Residence permit in France
The residence permit of the usual type without work permit is given to Russian citizens, if they are able to deposit in French bank an amount not less than 18 000 € per year for 1 adult family member and have a property in France or long term rental contract for a period not less than 1 year.
Residence permit: Guest
It is valid for 1 year with subsequent annual renewal for an indefinite period taking into account the implementation of the above requirements. Turnaround time: 2-4 months from the date of filing.
Residence permit: Businessman + Merchant Card
(Carte de sejour commercant + Carte de commercant)
It is a document authorizing a Russian citizen to do business in France. In addition, the merchant card can be issued with a residence permit. To get a merchant card it is necessary to create business in France. Typically, an enterprise is created as a Limited Liability Company (SARL) with a minimum registered capital of 7500 €. The company also can be created as a branch of a foreign firm. In the latter case, if the foreign firm is more than two years old, the procedure for obtaining the merchant card is much simpler. However, the foreign firm should not be located in an offshore jurisdiction.
By law, a candidate for a merchant card must meet certain education or work experience requirements, financial condition and business ethics. Therefore, a person previously convicted in crime is subjected to various sanctions or declared bankrupt and cannot get the merchant card. For certain activities (such as travel agents, real estate agent and etc.) an additional license is required - a professional card. The Act defines its terms of access to each regulated profession.
If the applicant's family wants to live with him in France, the family members can also be obtained residence permits. The residence permit is valid for 1 year with the right to work in their enterprise with the subsequent annual renewal for an indefinite period. In 5 years of residence in France residence card valid for 10 years may be granted. It gives the right of permanent residence in France and the right to work. Turnaround time is 4-5 months from the date of filing.
Residence permit: Employee (Carte de sejour salarier)
It is requested by the French company (branch / representative office of a foreign company registered in France) who wants to recruit a Russian citizen, not a resident of France. The decision to grant or not depends on the position, appointed by the salary and qualifications of the candidate and the level of unemployment in the industry. At the moment requests are considered relatively formal, when it comes to leadership positions of French companies. For other employees there is a stronger dependence on the state of the French labor market in this specialty. There are favorable conditions for the rare specialists, photo- and top-models and famous athletes. The success of obtaining a residence permit depends on the motivation of your employer. Turnaround time is 2-4 months from the date of filing.
Residence permit: Trip
In this case, a Russian citizen is sent by a Russian company on a business trip to a French company or registered branch / representative office of a foreign company to carry out a mission for a maximum period of 18 months. To submit a request for a business trip a residence permit, there should exist a commercial connection between the Russian and the French company in the form of a contract. A Russian citizen has the same rights and responsibilities in accordance with the Labour Code, which the French officer at the same level has. In addition to this type of permit a candidate receives at the time of his stay in France ‘temporary work permits’. Turnaround time is 2-4 months from the date of filing.
Residence permit – Internship
This residence permit is a kind of business trip residence permit and is issued for a Russian citizen who arrived in France at the request of the French company or a registered branch / representative office of a foreign company for a period of probation.
The trainee can perform some work. In this case he receives wages and social security card. In addition to residence permit he also gets permission for temporary work. Turnaround time of this permit is 2-4 months from the date of filing.