How Much Money Do You Need to Move to France? Income Requirements Explained

How Much Money Do You Need to Move to France? Income Requirements Explained

How much money do you need for a French long stay visa? The real income and savings figures, from the team that submits these applications every week as well as the mistakes that delay approvals.

One of the most common questions we get asked is how much money you need to move to France. Not what it costs to live there. What you need to prove you have before the consulate will grant your visa.

Search this question online and you will find a lot of numbers. Many of them are wrong, and some are wrong by a very large margin. We have seen sites quoting savings requirements of €60,000 or more per person. Figures that those same sites then admit are estimates, because no official guidance has been published on the point. That is a guess dressed up as a requirement, and it puts people off a move they could comfortably afford.

Here is what we actually work to. Our guidance comes from Alex Ghigo, UK legal advisor at French Connections HCB, who had 14 visas validated in a single recent week – we can wqtch the video at the bottom of the page.

How much income do you need for a French long stay visa?

We prefer to give a slightly higher estimate just to be sure. Our working figure is around $1,700 per month, per person. The requirement is usually at least the SMIC, which is the French minimum wage.

That is the number to build your plan around. It is the level at which a file goes in clean, and it is a sensible floor if you want to live comfortably rather than count every euro. Start your budget there.

Note the words “per person”. If two of you are applying, each of you needs to meet the requirement, and each of you needs your own bundle of documents proving it.

What types of income count towards a French visa?

This is where a lot of the online advice falls down. Some sources will tell you that investments do not count as income. In practice, we use a broad range of sources:

• Social security
• Pension
• Income from work you are doing, including remote work
• Investments
• 401(k)s
• IRAs

You can use a lot of different types of income to show that you have money.

Can you use savings instead of monthly income?

Yes. You have two routes, and you only need one of them.

Either you show that you make that minimum wage of around $1,700 per month per person, or you show 12 months of it held in an account.

In our experience, an account holding over $25,000 to $30,000 usually works.

That is a very different picture from the €60,000-plus figures circulating elsewhere. It is 12 months of cover, not three years of it.

The mistake that delays applications when showing proof of income

Here is the part almost no other article mentions, and it is the part that decides how fast your visa comes back.

The most important thing is not the amount. It is having that money clearly demonstrated, in a way that is visible and easy to understand.

A recent example. A client had the money. For all purposes it looked really good. The visa officer still came back asking for more information.

What we did was simple. We drafted a letter — a summary of finances — clearly demonstrating every single source of money and showing that each one satisfied the requirements.

The visa was issued in two days. No issue.

Nothing about the client’s finances had changed. Only the clarity of the presentation.

A lot of the time it is more about the way you present the information than the information itself — as long as you fit the requirements, of course.

How to present your finances properly when applying for a French visa

Even when you have plenty of money and it is available, we still recommend making sure it visibly and fully fits the requirements. The practical rules:

● No phone photos. A picture of a document taken on your phone is not going to work. Obtain a PDF. It is 2026 — you can obtain PDFs.
● Everything gets printed. None of your documents are sent to the consulate in advance. You arrive at TLS or the consulate with the complete file printed and ready to hand over.
● One bundle per person. If several of you are applying, every single applicant needs their own set of documents, and each must meet the requirements for the visa they are applying for.
● Write a summary. A single page listing each source of money and what it proves. This is the document that turned a query into an approval in two days.
● Spell it out. The aim is a file so clear that the officer simply ticks the boxes and never has to come back to you — because coming back to you is what costs you weeks.

Why clarity matters to your timeline when moving to France

Appointments in the US take roughly two weeks to secure, and up to three in a busy period. Turnaround after the appointment is usually 7 to 10 days.

We advise leaving at least a month between your appointment and your departure date, precisely because the consulate can come back asking for more.

A clean, clearly presented financial file is what keeps you inside that window.

Where money sits in the wider application

For a visitor visa, we look at three pillars. Money is the second:

1. Accommodation — proof of somewhere to sleep for your first 90 days in France
2. Money — the income or savings covered above
3. Health insurance — a policy meeting the coverage and repatriation requirements

One trap worth knowing: the accommodation requirement is 90 days, but the money requirement is a full 12 months. People get refused because they secured the 90-day booking and assumed the financial side was measured the same way. It is not.

Frequently asked questions

How much money do you need to move to France?

Around $1,700 per month per person, based on the French minimum wage with a margin added for safety.

How much money do I need in the bank to move to France?

If you are relying on savings rather than a monthly income, around $25,000 to $30,000 per person. That figure represents 12 months of the monthly requirement. The money needs to be sitting in an account and clearly evidenced — a balance that is hard to follow causes more problems than a balance that is modest.

What is the minimum income required to live in France?

The minimum figure you need to prove for your visa is around $1,700 per month per person, tied to the SMIC. It is worth being clear that this is a visa threshold rather than a cost-of-living calculation. What you actually spend will depend heavily on the region you choose, whether you rent or buy, and how you live. We treat $1,700 as the floor to build a budget on, not the ceiling.

Can I use savings instead of income for a French visa?

Yes. Around $25,000 to $30,000 per person, representing 12 months of the monthly requirement, usually works.

Does a pension count as income for a French visa?

Yes. Pensions, social security, employment income, remote work income, investments, 401(k)s and IRAs can all be used.

Is the income requirement per person or per household?

Per person. Each applicant needs to meet it and each needs their own set of supporting documents.

Why do visa applications get delayed over money?

Usually because the finances are not presented clearly, rather than because they are insufficient. A summary letter setting out every source resolves most queries.

Thinking about your own move to France? If you are seriously considering France but do not know where to start, book a call with us. We can help you move, and more importantly, take the stress out of it, including helping you gather all the proof of income requirements for French residency & long-stay visa so you can focus on living your life in France.