte Vitale and a top-up policy (mutuelle) instead of private cover. See Medicare and health insurance for Americans in France.

Questions

What is the income requirement for a French visitor visa?

Resources of at least the French net minimum wage (SMIC) per applicant, about €1,443 a month or €17,317 a year in 2026. Consulates look for stable income such as Social Security, pensions and regular withdrawals, and often expect more than the minimum.

Can a married couple apply on one income?

Each spouse submits their own application, but they can rely on shared household income. The amount they need is generally assessed per person.

Do retirees need to pass a French language test?

Not for the first visa or the first one-year cards. From 2026, a multi-year card needs French at level A2 and a civic exam, and the 10-year resident card needs B1. People aged 65 or over are exempt from these language and civic tests.

What happens if I don't validate my visa after arriving?

The visa must be validated online within three months of arrival, paying the residence tax. If you don't, you're left without valid status even though the visa in your passport looks fine.

Go deeper

  • F2 The visitor visa, step by step: France's long-stay visitor visa is the usual route for retirees. The resources test, the insurance, the application, validation on arrival and renewal.
  • A2 Visas that don't make you resident: France's temporary long-stay visa covers four to six months without starting residence. Why the year-long visitor visa, Spain's non-lucrative visa and Portugal's D7 are Track B routes, and where Portugal's Golden Visa fits.

Sources

Education, not advice. This guide explains general rules as of the date above. Rules change every year; confirm your own situation with a qualified adviser in the US and in France.