Employees transferred within a group: ‘Talent – Employee on assignment’
Date of update
Nationals of a non-Member State of the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland who wish to work for a period of more than 3 months within the French subsidiary of their company based abroad must apply for a residence permit.
Specific requirements apply to Algerian citizens.
Intra-company transfer is a frequent choice within a group, and the “Talent” and “ICT seconded employee” residence permits facilitate the procedures around it.
To wit, foreign nationals hired under a French employment contract by a French company belonging to the group of the company that employed them abroad in order to carry out an assignment there, may apply for a “Talent – Highly qualified” residence permit as employee on assignment.
| Helpful tip: When the contract with the original employer remains in effect, the employee is considered a seconded employee. |
The “Talent – Qualified employee” residence permit can be delivered to :
- New graduate : skilled employees who hold a diploma earned at an institute of higher learning accredited at the national level at least equivalent to the grade of master or comparable.
- Employee of a JEI or an innovative company : employees recruited by A Young Innovative Company (JEI) or an innovative company recognised by a public body.
- Assigned employee : the employee on assignment hired under a French employment contract by the French company at which the assignment is to be carried out, belonging to the Group of the company that employed them abroad.
The “Talent – Qualified employee” residence permit only allows the holder to work in the salaried professional activity for which it was issued.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the “Talent – Qualified employee” specifically designed for employees on intra-company transfer, employees of a company established outside France must have evidence of the following:
- An employment contract with the subsidiary in France.
- At least three months’ service in the group to which the employing companies belong.
- Gross annual pay of at least 1.8 times the statutory national minimum wage (SMIC), i.e. €38,918.88 as of November 1, 2024.
The “Talentt” residence permit, valid for the duration of the assignment (up to 4 years) and renewable, is equivalent to a work permit for the assignment in France requiring intra-company transfer.
Authorised length of stay
The maximum duration is 4 years, on a renewable basis.
Helpful tip: If the planned length of stay is less than a year, foreign employees can apply for a long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit (‘VLS-TS’) marked Talent. The VLS-TS must be validated directly online upon arrival in France via the dedicated platform.
This is valid for up to 12 months. If foreign nationals wish to stay in France beyond this period, they may apply for a four-year “Talent” residence permit.
Procedure
Steps
Living outside France
Applicants living outside France should apply to the French consular authorities in their usual place of residence.
The long-stay visa application is initiated on the official France-visas website.
The procedure should be initiated no earlier than three months before the date of arrival in France.
Upon arrival in France, the holder will be entitled to work immediately with this visa.
Once in France, the foreign talent must apply upon arrival for the relevant “Talent” status on the dedicated platform in order to finalize the application for the residence permit.
Once the application is validated by the Prefecture via the platform, the foreign talent will receive a certificate of approval which will be equivalent to a residence permit until the talent goes to the appointment at the Prefecture to get the definitive residence permit.
Between the application and the delivery of the residence permit, the foreign talent can check the status of his or her application on his or her online account, answer to any request to complete his or her file, and check the decisions made.
Already living in France
If applicants are already living in France under a different type of residence permit, they will have to apply for a change of status on the dedicated website. They will be asked to prove their eligibility for the desired residence permit.
The procedure must be initiated between 4 to 2 months before the previous residence permit expires.
Between the application and the delivery of the residence permit, the foreign talent can check the status of his or her application on his or her online account, answer to any request to complete his or her file, and check the decisions made.
Documents required
Applicants can obtain a list of exactly which documents are required for a residence permit application from the authority responsible for handling the application and on France-visas.gouv.fr.
As an indication, we provide a list of documents that must be submitted with an application for a “Talent – Qualified Employee” as an employee on assignment.
Cost
Applicants must pay a tax of €200 when the permit is issued. In addition to this tax, stamp duty of €25 is also charged on residence permits. The payment of the Tax and the stamp can be submitted online.
In addition to this administrative cost of €225, the long-stay visa authorizing entry into France costs €99.
Prolonger le séjour
Renewal
Renewal applications must be submitted between 4 to 2 months before the residence permit expires on the dedicated website.
Applicants must produce documents showing that they continue to meet the conditions of issuance of their permit as well as a certificate of activity from their employer or a certificate of professional activity for the last 12 months uploaded by the employee to the website mesdroitssociaux.gouv.fr.
Administrative cost: €225
Change of status
In the event of a change in the professional situation of the talent, a change of status may be considered 4 to 2 months before the expiration of the residence permit in the case of an application for a “Talent” residence permit on the dedicated platform or for any other type of residence permits at the Prefecture of his or her place of residence. It will be necessary to meet the eligibility requirements of the new residence permit requested.
Accompanying Family
The spouse and dependent minor children of the holder of a “Talent” residence permit have accompanying family status.
The spouse should apply, and will be issued with a “Talent – Family” residence permit. This permit authorizes the family to stay and undertake any paid employment in France as long as the foreign employee’s residence permit is valid.
Administrative cost: €225 for the spouse’s residence permit and €99 per visa issued to each member of the accompanying family.