VisaFrance adds a pay requirement for trainees transferring within a company group
The new rule applies to two corporate transfer trainee cards. The amount for those cards has yet to be confirmed in the official sources reviewed.
Official source date: 2026-11-06 · Change takes effect: 2026-10-30
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Edited and checked by the VisaWand editorial team
Who needs to review trainee pay
France has introduced an annual gross remuneration requirement for the temporary residence cards used by non-European trainees on transfers within their corporate group. The change covers both the standard trainee card and the mobile version for eligible holders of a corresponding permit from another EU country. Ordinary student placements and direct hires by a French employer follow their own routes. This change concerns the issue of the specified trainee cards.
The decree was published on 29 October and took effect the following day. Its explanatory notice distinguishes training transfers from the longer employee transfer route for managers and specialists. Employers reviewing a placement should identify the trainee category before comparing compensation evidence with the new rules. The same decree addresses several unrelated immigration procedures, so the title printed on the application matters.
Why the old monthly figure cannot settle the application
Article R. 421-51 A now requires gross annual pay at least equal to the reference annual gross salary set by ministerial order. The 6 November Service Public announcement says that the amount for the transfer categories was still unknown. VisaWand did not locate a subsequent order confirming the figure for these trainee cards. The separate salary order for specified talent cards does not establish the amount applicable to this application.
The trainee checklist still displays €1,867.02 gross monthly under the standard card and explicitly says the page is being updated. Send the exact proposed remuneration, dates and trainee category to the office handling the case when asking which figure and evidence it currently accepts. An annual requirement should not be assessed simply by comparing a monthly offer with the older checklist. No method for treating allowances or a short assignment has been confirmed here.
Choose the initial or mobile transfer route
Article L. 421-30 addresses trainees based outside the EU who will join another establishment of their employer’s group. It requires six months of group seniority, sufficient means and a higher education qualification. A transfer within the group should be demonstrable from the records of both the sending employer and the host. The card is tied to the training arrangement and does not provide open access to salaried employment.
Article L. 421-31 addresses people already admitted in another EU country for the same purpose. For a qualifying assignment of up to and including 90 days, the first country’s transfer permit can cover the French assignment after the required prior notification. For longer assignments the French mobile card applies. Previous qualifying assignments elsewhere in the EU can reduce the remaining time within the one-year limit. Count those periods before fixing the French end date.
Assemble the employer records and follow the visa instructions
France-Visas identifies a training agreement drawn up by the receiving establishment and signed by the trainee and sending employer as well. Its salaried activity guidance distinguishes this agreement from the paperwork for a management or specialist mission. Use the visa service’s personalised checklist to confirm what must accompany the agreement at the consulate handling the application.
The France-Visas route describes a long-stay visa serving as a residence permit for the training assignment and directs holders to validate it within three months of arrival. Check the wording on the issued visa and retain the validation record. France-Visas lists the standard long-stay application fee as €99, subject to applicable exceptions. The visa application charge is separate from any later fiscal stamp for a residence card.
Check the French card deadline and collection charge
For a card application following the relevant long-stay visa, Service Public directs applicants to the prefecture for their address during the two months before visa expiry. Its checklist includes a passport, proof of address, photographs, the current immigration document, employment and group records, and the signed commitment to respect the principles of the Republic. Mobile applicants should bring the other EU country’s transfer card and relevant assignment evidence.
The current trainee checklist lists €350 for the residence card, consisting of a €300 tax and €50 stamp duty. The national fee announcement explains that the charge is confirmed for collection after approval. Articles R. 421-51 and R. 421-54 set a 90-day written decision period measured from a complete card application. Track completeness separately from the day the employer first requests information.
