Authored by the expert who managed and guided the team behind the France Property Pack
Everything you need to know before buying real estate is included in our France Property Pack
If you're a foreigner thinking about buying residential property in France, this guide covers what you actually need to know about ownership rules, residency pathways, and the road to citizenship in early 2026.
We constantly update this blog post so that the data, sources, and legal references stay as fresh and accurate as possible.
France does not restrict residential property purchases by foreigners, but owning a home there does not automatically give you the right to live in the country, and the details matter more than you might expect.
And if you're planning to buy a property in this place, you may want to download our pack covering the real estate market in France.
Insights
- Non-residents owned roughly 1.5% of all French residential real estate in 2019, worth about 125 billion euros, and our estimate for early 2026 puts that share at around 1.7%.
- Only about 1.8% of existing-home transactions in France in 2022 involved foreign non-resident buyers, according to data from Notaires de France.
- A large share of "non-resident owners" in France are actually French expatriates living abroad, not new foreign arrivals, which changes how the ownership data should be read.
- France has no "golden visa" or property-based residency program, so buying a home worth any amount, even millions, gives you zero residency rights on its own.
- The closest non-working long-stay route in France is the "visitor" residence permit, which requires proof of roughly 1,800 euros per month in income but says nothing about property ownership.
- France's investor residency route (the Talent Passport for business investors) requires a minimum 300,000-euro investment in an active French business, not in residential real estate.
- French property prices stabilized in 2025, with the national average for existing homes sitting around 2,500 euros per square meter by year-end, though Paris remains far higher at about 9,600 euros per square meter.
- Naturalisation in France typically requires 5 years of habitual residence, a B2 French language level (raised from B1 as of January 2026), and passing a new civic values exam scoring at least 80%.
- Processing a French citizenship application usually takes 12 to 18 months after your file is complete, meaning the full journey from first residence permit to passport is realistically 6 to 8 years.
Fact-checked and reviewed by our local expert
Maxence Toulouse 🇫🇷
General Manager of Iddyl Property
Can buying property help me get permanent residency in France?
Does buying a property qualify or at least help for residency in France?
As of early 2026, buying a residential property in France does not qualify you for any residency permit, because France's immigration system is built entirely around visa categories like work, family, study, or visitor status, and property ownership is simply not one of them.
There is no minimum property investment amount that unlocks residency in France, so whether you buy a studio for 50,000 euros or a villa for 5 million euros, the legal effect on your residency rights is the same: zero.
The most common additional requirement for the closest non-working long-stay route (the "visitor" residence permit) is proving stable financial resources of at least roughly 1,800 euros per month (about 21,600 euros per year, or around $23,500 / 22,000 euros), along with private health insurance and a signed commitment not to work in France.
That said, owning property in France can serve as useful supporting evidence when applying for a visitor visa or other long-stay categories, because it demonstrates stable accommodation and can generate rental income that counts toward your resource requirement.
Is there any residency visa directly linked to property ownership in France right now?
As of early 2026, France does not offer any residency visa or permit that is directly linked to purchasing residential property, which makes it fundamentally different from countries that run "golden visa" programs tied to real estate.
Buying a primary residence (your main home) in France does not qualify you for any residence permit, no matter the purchase price or location.
Buying a rental or investment property does not qualify you either, because France's only investor residency route (the Talent Passport for business investors) requires a minimum 300,000-euro direct investment in an active French business, not in residential real estate.
Can real estate investment lead to citizenship in France?
Can property investment directly lead to citizenship in France?
There is no direct pathway from property investment to citizenship in France, because French nationality law is based on habitual residence and integration, not on any form of financial investment in real estate.
A higher property investment amount, whether 500,000 euros ($545,000) or 5 million euros ($5.45 million), does not accelerate the citizenship timeline in France in any way.
The typical timeline from your first residence permit to citizenship eligibility in France is at least 5 years of continuous legal residence, followed by an application process that usually takes another 12 to 18 months, putting the realistic total at around 6 to 8 years.
The key difference is that France does not have a citizenship-by-investment program at all; the only route for most foreigners is naturalization through residency, which means years of living in France, integrating into society, and meeting language and civic requirements.
Is citizenship automatic after long-term residency in France?
Citizenship is not automatic after long-term residency in France; it requires a separate, active application process called "naturalisation by decree," where the French state decides whether to grant nationality based on a thorough review of your file.
You generally need at least 5 years of continuous legal residency in France before you can apply for citizenship, though this can be reduced to 2 years if you completed higher education in a French institution.
Starting January 1, 2026, applicants must pass a French language test at the B2 level (up from B1 previously) and a new civic values exam covering French history, culture, and republican principles, with a minimum passing score of 80%.
Once you meet all the eligibility requirements and submit your file in France, the administration has a legal maximum of 18 months to issue a decision, but in practice most applicants report a total processing time of about 12 to 24 months from interview to final answer.
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What are the real requirements to become a citizen in France?
Do I need physical presence for citizenship in France right now?
France does not publish a fixed number of days per year for citizenship eligibility, but the legal standard is "habitual residence," and a strong practical target in early 2026 is to spend at least 183 days per year physically in France.
The physical presence requirement is assessed over the full 5-year residency period (or 2 years in some cases), and French authorities look at the overall pattern of your life in France rather than counting days on a strict calendar-year basis.
When processing citizenship applications in France, authorities check tax filings, employment or income records, children's school enrollment, utility bills, and other everyday traces that show where your life is actually centered.
There are some exemptions: applicants who completed French higher education may apply after just 2 years of residence, and people who have performed exceptional services to France or come from French-speaking countries may also benefit from reduced requirements.
Can my spouse and kids get citizenship too in France in 2026?
As of early 2026, your spouse does not automatically become French when you do; instead, they typically follow their own pathway, most commonly a "declaration of nationality by marriage" that requires at least 4 years of marriage plus proof of integration and community of life.
Family members cannot apply together in a single combined application, because the spouse's nationality-by-marriage declaration and the main applicant's naturalisation-by-decree are two legally separate procedures in France.
Minor children (under 18) can become French alongside a parent under the "effet collectif" rule, as long as they share habitual residence with that parent and their name is mentioned in the decree.
Spouses face a distinct requirement that the main applicant does not: they must prove at least 4 years of uninterrupted marriage (or 5 years if the couple has not lived in France for at least 3 continuous years), in addition to meeting language and integration conditions.
What are the most common reasons citizenship is denied in France?
The most common reason citizenship applications are denied in France is insufficient integration or assimilation, which includes failing the French language test (now B2 level) or the new civic values exam, or simply not demonstrating enough connection to French society.
Two other frequently cited reasons are unstable financial resources or employment history (the administration wants to see that you can support yourself without relying on social assistance) and serious criminal record issues or public-order concerns.
Applicants who are denied can reapply, but they typically must wait for a period set by the administration (often 2 years if the decision is an "ajournement"), and they should address the specific reason for refusal before submitting a new file.
The single most effective step to avoid denial in France is to genuinely live in the country full-time for the required period, build strong proof of integration (steady job or income, social ties, children in local schools, community involvement), and pass the language and civic exams well before you apply.
We made this infographic to show you how property prices in France compare to other big cities across the region. It breaks down the average price per square meter in city centers, so you can see how cities stack up. It’s an easy way to spot where you might get the best value for your money. We hope you like it.