France Job-Search / Business-Creation Permit (RECE)

Min investment

On request

Time to status

12 months, not renewable.

Path to citizenship

Yes. French naturalisation by decree requires 5 years' habitual residence with a valid residence permit at filing, and no permit type is excluded — RECE years count. Better still, graduates of a French higher-education institution who studied at least 2 years qualify for a REDUCED 2-year residence requirement, so a French degree can shorten the path from five years to two. You must have the centre of your material and family interests in France.

Residency requirement

Live in France; may work during the permit's validity.

Visa-free destinations

Not specified

Dual citizenship allowed

Not specified

Notes

Open to graduates of French institutions holding a bachelor's-level qualification or above — licence professionnelle, master, mastère spécialisé, accredited MSc — and to researchers finishing a talent-passport mission. Valid 12 months and explicitly not renewable, with the right to work throughout. Do not confuse it with the APS, a separate permit restricted to nationals of countries holding a bilateral labour-migration agreement with France. The exit is defined by a salary line: a contract at 1.5x SMIC converts you to an employee permit or talent passport, which is where the clock toward naturalisation actually starts.

About France

Healthcare

★★★★★

Safety

★★★★★

Cost of living

High

Climate

Temperate