When you arrive
 

For doctoral students from a third-party country, the administrative formalities for the Visa validation or to obtain the resident card are different depending to their situation and the duration of their stay in France.
 

 You have a "student Visa long stay" (VLS TS)


At your arrival on French territory, you must validate your Visa online.

The Visa allows you to leave France druing the first three months and to return. After three months, if the Visa is not validated, your can be refused entry into France and must again request a Visa. The validation is also required, when requesting a student residence card for your second year of your PhD in France. The validation is therefore important!


The fiscal stamps in the amount of 60€ can be purchased online on the same website.

You have a Visa "Talent Chercheur"


You will need to follow the same procedure as a resarcher with a Talent Chercheur Visa.

Please note: The law n° 2024-42 in force since January 26, 2024, changes the qualification « passeport talent” into “talent”. While waiting for official updates, some documents, residence cards and official websites might still carry the qualification “passeport talent”.

First request for a temporary residence card

Two to four month before your Visa expires, you will need to request a temporary residence card.
 

You have a French work contract ("contrat doctoral")


You qualifiy for a Talent Chercheur residence card and should follow this procedure.

The Welcome Center can assist you with the preparation of your file and accompany you during the online deposit to facilitate and streamline the procedure.

Please note: The temporary residence card Talent Chercheur applies to newly arriving doctoral students with a Visa Talent Chercheur on a work contract and to doctoral students, who are already in France on a student residence card and need to change to the "Talent Chercheur" status for their PhD studies with a work contract (contrat doctoral).
Please note: The law n° 2024-42 in force since January 26, 2024, changes the qualification « passeport talent” into “talent”. While waiting for official updates, some documents, residence cards and official websites might still carry the qualification “passeport talent”.

You are registered as doctoral student with a French university and don't have a French work contract ("contrat doctoral")


After the expiration of the initial student Visa (in general 12 month), you will qualify for a temporary « student » resident card.

The requests for a student card need to be made online on the ANEF website two to four months before the visa expires. The Welcome Center can assist you with the preparation of your file and accompany you during the online deposit to facilitate and streamline the procedure.

Documents to provide


It is no longer necessary to make an appointment at the prefecture or to go there in person to deposit your request. After making the request online, you can at any time consult the progess of your request on your online account, reply to any requests for additional documents and be informed on any decisions regarding your request.

Delivery of the card:


It will take roughly 3 month for the residence card to be delivered. The Prefecutre will send a text message to inform you that your card is ready to be picked up in person at the Prefecture closest to your residence in France (Préfecture des Alpes Maritimes for most doctoral students at Université Côte d'Azur). You need to retrieve your card at the Prefecture in Nice.

There is a tax of 75 € upon receipt of the residence card (to be purchased in tobaccoshops or online).

You are registered as doctoral student abroad and are in France for a research stay


You have obtained a convention de séjour de recherche for your stay in France. Depending on the amount of your financial resources during this stay in France, you have obtained a "student" long stay visa or a hosting agreement and a "Talent Chercheur" long stay visa. If your research stay will be longer then the duration of the initial student Visa, you will need to apply for a temporary residence permit for the remainder of your research stay in France.

The requests for a "student" and a "Talent Chercheur" card need to be made online on the ANEF website two to four months before the long stay visa expires. The Welcome Center can accompany you during the online deposit to facilitate and streamline the procedure.


It is no longer necessary to make an appointment at the prefecture or to go there in person to deposit your request. After making the request online, you can at any time consult the progess of your request on your online account, reply to any requests for additional documents and be informed on any decisions regarding your request.

Delivery of the card:


It will take roughly 3 month for the residence card to be delivered. The Prefecutre will send a text message to inform you that your card is ready to be picked up in person at the Prefecture closest to your residence in France (Préfecture des Alpes Maritimes for most doctoral students at Université Côte d'Azur). You need to retrieve your card at the Prefecture in Nice.

There is a tax of 75 € upon receipt of the student residence card and 225€ for a Talent Chercheur card (to be purchased in tobaccoshops or online).

Please note: The law n° 2024-42 in force since January 26, 2024, changes the qualification « passeport talent” into “talent”. While waiting for official updates, some documents, residence cards and official websites might still carry the qualification “passeport talent”.

Renewal of the residence card

And for the renewal of residence cards for doctoral students registered in France?

Two to four months before expiration of the current residence card, you must request a renewal online on the ANEF website. The Welcome Center can assist you with preparing the file and accompany you during the online deposit to facilitate and streamline the procedure.

You have a "Talent Chercheur" card


You should make an appointment with the Welcome Center to prepare your file to request the renewal of your Passeport Talent residence card as indicated for resarchers. The Welcome Center can accompany you during the online deposit to facilitate and streamline the procedure.

Documents to provide

You will need to pay 225 € in fiscal stamps for the new Talent Chercheur card.

Should you plan on graduating no more than 3 months after the end of your Talent Chercheur card and the end of your work contract, a certificate from the doctoral school confirming the planned thesis defense will allow you to obtain a "récépissé" or "attestation de prolongation d'instruction" from the prefecture to be covered the remaining three month until you graduate.

Once you have accomplished the work on your research project (end of your fixed term work contract and you graduation from your PhD in France), you can request a temporary residence card "carte de séjour temporaire d'un an "recherche d'emploi ou création d'entreprise". This card will be valid one year and allows you to look for work or create a company in France during this year (fiscal stamp in the amount of 75€). This request needs to be sent by mail to the prefecture of the place you live. Please contact the Welcome Center for more information.

Alternatively, once you have accomplished the work on your research project (end of your fixed term work contract and graduation from your PhD in France), you can request the renewal of your "Talent Chercheur" card, if you have obtained unemployment benefits (Allocation chômage d'aide au retour à l'emploi - ARE). Please contact the Welcome Center for details on this procedure.

Please note: The law n° 2024-42 in force since January 26, 2024, changes the qualification « passeport talent” into “talent”. While waiting for official updates, some documents, residence cards and official websites might still carry the qualification “passeport talent”.

You have a student residence card


Two to four months before your current student residence card expires, you need to request its renewal online on the ANEF website. The Welcome Center can assist you with preparing your file and accompany you during the online deposit to facilitate and streamline the procedure.

Documents to provide

It is no longer necessary to make an appointment at the prefecture or to go there in person to deposit your request. After making the request online, you can at any time consult the progess of your request on your online account, reply to any requests for additional documents and be informed on any decisions regarding your request.

Delivery of the card:

It will take roughly 3 month for the residence card to be delivered. The Prefecutre will send a text message to inform you that your card is ready to be picked up in person at the Prefecture closest to your residence in France (Préfecture des Alpes Maritimes for most doctoral students at Université Côte d'Azur). You need to retrieve your card at the Prefecture in Nice.

There is a tax of 75 € upon receipt of the residence card (to be purchased in tobaccoshops or online).


Should you plan on graduating towards the end of the year, a certificate from the doctoral school confirming the planned thesis defense will allow you to obtain a "récépissé" or an "attestation de prolongation d'instruction" from the prefecture to be covered for the end of the year (September to December).

Once you have accomplished the work on your research project (end of work contract and/or you have graduated and obtained your French doctorate), you can request a temporary residence card "carte de séjour temporaire d'un an "recherche d'emploi ou création d'entreprise". This card will be valid one year and allows you to look for work or create a company in France during this year. (fiscal stamp in the amount of 75€ as of January 1st, 2020). This request needs to be sent by mail to the prefecture of the place you live. Please contact the Welcome Center for more information.