Self-employed residence permit: living from your business in France
Trader, craftsperson, manufacturer or liberal professional: the prefecture first asks whether the business is viable and pays you at least the minimum wage.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Does your business reach the minimum wage?
Above the threshold by
€133
| Monthly threshold (gross minimum wage) | €1,867.02 |
| Annual income needed | €22,404 |
| First-card stamps | €350 |
The "entrepreneur/profession libérale" residence card lets a non-EU national run a commercial, craft, industrial or liberal activity in France as their main occupation for more than 3 months. The business must be registered with the single business-formalities window (guichet unique), match your qualifications or experience, be economically viable and bring you resources at least equal to the minimum wage (Smic): €1,867.02 a month, €22,404 a year. A foreign-workforce platform gives an opinion on the project's viability. The first card lasts 1 year at most and costs €350 in tax stamps, after €300 to validate the long-stay visa; a temporary renewal costs €250, or €430 if filed late. When the first card ends, a 4-year multi-year card is possible for €350, with A2-level French and the civic exam. The route of visa, first card and 4-year card adds up to €1,000.
Who can apply
The official self-employed and liberal profession card page covers foreign nationals coming to France for more than 3 months to run a commercial, craft or industrial business, or a liberal profession. Four conditions apply together: the activity is your main occupation, it is registered with the single business-formalities window, it matches your qualifications or experience, and it is economically viable, giving you enough to live on. The permit is set out in sections L421-5 and L421-6 of the CESEDA immigration code; the application follows sections R421-7 to R421-10.
The income threshold: a minimum wage from the business
The official page puts a simple figure on viability: the resources drawn from the business must reach at least €1,867.02 a month, the gross monthly minimum wage that the official minimum-wage page gives since 1 June 2026. For a new business, this means its capacity to generate that income, shown through the project, a business plan and a multi-year budget; for an existing one, the income actually earned.
| Monthly income from the business | Gap with the minimum wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| €1,500 | -€367 | income too low |
| €1,900 | +€33 | income condition met |
| €3,000 | +€1,133 | income condition met |
The mini-calculator at the top of the page runs the same check on your own figure. Income exactly at the threshold meets the numerical condition, but the prefecture also weighs how solid the project is and what the viability opinion says. Bear in mind that the figure is gross income from the activity itself: a spouse's salary or savings may help you live, but they are not what the prefecture measures for this card.
Documents by type of activity
Starting a commercial, industrial or craft business
- the "commerçant, artisan, industriel" cerfa form;
- proof that you are able to carry out the activity, and the licence to practise if it is regulated;
- the opinion of the foreign-workforce platform for the project's department;
- a presentation of the project, a business plan and a multi-year budget;
- a guarantee from a credit institution or approved insurer in France, or a certificate showing a credit balance on an account in your name opened in France;
- depending on the set-up: a lease agreement in principle or a business domiciliation contract, a promise to buy the business, a management-lease contract, or the draft articles of the company.
Liberal professions
When starting: Urssaf registration (the social contributions body), proof that the activity can bring in at least €1,867.02 a month, the licence or professional-body registration for a regulated profession, and the platform's opinion. When continuing: proof that the activity goes on and of the income drawn from it. The documents for the viability opinion are set by the order of 13 May 2026.
Cost and timetable
The card is at the standard rate of the 1 May 2026 schedule. An entrepreneur who arrived on a long-stay visa first validates it for €300; the first card costs €350, a temporary renewal €250 and the multi-year card €350.
| Step | Length | Stamps |
|---|---|---|
| Long-stay visa validation | up to 1 year | €300 |
| Temporary self-employed card | 1 year at most | €350 |
| Multi-year self-employed card | 4 years | €350 |
| Total for the route | €1,000 |
The renewal is filed at the prefecture or sub-prefecture of your home in the 2 months before the card ends. For a card expiring on 31 May 2027, you file from 31 March 2027; after expiry, the €180 fee brings the renewal to €430. A multi-year card granted at that point would run until 31 May 2031. The receipt (récépissé) issued when a renewal is filed covers 3 months, until 1 September 2027 in this example. The official page publishes no response deadline specific to this card, and no official average prefecture time exists.
The 4-year multi-year card
When your first card ends, you may request a 4-year multi-year card on the same ground, provided you still meet the temporary card's conditions and an integration condition: attending the training of the republican integration contract (CIR), A2-level French and passing the civic exam for a first multi-year card, unless you are over 65. The French-level page lists the accepted certificates. The temporary card cannot be renewed more than 3 times in a row on the same ground, so the multi-year card is worth preparing from the first year: book the French test and the civic exam well before your first renewal.
What about the talent card?
An innovative business project, or one backed by an investment of at least €30,000, is better suited to the talent card for business founders, which is multi-year from the start, costs €350 and requires resources of at least the annual minimum wage, €22,404.20, according to the official talent card page. The self-employed card remains the route for a craftsperson, trader or liberal professional whose business is modest but viable. This guide is information; it does not replace the prefecture's review or legal advice.