How to Get a Student Visa for France

Nationals from a number of countries will apply for their French student visa through Campus France, the country’s official national agency for higher education and international students. Those students would also have been required to use Campus France to apply to their chosen French institutions, via the CEF procedure. See this list of countries to find out if you need to apply for both your visa and your admission in this way.

If your country of origin is not listed in the link above, then you will be responsible for both your university application and your student visa application. Only once you have received acceptance onto a program at a French institution will you be eligible to apply for your student visa for France.

In order to apply for your visa, you will need to contact the French consulate in your home country and provide them with the following, when requested:

• An official acceptance letter onto an accredited program at a French institution. This should be on officially headed paper, featuring your full details, the details of your program of study and the start and end dates of study.
• Proof of sufficient funds for living in the country. The current amount required is €615 (US$820) per month, which can be shown with a bank statement, a guarantor’s letter or a notice of funding from a loan, scholarship or grant.
• Proof of return ticket home. Often this is in the form of the actual ticket or reservation showing the date of departure, but can be a handwritten statement of intent, including intended departure dates.
• Proof of medical insurance (minimum cover €30,000, US$40,150)
• Proof of accommodation. Can be shown in the form of student housing confirmation or a certificate of board and lodging or ‘attestation d’accueil’ (if you’re living with friends or relatives).
• Proof of proficiency in French, if you are studying a French-language course.

When you arrive in France with an extended stay VLS-TS, you will need to send the official form which was presented to you along with your visa to the French Office of Immigration and Integration (OFII). This can be by registered mail, or in person if you reside in Paris. In the same letter, you should also provide a copy of your valid passport, including pages showing your identity and the stamp issued upon entry into France.

Once your form and copied passport pages have been received, you will be sent a receipt of confirmation with further instructions on your next steps if required. This may be an instruction to obtain a medical examination if you have not previously received one in your country of origin.

Often your institution of study will help you with this part of the process. In some cases, an agreement exists between the OFII and the school in question, meaning documents can be submitted to the school instead of the French authorities.

In all instances, you will be expected to pay a tax of €58 (US$78) to handle administration costs.

With a valid residence permit (the VLS-TS functions as such), as an international student you are eligible to take on paid work for 964 hours annually (this equates to about 60% full-time employment). This number of hours is configured for work between the periods of 1 September to 31 August. Eligible work hours between September and June are (up to) 670, while July to August is (up to) 300 hours.

Want more content like this? Register for free site membership to get regular updates and your own personal content feed.