Formalities for studying in France

VISA

If you are a European citizen, you can enter and leave France without a visa.

Travellers of other nationalities, however, require a visa. The most common are short-stay student visas (≤ 90 days in France) and long-stay student visas (> 90 days in France). The latter is called VLS-TS (Visa long séjour valant titre de séjour) and works like a student residence permit.

Two to three months before your departure, apply for a visa at the French consulate or embassy near your place of residence.

We recommend using the simulator available on the official website france-visa.gouv.fr. This tool enables you to check whether you need a visa, to determine the type of visa required, to consult the list of supporting documents to be provided and to follow the stages of the procedure.
 

Validate your VISA

If you have come to France on a long-stay visa used as a residence permit (VLS-TS), you must validate your visa as soon as you arrive in France. The process is entirely digital: you can do everything remotely, at home, on your computer.

You can validate your VLS-TS entirely online on the website of the Direction générale des étrangers en France.

You must validate your visa no later than 3 months after your arrival in France.

The essentials for your stay

  • Scans or photocopies of all important documents (identity card/passport, secondary school and university diplomas, (European) health insurance card, etc.)
  • Health and vaccination records
  • Letter of admission from your host French school/university (original if available).
  • Student card from your home school/university (if available).
  • Driving licence if you wish to drive in France.
  • Adaptor, depending on the electrical standard in your country.
  • Certified copies of your birth certificate (3 recommended).

FAQ

Why is it important to validate the Visa (VLS-TS) on arrival in France?

The VLS-TS must be validated within three months of arrival in France. This validation allows you to:

Be legally resident in France for the duration of the visa's validity. Travel outside France after the first three months without needing a new visa to return.

For more information, please visit the following website: https://www.campusfrance.org/fr/comment-valider-votre-visa-long-sejour-a-votre-arrivee-en-france

Can the holder of a residence permit issued by another EU Member State be exempted from having to apply for a visa for France?

This will depend on the wording on the residence permit. If you hold a residence permit marked “student-mobility programme” or “researcher” issued by another Member State of the European Union, you may not need to apply for a visa if you are making a mobility notification.

For more information, contact your International Relations Department.

If your residence permit does not bear these endorsements, you must apply for a visa.

What are the formalities for international students on work-linked training schemes?

A VISA or Student Residence Permit or Student Mobility Programme allows a work-study contract to be set up without prior work authorisation, only if the contract is an apprenticeship contract. Signing the contract is equivalent to a work permit. Except for students of Algerian nationality, in this case a work permit is required.

However, in the case of a professional training contract, an additional work permit will be required. The company must apply for a work permit on the ANEF platform before recruiting.