# France Work Visa Requirements for Indians: 2026 Checklist > The documents an Indian needs for a French long-stay work visa in 2026, split by route: Talent - EU Blue Card, Talent qualified employee and salaried employment. _Published: 2026-10-30 · Reading time: 5 min · Words: 1178_ ## TL;DR Every French work visa from India starts with a France-Visas application, a VFS appointment, a passport issued within 10 years and two ICAO photos. Salaried jobs also need an employer work authorisation; the Talent - EU Blue Card needs a contract of at least 6 months paying at least EUR 59,373 a year. ## Key takeaways - Apply on France-Visas first; its wizard generates the exact checklist for your route. - Talent - EU Blue Card: 3 years of higher education (or 5 years' experience), a 6-month contract and at least EUR 59,373 gross a year. - Salaried route: the French employer must obtain a work authorisation before you apply. - Long-stay visa fee: 99 euros, plus the VFS service fee of 22 EUR. - Salaried employees pay a 300-euro tax when validating the VLS-TS in France. **According to France-Visas and service-public.fr, an Indian applying for a French work visa needs a France-Visas application, a VFS appointment, a passport issued within 10 years, two ICAO photos and route-specific proof: an approved work authorisation for salaried jobs, or for the Talent - EU Blue Card a 6-month contract paying at least EUR 59,373 a year.** ## Article France does not publish one fixed work-visa checklist for India. The France-Visas 'Visa wizard' generates your list once you choose a route, and VFS hosts no France PDF checklist. What follows combines the common VFS documents with the route conditions set by service-public.fr, as published on the official sources, checked on 15 October 2026. For tourist, student and family visas, see our France visa guide for Indians. ### Which French work route are you applying under? Your route decides the extra documents, so settle it with your employer before you open France-Visas. RouteCore requirementEmployer work authorisation?Talent - EU Blue CardDegree from at least 3 years of higher education, or 5 years of comparable experience; contract of at least 6 months; gross annual salary of at least EUR 59,373Not neededTalent - qualified employee (intra-group mission or innovative company)Gross annual pay of at least EUR 39,582; intra-group transfers also need at least 3 months' seniority in the groupNot neededSalaried employment (VLS-TS 'salarie')A job offer from a French employer outside the Talent routesYes, before you applyThe EUR 59,373 Blue Card figure is 1.5 times France's reference average gross annual salary. For professions listed by ministerial order, 3 years of experience within the previous 7 years can replace the degree. ### What documents does every work-visa applicant bring to VFS? VFS Global's 'what to bring' list applies to all long-stay applicants in India: - Printout of the PDF appointment confirmation letter. - Passport issued within the previous 10 years, valid at least 3 months after your intended departure from the Schengen area, with at least 2 pages blank on both sides. - Original passport plus a copy. - Printout of the completed France-Visas application form, dated and signed, with its receipt. - Two recent ICAO-format photos. - Every supporting document on the France-Visas checklist, in the same order as the checklist. - The visa fee, payable at the centre by debit card, credit card, UPI or cash. - Receipts for any extra VFS services you bought online. You may add a factual explanatory note of up to one page with your identity, passport number and France-Visas reference. Documents in languages other than English or French may need a French translation. At the centre, VFS takes your photo and 10 fingerprints. Photo rules are strict for France: width between 35 and 40 mm, the face 32 to 36 mm from chin to forehead, and a neutral light grey background, not blue. VFS can take photos for INR 200 for four. ### What extra proof does a Talent - EU Blue Card need? Service-public.fr sets four conditions you must document: - Qualification: a degree certifying at least 3 years of higher education, or 5 years of comparable professional experience relevant to the job. - Contract length: an employment contract of at least 6 months. - Salary: a gross annual salary of at least EUR 59,373, which should be visible in the contract. - Card length: the card is issued for the contract length up to 4 years; for a contract under 2 years, the contract length plus 3 months, up to 2 years. No work authorisation is needed for Talent routes, so there is no prefecture stage before your visa application. France-Visas says visa decisions usually take 15 days, extendable up to 45 days in special cases. ### What must your French employer file for the salaried route? For an ordinary salaried job, the paperwork starts in France, not in India. - The employer applies online for a work authorisation for you. - Unless the job is exempt, it must first be advertised for 3 consecutive weeks with the French public employment service. - If the prefecture gives no answer within 2 months, that silence counts as an implicit refusal. - Once the authorisation is approved, you apply for the long-stay visa valid as residence permit (VLS-TS) on France-Visas and at VFS. Keep a copy of the approved authorisation with your visa file. Without it, the salaried route cannot proceed. ### How much will a French work visa cost you? ChargeAmountWhen paidLong-stay visa fee99 eurosAt the VFS centre, in INR at the rate set by the French authoritiesVFS service fee22 EUR per applicantOnline, in local currencyVLS-TS validation tax (salaried employee)300 eurosOnline in France, within 3 months of arrival'Talent' multi-year residence card350 euros (50 euros stamp duty + 300 euros tax)In France, when the card is issuedFrance-Visas sets fees in euros and converts them at the chancery rate, so no official INR figure is published for the 99-euro fee. The fee is kept even if the visa is refused. ### Where do you submit, and when should you apply? VFS Global is France's exclusive provider in India. Regular centres are in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Cochin, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Puducherry and Pune, with temporary service points in Coimbatore, Guwahati, Mangalore and Vishakhapatnam. Decisions are taken by the Embassy in New Delhi or the consulates in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Puducherry and Kolkata, according to your state. For long-stay visas, VFS advises applying at least 1 month before departure and no more than 3 months before arrival. Book the appointment with your France-Visas reference number and the correct category, because slots are set by the consulate and VFS cannot add more. ### Checklist mistakes to avoid - Booking VFS before finishing France-Visas. The appointment needs your France-Visas reference. - Applying on the salaried route before the work authorisation is approved. - Using a blue-background photo; France asks for neutral light grey. - Shuffling documents. VFS wants them in the France-Visas checklist order. - Forgetting the VLS-TS online validation within 3 months of arrival. If you need a flight reservation or cover letter for the file, Yatra For Fun's India office in Gurugram prepares them, along with hotel bookings and itineraries. Prices run from INR 1,000 for a flight reservation to INR 3,000 for the full set. WhatsApp +91 95230 91018 or contact us. ### Frequently asked questions #### Do Indians need to speak French for a French work visa? The route conditions that service-public.fr lists for the Talent and salaried permits do not include a French-language level. French at level B1 appears later, as a condition for the 10-year long-term resident card after 5 years of legal residence. #### Can I apply for a French work visa while living outside India? France-Visas says applications must be lodged in the country where you legally reside. An Indian living in the UAE, for example, applies to the French consulate or its provider there. #### Is there a job seeker visa for Indians in France? Not for applicants without a French degree. The job search / business creation permit is for Master's-level graduates of French institutions, who can apply from abroad within 4 years of the diploma. #### How long does a French work visa take from India? France-Visas says visa decisions usually take 15 days, extendable up to 45 days in special cases. On the salaried route, add the employer's work authorisation stage first: if the prefecture does not answer within 2 months, that counts as an implicit refusal. ## FAQ ### Do Indians need to speak French for a French work visa? The route conditions that service-public.fr lists for the Talent and salaried permits do not include a French-language level. French at level B1 appears later, as a condition for the 10-year long-term resident card after 5 years of legal residence. ### Can I apply for a French work visa while living outside India? France-Visas says applications must be lodged in the country where you legally reside. An Indian living in the UAE, for example, applies to the French consulate or its provider there. ### Is there a job seeker visa for Indians in France? Not for applicants without a French degree. The job search / business creation permit is for Master's-level graduates of French institutions, who can apply from abroad within 4 years of the diploma. ### How long does a French work visa take from India? France-Visas says visa decisions usually take 15 days, extendable up to 45 days in special cases. On the salaried route, add the employer's work authorisation stage first: if the prefecture does not answer within 2 months, that counts as an implicit refusal. ## Sources 1. [Service-Public.fr - Carte talent (verified 1 June 2026)](https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F16922) — Service-Public.fr (French Government) 2. [Service-Public.fr - Work authorisation for a foreign employee (verified 18 June 2026)](https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F2728) — Service-Public.fr (French Government) 3. [VFS Global India - France: What to bring with you](https://visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/fra/attend-centre/what-to-bring) — VFS Global for the Government of France 4. [France-Visas - Long-stay visa](https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/visa-de-long-sejour) — France-Visas (Ministry of the Interior / Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs)