France's talent — porteur de projet: which route is yours

No — at least not for the route a technology founder usually wants.

France has three separate articles here:

• Innovative project, L421-16 2° (branded the French Tech Visa) — there is no investment floor at all. You show resources at or above the annual gross SMIC: €22,404 in 2026.
• Business creation, R421-33-2 — this is where the €30,000 lives.
• Direct investment, R421-35 — €300,000 in assets plus a job-creation commitment.

To be straight about it: on the financial bar alone, France's innovative route may be softer than Spain's. We correct this misconception not because it flatters us but because it sends people down the wrong route.

Not under that name. Article L421-17 was abrogated on 28 January 2024 by law 2024-42. The current card is called talent — porteur de projet, governed by article L421-16, valid for up to 4 years.

This matters practically: a large share of English-language guidance still describes the repealed article. If a guide cites L421-17, it is at least eighteen months out of date, and its other claims deserve the same scepticism.

"French Tech Visa for Founders" is not a fourth permit — it is the name of the procedure for L421-16 2°.

The two countries are built in opposite directions here, and this is the most important difference on the page.

In Spain, article 76.1 of Law 14/2013 gives the authority 20 days. If no decision is issued, the authorisation counts as granted by positive administrative silence. The state carries the risk of its own delay.

In France, four months of silence is an implicit refusal, and you then have two months to appeal. You carry the risk, and the refusal arrives as nothing at all — which is easy to miss.

The practical consequence: in France you have to keep your own calendar and watch for a non-event. How the Spanish deadline is counted, and what to do if it passes, is in the silencio positivo guide; you can work out your own date with the free generator.

The incubator does not decide. Innovative character is certified by the ministry of the economy — an opinion under article R421-34-1, requested before the card application.

There are two evidence routes to it: backing from a partner incubator, or letters from actors in the French tech ecosystem — research bodies, laboratories, companies, recognised specialists.

That gives a simple sorting rule. If you are already inside the French ecosystem — accepted into an incubator, French angels on your cap table — France is the shorter path. If you are arriving cold, with no French contacts, assembling that support is a real obstacle. The quality of your company does not remove it. The Spanish route does not require a local network.

France, and that is the honest answer. Naturalisation by residence is 5 years against Spain's 10 for most nationalities.

The speed has a price. From 1 January 2026 a French naturalisation application requires B2 French (décret 2025-648). The ten-year resident card requires B1 plus a civic exam. Spain asks for DELE A2 and CCSE — a markedly lower bar.

So the trade is: 5 years at B2 French, or 10 years at A2 Spanish.

One exception matters a great deal. Under article 22 of the Civil Code, the Spanish term is 2 years for nationals of Ibero-American countries, Portugal, Andorra, the Philippines and Equatorial Guinea, and for Sephardim of Spanish origin. Then Spain is faster by a wide margin.

For Spain, yes. Law 14/2013 covers people already lawfully present. Filing itself extends your existing status until the procedure is resolved, so applying does not break it.

On the French side we deliberately do not answer. We have no verified source on changing status to this card from inside France, and guessing on a legal question is a bad idea. Check France-Visas or your préfecture.

The gap is real: French startups raised around €7.4bn across 618 rounds in 2025, Spanish ones around €3.1bn across 376 rounds. Roughly 2.4× the money.

If your plan is to raise locally, France has the deeper pool, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.

Two considerations rather than rebuttals. A venture market is not the same thing as a place of residence — a French fund can invest in a Spanish company. And the relocation decision usually turns on where you get status faster and with less risk, not on market size. If a round is central to your next twelve months, that is an argument for France.

The short fork:

• You are already in the French ecosystem, plan to raise in France, and are willing to learn the language to B2 — France.
• You want procedural predictability, you are arriving without a local network, or you want to file while already in the country — Spain.
• You hold nationality of an Ibero-American country, Portugal, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea, or Sephardi status — Spain, by a wide margin: citizenship in 2 years.

If you are unsure, let's go through your situation against your actual documents and timeline.

The government fee is €73.26. You also pay for health insurance, an apostilled criminal record certificate, and sworn translations. The total rarely exceeds €300–600. At roughly 8 weeks end to end, it is a low-cost route for entrepreneurs to test.

Several founders can apply together. Three co-founders (CEO, CTO, CMO) is a typical setup that works well. Up to 5 can apply for complex tech projects with substantial R&D, or when every founder has proven entrepreneurial experience. Each founder gets an individual residence permit with full work rights in Spain.

Will be checked only when renewing residence permit. You must at least open a company and start some activity. If you do nothing — no sanctions, but you won't be able to renew residence permit.

ENISA assesses the technological core of a project, not the industry it sits in: what you built yourself, where the technical risk lies, and whether the solution can grow without costs rising in step. Present that part of your project — your own development, your data, your product — rather than a general business description. If there is no technological core, repackaging will not create one: ENISA asks for evidence, and what works best is a running project with a product, customers, and a team. If that is not your situation, it is worth looking at another route, such as the digital nomad residence permit.

Yes! Spain startup visa includes family reunification benefits. Eligible family members: spouse/partner, children under 18, financially dependent adult children over 18, and parents (with proof of dependency). All family members receive full Spanish residence permits with complete work authorization — both employment and self-employment rights. Family members may also apply for Beckham Law if they meet eligibility criteria.

Across the applications we have handled ourselves, the approval share runs at about 87% when there is a real, operating project behind the file. That is our own figure, not official data, and it is not a guarantee for your case. Timing: about 8 weeks end to end — roughly 5 weeks for the mandatory ENISA report and 3 weeks for the UGE decision. By law the deadline is 20 working days (art. 76.1 Law 14/2013), but it is suspended while that report is awaited (art. 22.1.d Law 39/2015), which is normal procedure rather than a delay. What actually moves the outcome: a working product or MVP, real customers or contracts, documented funding, proven team experience, and a clear innovation case.

Startup visa founders can access Spain's Beckham Law — 24% flat tax for 6 years. Note: to qualify, founders typically structure through an SL company (Spanish limited company), receiving income as salary or administrator compensation. Corporate tax: 15% for first 4 profitable years (vs standard 25%), plus R&D deductions up to 42%. Without Beckham, personal income uses progressive rates (up to 47%). Tax structuring is complex — consult a Spanish tax advisor for your setup.

Spain startup visa offers superior benefits for serious entrepreneurs: 3-year initial permit, path to permanent residency and citizenship, no minimum income requirement, family reunification rights, and freedom to build a local business and hire employees. The digital nomad visa (also up to 3 years when filed from Spain via the UGE) requires proof of about €2,849/month in income, is for remote work only, and limits local business activities. For tech entrepreneurs building companies, the startup visa provides much better long-term opportunities in Spain and the EU.

No worries! Spanish immigration law (Article 76, Ley 14/2013) automatically extends your legal stay during startup visa processing. You can remain in Spain legally throughout the review period, even with an expired Schengen visa. Restriction: no EU travel until residence permit approval. This legal protection ensures entrepreneurs don't face overstay issues while their startup visa application is processed.

Spain startup visa has no nationality restrictions. Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, and other CIS citizens regularly receive approvals. In recent years, over 50% of approved applications have come from Russian and CIS passport holders. Spain evaluates projects on merit, not nationality. Focus on strong business plan, innovation, and genuine entrepreneurial activity — nationality is not a barrier.

Strongly not recommended. This means lack of focus and uncertainty in projects. Founder should be fully dedicated to one specific business. However, you can have existing business as gained experience.

Spain startup visa approval requires strategic preparation: 1) Build working MVP before applying, 2) Secure real customers/contracts with documented revenue, 3) Show funding sources (personal, investors, grants), 4) Demonstrate team's tech expertise and previous experience, 5) Create detailed 3-year business plan with market analysis, 6) Highlight clear innovation and scalability, 7) Prepare all documents professionally. Thorough preparation is the single biggest factor in the outcome.

UGE may send a requerimiento for subsanación — for example, asking you to clarify the business plan or financial documents. Under Ley 39/2015 (art. 68), you have 10 business days from the notification date to respond (extendable by up to 5 more days on reasonable request). If you don't respond in time, the application is considered withdrawn (desistido). We handle the requerimiento response for you, start to finish.

Yes, but there's an important nuance for the startup visa. Formally, a refusal (resolución denegatoria) can be appealed — you file a recurso, usually within 1 month. But if the refusal is based on a negative assessment of the business plan, appealing is generally not worth it. It's far more effective — and this is both allowed and works well — to reapply for the residence permit, revising and updating the ENISA business plan based on the feedback. We review the reason for refusal and choose the right tactic: appeal or resubmission with a strengthened project.

After approval — once you're in Spain — you'll need to submit fingerprints (huellas) and get your TIE card, register your address (padrón) at the town hall, and set up a certificado digital / Cl@ve. The key step for the founder: register a company (usually an SL) within 6 months — no later — and register as an autónomo societario. It's exactly this ongoing activity that gets checked at renewal. We'll guide you through the right sequence and recommend trusted services, including SL incorporation and tax structure.

Yes. This is lawful residence in Spain, so the years count towards both milestones: five years of continuous lawful residence for permanent residence (residencia de larga duración) and ten years for citizenship by residence, which is the general term applying to most nationalities under article 22 of the Civil Code. Switching permit type does not reset the clock — years spent on the Digital Nomad permit, the startup/entrepreneur permit and the highly qualified professional permit add together, including when you move from one to another. What matters is that lawful residence is not interrupted and that renewals are filed on time. Shorter citizenship terms exist for some nationalities: two years for citizens of Ibero-American countries, Andorra, the Philippines, Equatorial Guinea and Portugal, and for Sephardic Jews of Spanish origin; one year in cases such as marriage to a Spanish citizen or being born in Spain.