France allows some remote work on long-stay visitor visa

France did not launch a new digital nomad visa. The Interior Ministry answered a government question on 23 June 2026 and said some remote workers can use the long-stay visitor visa (VLS-TS visiteur). Travel Off Path summed up the change for remote workers who faced unclear rules for years.

The simple rule: if your boss, contract, pay, and clients stay outside France, you may work online from France on visitor status. If any part of the job is tied to France, you still need a work permit and a different visa type.

What changed

• Remote work can be OK on the visitor visa when the job has no link to France's economy. Your employer stays abroad. Your pay stays abroad. You do not serve French clients.
• An old rule looked like a total work ban. Officials now say remote work for a foreign company does not count as "working in France" if the job stays abroad.
• France still has no nomad visa with its own name. Spain, Italy, and Portugal have visas built for remote workers. France is reading the old visitor visa in a new way.
• Tax is separate. France may still tax work you do while sitting in France, even if your boss is abroad. Getting the visa does not fix your tax bill.

What you still need

The visitor visa was already there for stays longer than 90 days in 180 in Schengen. Those rules still apply:

• Enough money to live without a French job. Many files use about one French minimum wage (SMIC) per month as a guide. Savings, pension, rent income, or steady remote pay can count. Each embassy decides.
• Health insurance with at least €30,000 cover for your stay.
• A place to live for the full time you ask to stay.
• Stay length often 3 to 12 months at first. You can apply to renew before it ends (often through ANEF online).
• Visa fee about €99. You do not get it back if refused.

See income bands on our France visitor residence page. Your embassy's official checklist beats any blog.

Who this affects

• US, UK, and other non-EU remote workers who want six to twelve months in Paris, Lyon, or Provence without a French employer.
• Employees of foreign companies with clean contracts and no French client work.
• Freelancers only if you truly have no French clients. Mixed client lists are risky.
• People comparing EU countries. Spain and Portugal still have remote visas with clearer income rules on paper.

What to do next

1. Read the government answer and your embassy's visitor visa checklist before you assume remote pay alone is enough.
2. Open our France visitor pathway and gather insurance, lease, and bank papers.
3. If Spain is your backup, compare France vs Spain and ask a tax adviser about work done in France.

News summary only, not legal or tax advice. Embassies can still say no. Check France-Visas before you quit your lease abroad.