Visa
Family visa in France
For the foreign spouse of a French citizen, France issues a long-stay visa valid as a residence permit, marked "private and family life". The conditions are a real shared life, a spouse who was French on the wedding day and a marriage recognised in France; the sources list no income test.
- Official names
- Carte de séjour temporaire "vie privée et familiale" (conjoint de Français, parent d'enfant français); Visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS) "vie privée et familiale / conjoint de Français"
Sources: Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026.
Who it’s for
- The spouse route needs all of these: an effective community of life (which may have ended through death or domestic violence), a spouse who was French on the wedding day and has kept French nationality, no polygamy, and, for a marriage celebrated abroad, transcription into the French consular civil registers.
- A second route is for the parent of a minor French child living in France, who has contributed effectively to the child's upkeep and education since birth or for at least 2 years, and is not in a polygamous situation.
- If you came on a short-stay visa, the temporary card needs a marriage celebrated in France with a French national and 6 months of common, effective life in France.
- Unmarried partners in a PACS with less than a year of shared life are directed to the "visiteur" card instead, which does not allow work.
- Service-Public says the long-stay visa for the spouse of a French national is granted without conditions, but it can be refused for a fraudulent or annulled marriage or a threat to public order.
Sources: Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026.
Money tests
- The Service-Public sheet for the spouse and parent cards lists no income or savings test; the conditions are about the relationship, the spouse's nationality and, for a parent, supporting the child.
- For a parent of a French child, proof of your contribution to the child's upkeep is part of the file, alongside proof of the child's residence in France.
- The spouse section of the 10-year resident card page does not mention a resources condition either, though it was read in translation and the French page governs.
Sources: Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026.
Documents
- For the spouse card you give proof of your spouse's French nationality, the full marriage certificate or its transcription, a joint sworn statement that you live together with documents showing at least 6 months of common life in France, a no-polygamy declaration and a signed commitment to the principles of the Republic.
- For the parent card you give proof of regular entry or stay, a birth certificate showing parentage, proof of the child's French nationality, proof the child lives in France, proof of your contribution to the child's upkeep, proof of address under 6 months old and an e-photo.
- A marriage celebrated abroad must be transcribed in the French civil registers, handled by the central civil registration service in Nantes.
- Proof of the tax stamp and the OFII medical certificate are delivered when the card is handed over.
Sources: Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026.
Timing
- You apply for the long-stay visa marked "private and family life / spouse of Frenchmen" to the French consular authorities in your country of residence, through France-Visas, no more than 3 months before you leave.
- You validate the visa online within 3 months of arriving in France and pay a fee added to the visa fee.
- A multi-year card is requested in the second year of stay, as a renewal of the one-year VLS-TS. Renewals are filed online through ANEF between 4 months and 2 months before your document expires.
- If the prefecture has not responded after 4 months, that is an implicit refusal, and you have 2 months to file an administrative appeal or go to the administrative court.
Sources: Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026.
Fees
- The long-stay visa for a foreign spouse of a French national is free of charge, according to the official fee table; the full rate for other long-stay visas is €99.
- The residence card costs €350 (€50 stamp duty plus €300 tax) for both the spouse of a French national and the parent of a French child, paid in tax stamps.
- Validating the VLS-TS adds a fee on top of the visa fee; the pages we opened do not show the amount.
- The 10-year resident card costs €350. If you entered without a long-stay visa, an extra €300 regularisation fee applies, with €100 due at filing and not refunded if the card is refused. Filing late adds about €200. To be safe, have more than €200.
Sources: France-Visas (official French visa portal), Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026.
How long it lasts and renewal
- The VLS-TS for a spouse generally lasts up to one year and exempts you from a residence card during that first year.
- A multi-year card for a spouse of a French national or a parent of a French child lasts at most 2 years. The first one asks for A2 French and a civic exam (neither if you are over 65) and a signed commitment to the principles of the Republic.
- A card issued after a short-stay entry is valid for 1 year.
- The permit lets you work in France and travel in Europe and abroad, and holders of "private and family life" cards do not need a separate work authorisation.
Sources: Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026.
Path to permanent residence
- After at least 3 years of marriage to a French national (1 year for Tunisians), with the shared life still effective and the spouse still French, you can ask for the 10-year resident card.
- The 10-year card asks you to meet the republican integration condition, including B1-level French and the civic exam for a first card, both waived over 65. It stops being valid if you leave France for more than 3 consecutive years.
- You can apply for French nationality after 4 years of marriage. If you lived in France for less than 3 years since the marriage, it is 4 years if your spouse was on the consular registers while abroad, otherwise 5 years.
- For nationality by marriage you must show sufficient French, and if married less than 5 years, at least 3 years of regular, uninterrupted residence in France since the marriage.
Sources: Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026.
Tax
- Your home in France, or a main place of stay there, is the first of the three tests for French tax residence; the others are working there other than incidentally and having your main economic interests there.
- The income tax scale works per share, and the number of shares depends on your household, with the benefit for children capped. For 2025 income it starts with 0% up to €11,600.
- If the tax office has not written to you, you can ask your local tax office (SIP) for access to your online account with your civil status, a postal address and a copy of an ID.
Sources: BOFiP-Impôts (official French tax doctrine), Service-Public.fr (French government information service), impots.gouv.fr (French tax authority). Checked 15 October 2026.
Your passport
If you hold a US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passport
What differs for each passport, from the same sources. A line that says there is no difference means the sources we read name none.
United States passport
- US citizens can visit France for up to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area, and a 1949 agreement gives 90 more days in mainland France, taken after the first 90. Those days are for visits; the card for a short-stay entrant needs a marriage celebrated in France and 6 months of common life there.
- US citizens abroad generally file US returns on worldwide income, so living in France does not end US filing. Foreign accounts totalling more than $10,000 at any point in the year are reportable on an FBAR.
Sources: Embassy of France in the United States, Service-Public.fr (French government information service), Internal Revenue Service, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Checked 16 October 2026.
Canada passport
- Canadians can stay up to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area without a visa; we found no extra days for Canadians. The French embassy in Canada says visa applications can be filed up to six months before departure.
- The Canada–France social security agreement has been in force since 2017 and generally covers you where you work.
Sources: Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca), Embassy of France in Canada, CLEISS (French centre for European and international social security liaison). Checked 16 October 2026.
Australia passport
- Australians can stay up to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area without a visa. The Consulate General of France in Sydney lists visa applications among its tasks and works mostly by appointment.
- France is not on Australia's list of social security agreement countries, and a 2023 French government answer said negotiations had not produced one.
Sources: Smartraveller (Australian Government, DFAT), Embassy of France in Australia, Services Australia, Assemblée nationale (French National Assembly). Checked 16 October 2026.
New Zealand passport
- New Zealanders can stay up to 180 days without a visa: 90 under the Schengen rules, then 90 more in mainland France, taken after the Schengen stay, with a declaration to the border officer. The card for a short-stay entrant needs a marriage celebrated in France and 6 months of common life there.
- France is not on New Zealand's list of social security agreement countries, and the 1979 tax agreement decides residence by permanent home, then closer ties.
Sources: Embassy of France in New Zealand, Service-Public.fr (French government information service), Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand), Inland Revenue (New Zealand). Checked 16 October 2026.
Other visas
Other visas in France.
The country
More on France.
Questions about Family visa in France.
What does France's spouse-of-a-French-citizen visa require of a foreign husband or wife?
You need an effective shared life, a spouse who was French on the wedding day and still is, no polygamy, and a marriage transcribed in the French consular registers if held abroad. Service-Public's sheet lists no income test. Refusal is possible for fraud, annulment or a threat to public order.
Does France charge a visa fee to the foreign spouse of a French citizen?
The official fee table lists the foreign spouse of a French national as free of charge for the long-stay visa; the full rate is €99. The residence card then costs €350 (€300 tax plus €50 stamp duty), and validating the VLS-TS adds a fee whose amount we did not find.
How long does the first France spouse visa last, and when can a multi-year card start?
The long-stay visa generally lasts up to one year and replaces a residence card for that year. You ask for the multi-year card in your second year, as a renewal; for spouses it lasts at most 2 years. A short-stay entrant's card is valid for 1 year.
How soon can the spouse of a French national get the 10-year resident card?
After at least 3 years of marriage with the shared life still effective and the spouse still French. The first card also needs B1 French and the civic exam, waived over 65. The card stops being valid if you leave France for more than 3 consecutive years.
How long must a foreign spouse be married to a French citizen to apply for nationality?
At least 4 years of marriage when you have lived in France continuously since the wedding. If you lived in France less than 3 years, it is 4 years if your spouse was on the consular registers while abroad, otherwise 5. You must show sufficient French.
Can the parent of a French child live in France on a family card?
Yes, if you are the parent of a minor French child living in France, contribute effectively to their upkeep and education since birth or for at least 2 years, and are not in a polygamous situation. The temporary card is valid 1 year and costs €350.
Sources
Official sources we used.
Government and official pages only, each with the date we checked it.
- Gradual implementation of the Entry/Exit System (EES): US citizens and the bilateral agreement, Embassy of France in the United States. Checked 15 October 2026.
- Residence card "vie privée et familiale" (family-life residence card) of a foreigner in France, Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026. Page verified 1 May 2026; machine-translated, the French version governs; spouse of a French national and parent of a French child sections read.
- US citizens abroad: filing requirements, Internal Revenue Service. Checked 10 October 2026.
- Report of Foreign Bank and Financial Accounts (FBAR), Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). Checked 10 October 2026.
- Travel advice and advisories: France (entry and exit requirements), Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca). Checked 10 October 2026.
- Demander un visa pour la France (applying for a visa), Embassy of France in Canada. Checked 16 October 2026. Updated 6 March 2026.
- Canada–France social security agreement, Government of Canada. Checked 10 October 2026.
- Self-employed workers from Canada in France, CLEISS (French centre for European and international social security liaison). Checked 10 October 2026.
- Travelling to Europe and the Schengen Area (archived copy), Smartraveller (Australian Government, DFAT), Internet Archive copy of 6 September 2026. Checked 10 October 2026.
- Consulate General of France in Sydney, Embassy of France in Australia. Checked 16 October 2026. Updated 25 August 2026; lists visa applications among its tasks and says most procedures are by appointment.
- International social security agreements with countries in Europe (archived copy), Services Australia, Internet Archive copy of 4 October 2026. Checked 10 October 2026.
- Written question 6186: no France–Australia social security agreement, Assemblée nationale (French National Assembly), answer of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. Checked 10 October 2026.
- Séjour prolongé en Europe: rules for New Zealand citizens, Embassy of France in New Zealand. Checked 16 October 2026. Published 27 January 2026, updated 29 April 2026; the page does not explain how to apply for a long-stay visa.
- Social security agreements, Work and Income (Ministry of Social Development, New Zealand). Checked 10 October 2026.
- New Zealand–France tax treaty, Inland Revenue (New Zealand), Tax Policy. Checked 10 October 2026.
- Can the foreign spouse of a French citizen stay in France?, Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026. Page verified 4 August 2026; machine-translated, the French version governs.
- Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card), Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026. Page verified 1 June 2026; resources of €1,477.93 net a month or €17,735.19 a year for one person.
- Long-stay visa (more than 3 months to 1 year), Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026. Page verified 9 October 2026.
- 10-year resident card (carte de résident) of a foreigner in France, Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026. Page verified 1 July 2026; spouse of a French national section read; machine-translated, the French version governs.
- Validate a VLS-TS and pay the tax (online procedure), Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026. Page verified 31 July 2026; the page does not show the tax amount.
- Visa fees (long-stay visa, full and reduced rates), France-Visas (official French visa portal), Internet Archive copy of 5 October 2025. Checked 16 October 2026. Archived copy. Long-stay visa 99 euros at the full rate; the foreign spouse of a French national is free of charge.
- Multi-year residence card (carte de séjour pluriannuelle), Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026. Page verified 1 May 2026; machine-translated, the French version governs.
- Authorisation to work for a foreign employee in France, Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026. Page verified 18 June 2026; machine-translated, the French version governs; the last part of the page was not read.
- Declaration of French nationality by marriage, Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 16 October 2026. Page verified 1 May 2026.
- Income tax: taxable persons and tax domicile (BOI-IR-CHAMP-10), BOFiP-Impôts (official French tax doctrine). Checked 10 October 2026.
- Income tax scale (barème) for 2025 income, Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 15 October 2026.
- How your tax band and rate are worked out, impots.gouv.fr (French tax authority). Checked 10 October 2026.
- Income tax: first return (getting access with a tax number), Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 10 October 2026. Page verified 5 June 2026; written mainly for young adults, but describes how someone without a letter from the tax office gets access.