Remote work in France under a visitor's visa (VLS-TS or titre de séjour)

There have been some rumors in the media that the French administration is restricting the right of long stay visitors to work remotely. These rumors are unfounded.

As a preliminary matter, the legal framework is clear on one essential point: applicants for a visitor visa are required to sign a formal undertaking that they will not engage in professional activity in France. This prohibition unquestionably covers employment by a French employer and the receipt of income from a French source. Those situations are not permitted under any interpretation of the visitor status.

What is less explicit, however, is whether remote work performed for a non-French employer, remunerated abroad and without access to the French labor market, constitutes “work in France” within the meaning of the applicable immigration rules. On this point, administrative practice has historically been more nuanced. In practice, French consulates, including those in the United States and the United Kingdom, have long accepted foreign remote salaries as lawful and sufficient proof of financial resources for the issuance of visitor visas. This reflects a consistent distinction between participation in the French labor market and the mere physical presence in France while continuing an overseas professional activity.

More recently, there has been discussion in professional circles of an alleged internal memorandum, purportedly issued in April 2025, instructing prefectures to refuse renewals of visitor status where the applicant is engaged in remote work. We have verified this point. The Sous-directeur du séjour et de l’accès à la nationalité of the Paris Police Prefecture has confirmed that no such memorandum has been identified to date. The issue has, however, been referred to the Direction générale des étrangers en France (DGEF) for clarification at the national level.

At present, there has been no published regulatory change, ministerial instruction, or binding administrative guidance modifying the existing approach. Accordingly, as of today, there is no formal prohibition specifically targeting remote work for a foreign employer under visitor status, provided that no French employment is undertaken and no French-source income is received.

There have been no official change, and every reason to conclude that remote work remains tolerated under a visitor's status.

Until further notice, France remains a good destination for digital nomads, who may reside in France indefinitely under a long stay, "visitor's status', which is a yearly, renewable status in France that can be renewed indefinitely.

France remains open to visitors who are working with foreign companies or consulting remotely with foreign clients.