From South Africa
to France
The journey that led us to create this guide — and why we believe you can do it too.
The Decision
We were living in South Africa with successful careers, James as an engineer, Nina as a property lawyer, but on a holiday to France we felt the pull to make it our permanent home. France was calling and the question was: how do we actually make it happen?
The Research
Facebook groups, government websites, conflicting advice everywhere. Then we discovered the Talent Passport. It lets you bring your spouse from the beginning, and they can work too. We knew lawyers could cost thousands, so we decided to figure it out ourselves.
The Application
The business plan, DRIEETS certification, and the €30,000 investment puzzle. We navigated it all and learned what actually works.
Approved!
Our Talent Passport was approved 1 week after submitting it! 4 years of residency secured. We celebrated with family over Christmas before preparing for the big move.
The Move
We packed our bags and made the move to France. Now we're sharing exactly how we did it so you can do the same.
We spent months piecing together information from different sources. We knew there had to be a better way, so we created it.
