The Fernshore Index
The factors remote workers look at first.
Each grade is against a published measure, with its source and the date we checked it. It is research information, not advice. Where we have no figure, the row says Unknown.
Internet
100 of 100Strong
48.93 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (2024), above the 30 line.
Source: Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, France. Checked 15 October 2026.
Work and career
50 of 100Mixed
Mixed: fixed broadband is 48.9 per 100 people (2024), over the 30 line, but the official pages reviewed describe no residence route made for remote work for foreign employers, and the visitor card does not allow work.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Carte de séjour "entrepreneur/profession libérale"; Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, France. Checked 15 October 2026.
Cost of living
31 of 100Weak
Price level 0.766 of United States prices (2025).
Source: Price level index (GDP), France. Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, United States passport
85 of 100Strong
A visitor card is open without a French job offer: valid 1 year at most and renewable, no minimum age, no deposit, and resources of about EUR 17,700 a year (about US$19,900 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under US$60,000. To be safe, have more than EUR 18,000 a year. It does not allow work. A one-year renewable card is read here as a year or more.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, Canada passport
85 of 100Strong
A visitor card is open without a French job offer: valid 1 year at most and renewable, no minimum age, no deposit, and resources of about EUR 17,700 a year (about US$19,900 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under US$60,000. To be safe, have more than EUR 18,000 a year. It does not allow work. A one-year renewable card is read here as a year or more.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, Australia passport
85 of 100Strong
A visitor card is open without a French job offer: valid 1 year at most and renewable, no minimum age, no deposit, and resources of about EUR 17,700 a year (about US$19,900 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under US$60,000. To be safe, have more than EUR 18,000 a year. It does not allow work. A one-year renewable card is read here as a year or more.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an). Checked 15 October 2026.
Visa, New Zealand passport
85 of 100Strong
A visitor card is open without a French job offer: valid 1 year at most and renewable, no minimum age, no deposit, and resources of about EUR 17,700 a year (about US$19,900 at the ECB rate of 9 October 2026), well under US$60,000. To be safe, have more than EUR 18,000 a year. It does not allow work. A one-year renewable card is read here as a year or more.
Source: Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card); Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an). Checked 15 October 2026.
Community
60 of 100Mixed
Expat Insider 2026 Ease of Settling In: 16th of 31.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In. Checked 15 October 2026.
Climate
42 of 100Mixed
Toulouse, the main city: 6 comfortable months a year (May to October).
Source: Climate normals 1991–2020, Toulouse-Blagnac (WMO 07630). Checked 15 October 2026.
Lifestyle
72 of 100Strong
Expat Insider 2026 Quality of Life: 9th of 31.
Source: Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life. Checked 15 October 2026.
The country
The rest of the research on France.
The country page grades every factor, with its sources.
FranceQuestions from remote workers about France.
Is there a French visa for working remotely for a foreign employer?
The official pages we reviewed describe no residence route made for remote work for a foreign employer, and the visitor card forbids work. We found no official page saying whether remote work for a US, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand employer counts as work in France, so ask the consulate first.
What does an employee route to France ask for?
The salaried card needs a work authorisation your employer requests online before you travel. A talent route, the EU Blue Card, asks for a minimum gross yearly salary; to be safe, more than €60,000. The pages describe jobs in France, so ask whether they fit a foreign employer's staff.
Is internet in France dependable enough for a full-time remote job?
France has 48.93 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people (ITU, 2024), which Fernshore grades as strong. That counts subscriptions, not speeds or call quality. Two Toulouse adverts say fibre is installed; confirm it at the exact address and test before you sign a lease.
Which tax and social security rules follow a foreign employer's pay into France?
Working in France more than incidentally meets one residence test on its own. Employees pay CSG and CRDS of 9.7% on 98.25% of pay. France has social security agreements with the US and Canada, not Australia or New Zealand, so ask your employer and Urssaf which system covers you.
What are rents and deposits like for a remote worker in France?
Four Toulouse adverts seen on 10 October 2026 asked €602 to €756 a month including charges; agency fees of about €420 to €590 came on top. The deposit is capped at one month's rent for an unfurnished lease and two for a furnished one. Internet and groceries are unknown.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
Every figure on this page links to the page we read, with the date we checked it.
- [K3] Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, France, International Telecommunication Union, via the World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2024: 48.93 per 100 people, read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [K1] Carte de séjour "visiteur" (visitor residence card), Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 15 October 2026. Page verified 1 June 2026: valid 1 year at most and renewable; resources of EUR 1,477.93 net a month for a single person; health insurance; no work in France.
- [K2] Carte de séjour "entrepreneur/profession libérale", Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 15 October 2026. Page verified 1 June 2026; the route for freelancers and self-employed people, not a remote-worker route.
- [C1] Price level index (GDP), France, World Bank. Checked 15 October 2026. 2025: 76.57 (United States = 100), read from the World Bank API on 15 October 2026.
- [V1] Visa de long séjour (séjour de plus de 3 mois à 1 an), Service-Public.fr (French government information service). Checked 15 October 2026. Page verified 9 October 2026: more than 3 months in France needs a long-stay visa (type D) from the French consulate, valid from 3 months to 1 year; one of its cases is a visitor who can live on their own resources; it does not allow work.
- [Q1] Expat Insider 2026: Ease of Settling In, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. France ranks 16th of 31 countries.
- [W1] Climate normals 1991–2020, Toulouse-Blagnac (WMO 07630), Météo-France (WMO Climate Normals 1991–2020 via NOAA NCEI). Checked 15 October 2026. Toulouse, the main city for France's climate grade: monthly mean daily highs 9.7 to 28.5 °C; 6 comfortable months (May to October).
- [Q2] Expat Insider 2026: Quality of Life, InterNations (Expat Insider survey, private). Checked 15 October 2026. France ranks 9th of 31 countries.