Starting a Business in France as an American: Which Visa, Which Legal Form, and in What Order (2026)

An American can start a business in France by one of three routes: the entrepreneur card for a small business or a practice, the talent project-holder card for a larger project, or a French company run without moving. Which one fits depends on where you will live, how much the project is financed and what you have studied. This guide puts the routes side by side, shows the conditions as the official pages state them and gives the order to follow, so you do not buy a lease or form a company before you know which card you can get. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Rules change, and your situation may differ: always verify current requirements with the relevant French authorities or a licensed professional.

If you want to freelance for US clients and nothing more, the closest guide is the profession libérale visa. If you are comparing every way to work, start with the work visa guide.

The First Question: Will You Live in France?

Whether you will live in France decides what you need, before any question about the business itself. Service-public’s page for foreign entrepreneurs, verified on 1 June 2026, sets out three facts:

• A foreigner can set up a company in France without residing there.
• A person who does not wish to reside in France, meaning more than 90 days in any 180-day period, needs no visa or residence permit to set up the company.
• Running a company as an officer, such as a manager or president, is possible without residing in France, but the actual and usual exercise of that activity on French territory requires an appropriate residence permit. Working as an individual contractor requires residence in France and a permit that authorizes self-employment.

So a French company does not by itself give you the right to work in France. For stays without a visa, the 90/180 rule still counts every day. If you already hold a visa or a card for another reason, such as marriage or study, the same page says you must change your status, and the guide to changing status from inside France covers that case.

The Routes Side by Side

The table lists the four cards that cover most Americans who want to run a business in France. The figures are those service-public and France-Visas display, dated June 2026, and the SMIC is the minimum wage, which changes: check the current amount before you file.

A fifth route exists for a narrow group: France-Visas describes a “Job Search / Business Creation” visa restricted to students who left France after earning at least a master’s-level qualification at an approved institution, within four years of graduating. It is not a route for an American arriving from the US with no French degree.

How the Law Names These Cards

The Code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers (CESEDA) provides, in its article L421-5, that a foreigner who carries on a non-salaried activity that is economically viable and from which they draw sufficient means of existence receives a temporary card marked “entrepreneur / profession libérale”, valid for a maximum of one year. Its article L421-16 provides a multi-year card marked “talent-porteur de projet”, valid for a maximum of four years, for three situations: a creator with a master’s-level degree or five years of comparable experience and a real and serious project, an innovative economic project recognised by a public body, and a direct economic investment in France. The talent card lets you carry on a commercial activity linked to the project that justified it. The talent passport guide goes further into that card and its other subcategories.

The Entrepreneur Card: Small Business or a Practice

The entrepreneur card is the usual route for an American who wants to open a shop, a studio or a one-person practice. Service-public’s page on the card lists what the activity must be: exercised as your main activity, registered with the one-stop shop for company formalities, economically viable, able to give you sufficient livelihood, and matched to your qualifications or professional experience.

The card costs 350 euros in tax stamps (a 50-euro stamp duty plus a 300-euro tax), handed over when the card is issued. What you submit depends on the activity. For a commercial, industrial or craft activity being created, the page lists, among other things, the opinion of the platform in charge of foreign labor for the department where the project is located, a presentation of the project with the business plan and a multi-year budget, and proof of the premises: a lease promise or a domiciliation contract. For a liberal activity being created, it lists proof of registration with URSSAF, evidence that the activity can generate income of at least 1,867.02 euros a month, and the authorization to practise or registration with the relevant order if the profession is regulated.

On France-Visas the same route is described in two parts. A new business must show the economic viability of the project. A liberal profession or an activity already created must prove resources equal to the minimum wage for a full-time worker. The opinion of the platform in charge of foreign labor is requested through a free online service on service-public (“Demander un avis sur un projet de carte de séjour temporaire entrepreneur/profession libérale”). A ministerial order of 13 May 2026 says the opinion on the economic viability of the activity is requested before the application for the card, and lists among the documents the passport pages, a criminal record extract with a sworn translation if you live outside France, a business plan with a multi-year budget, a statement of a positive balance in euros or dollars on an account in your name, and proof of the premises for the activity. The consulate issues a long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit marked “entrepreneur / profession libérale”, valid one year provided you apply to validate it within fifteen days of arriving. The profession libérale guide explains why that short deadline catches people out, and the OFII validation guide walks through the validation itself.

The Talent Project-Holder Card: A Bigger Project

The talent project-holder card suits a founder with a degree or a track record and real financing behind the project. For the company creation path, service-public lists four conditions: a degree at least equivalent to a master’s (or 5 years of comparable professional experience), a real and serious project to create a company in France, resources sufficient for you and your family at least equal to the annual SMIC (22,404.20 euros gross), and project financing of at least 30,000 euros. The innovative-project path asks for a project recognised by the ministry in charge of the economy and the same resources. The investment path asks for an investment of at least 300,000 euros, held personally or through a company you run or in which you hold at least 30% of the capital, with jobs created or saved.

Where you apply changes the order. Service-public says that if you live abroad you file the visa request with the French consular authorities in your country of residence, and that for a creation or innovative project you must first ask the ministry in charge of the economy for an opinion on the real and serious character of the project. If your stay is under 12 months, the consulate issues a long-stay visa that serves as a residence permit, validated online within 3 months of arrival. If it is 1 year or more, the consulate issues a long-stay visa marked “talent” valid 3 months, and you then apply online for the card. France-Visas adds that family members can accompany a talent card holder and receive multi-year permits, with the spouse authorised to work.

Regulated Activities and Foreign Diplomas

Check early whether your activity is regulated, because it changes both the card and the timeline. Service-public’s page says that if the activity is not regulated it may be exercised freely, subject to the formalities of residence. If it is regulated, the exercise is subject to conditions on professional qualifications. A diploma obtained in France generally allows direct practice, while a diploma obtained in a third country, such as the United States, is not recognised automatically: its holder must generally have the qualifications recognised by the French authorities. Some professions require registration with a professional order, such as doctors, architects and chartered accountants, and craft trades mainly require proof of a qualification or experience. The entrepreneur card file asks for the authorization to practise or the registration with the order for a regulated profession, so the recognition comes before the card, not after.

Choosing the Legal Form

The legal form determines your taxes, your social regime and your liability, and it is chosen before you register. Service-public’s page on legal forms, verified on 10 April 2026, sorts the choice by the number of people:

• Alone: an individual business (entreprise individuelle, with the option of the micro-entreprise regime), a single-member limited company (EURL) or a single-member simplified joint-stock company (SASU).
• With partners: a company, such as an SAS or a SARL.

On liability, the page says an individual entrepreneur has a professional estate automatically separate from the personal one, with exceptions in case of fraud and serious breaches. In an SAS or a SARL the partners’ liability is limited to what they contributed, although the manager’s personal liability can be engaged for a management fault or a personal guarantee. An individual business is simpler to run: the accounts are drawn up by the owner alone and need not be filed with the commercial court registry, while a company’s annual accounts are.

For an American the choice also has a US side: a French company you own brings reporting duties to the IRS, and the guide to setting up a SARL or SAS covers them next to the registration steps. The lighter route is the micro-entrepreneur status, with its own immigration-status check. For the tax on what you earn, see self-employment taxes for Americans in France.

The Order to Follow

No single official page sets out the whole sequence. The order below is a workable one built from the pages listed in the sources, and the exact moment of each step depends on your file, so confirm it with the consulate or the prefecture. It avoids the two expensive mistakes: signing for premises before you know which card applies, and arriving without the business registered.

1. Decide where you will live. If it is in France, you need a long-stay visa and a card. If you stay under 90 days in 180, you need neither a visa nor a permit to form a company, and a short stay lets you enter for any purpose, business trips included. The actual and usual exercise of the activity in France still requires an appropriate permit, so a short stay is not a way to work here.
2. Check whether the activity is regulated and whether your diploma needs recognition.
3. Write the project: a presentation, a business plan and a multi-year budget. The entrepreneur file asks for them, and the talent route needs the ministry’s opinion on the project when you apply from abroad. For the entrepreneur card, request the opinion on the economic viability of the activity through the online service, before you apply for the card.
4. Choose the legal form from the options above.
5. Apply for the visa on France-Visas, with the supporting documents the visa wizard lists for your situation. The TLScontact appointment guide covers the booking step.
6. Validate the visa on arrival: within 15 days for the entrepreneur visa, within 3 months for a talent visa valid under 12 months.
7. Register the business. For a company, service-public lists the steps before registration: choosing the registered office (domiciliation), depositing the share capital, appointing the manager, drafting the statutes and publishing the creation in an authorised legal-notice medium, then filing the registration application on the one-stop shop for company formalities. For an individual business, with or without the micro-entreprise option, none of those formalities is needed, apart from choosing the address. Registration produces a Siren and a Siret number.
8. Apply for the card when the file asks for the registration proof, and keep the income evidence from day one: the card is renewed on the same resources test.

After the First Year

The entrepreneur card lasts at most one year. To renew it you must still meet the conditions, and for a continuing activity the file asks for evidence of the company’s effectiveness and of resources from the activity at least equal to 1,867.02 euros a month, among other documents. At the end of the first temporary card you can apply for a multi-year card of 4 years, which adds a republican integration condition: attendance at the training prescribed in the Republican Integration Contract, French at A2 level for a first multi-year card (unless you are over 65), and a civic examination. A temporary card may not be renewed more than three consecutive times for the same reason. The application is filed within two months before the card ends, and a late application costs an extra regularisation fee of 180 euros, except in cases of force majeure or with a valid visa. Renewing a temporary card costs 250 euros (50 euros of stamp duty plus a 200-euro tax) and a multi-year card costs 350 euros (50 plus 300). See the renewal guide for the practical side.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Treating a French company as a work permit. Forming one without a card lets you run it from abroad; carrying on the activity in France on a regular basis still needs a permit.
• Committing to premises before the visa. The entrepreneur file asks for a lease promise or a domiciliation contract, so have that ready rather than a signed commercial lease.
• Missing the 15-day validation of the entrepreneur visa.
• Assuming a US licence or degree travels. A third-country diploma is not recognised automatically, and a regulated activity needs the authorization first.
• Planning the first year without the renewal test. The resources figure is checked again at renewal.

Practical Checklist

• Where will I live, and for how long?
• Is my activity regulated, and is my diploma recognised?
• Which card fits: entrepreneur, talent project-holder, or none because I will not live in France?
• Do I have a business plan, a multi-year budget and proof of premises or domiciliation?
• Do I know the current SMIC and my expected income?
• Have I chosen the legal form, and the US reporting that comes with it?
• Do I know the validation deadline for my visa?

When to Get Help

A simple freelance practice under the entrepreneur card can be handled alone with the official pages. Get a professional when the project involves a regulated profession, a company with foreign partners, an investment, or US ownership of a French company, because the licence, the tax and the immigration file depend on each other. Our Navigator sequences the visa, the registration and the first-year paperwork in one plan.

FAQ

Can an American start a business in France without moving there?

Yes: a foreigner can set up a company in France without residing there, and no visa or residence permit is needed for that formation if you stay under 90 days in any 180-day period. Actually running the activity in France requires a residence permit, so the company alone does not let you work here.

Which visa should an American freelancer choose?

The route closest to a freelance practice is the entrepreneur / profession libérale visa and card, which asks for resources from the activity of at least 1,867.02 euros a month for a liberal activity. Working as an individual contractor requires residing in France with a permit that allows self-employment.

How much money do I need to start a business in France as an American?

There is no single figure. For the entrepreneur card the file asks you to show an economically viable activity and, for a liberal activity, income from it of at least 1,867.02 euros a month. For the talent creation route the page asks for project financing of at least 30,000 euros and resources at least equal to the SMIC. The investment route asks for at least 300,000 euros.

Do I need a French company to get a business visa?

Not always. The entrepreneur card asks for proof that the activity is registered with the one-stop shop for company formalities, which includes micro-entreprises and individual businesses. A company is the form when you have partners or choose a limited-liability structure.

Is a US degree enough to practise a regulated profession in France?

Generally not by itself. Service-public says a diploma obtained in a third country is not recognised automatically and its holder must generally have the qualifications recognised by the French authorities. The entrepreneur card file also asks for the authorization to practise or the order registration.

Can my spouse work if I get a talent card?

France-Visas says family members who accompany a talent card holder receive multi-year permits, and the permit authorises the spouse to work. For the entrepreneur card, ask the prefecture about the family permit before you travel.

How long does the entrepreneur card last?

At most one year. After the first temporary card you can apply for a multi-year card of 4 years if you meet the republican integration conditions, and a temporary card cannot be renewed more than three consecutive times for the same reason.

Conclusion

The question that sorts everything is whether you will live in France. If you will, the entrepreneur card fits a small business or a practice and the talent project-holder card fits a larger, financed project or a founder with a master’s-level degree. If you will not, a French company can be formed without a permit, but it does not by itself give you the right to work on French soil. Write the project, check the regulated-activity and diploma questions, choose the legal form, then apply for the visa and validate it on time. Keep the income evidence from the first month, because renewal asks for the same resources test. For the surrounding steps, see the work visa guide.