Applicants start by preparing the application online and applying for a long-stay visa no earlier than 3 months before the date of arrival in France. This visa, granted at the consulate and attached to passport, grants initial entry. Once in France, the applicant will present the long-stay visa at the local préfecture (French government administrative office) which will then issue the residence permit, allowing the investor to stay and work in France for 4 years.

The applicant can renew the residence permit as long as the startup or business remains active.

After the completion of the fifth consecutive year of residency, the applicant can apply for the Settlement Permit (Permanent Residency), which is valid for 10 years. At this stage, the applicant need not continue the business.

Note that while France imposes no minimum physical presence requirements for applicants at the temporary residency stage, obtaining permanent residency (or citizenship) is only possible if the applicant has spent at least 183 days a year in France.

The investor may apply for citizenship after 5 years, i.e immediately after receiving permanent residency. To naturalize in France, applicants must have integrated into French society (that is, through language skills and understanding of the rights and responsibilities of a French citizen), to be demonstrated during an interview with the French authorities.