French Student visas: requirements and application process

Non-EU students planning to study in France need a visa. But which one? Get an overview of French student visa types, requirements, and processes.

Jale

5 minute read

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Updated on 31 Mar 2023

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Moving

To study in France as a non-European citizen, you need to apply for a French student visa. There’re different types of student visas, depending on your nationality and duration of the study. France also has particular requirements about how to apply for a student visa based on your country of residence.

Since figuring this out can be confusing, we’re here to help. In this article, we’ll dive into which student visa you need, the requirements, the application procedure, and the costs.

Do I need a student visa for France?

While most non-European citizens need a visa to enter and stay in France for longer than 90 days, there’re some exceptions. If you’re a non-EU citizen with a long-term EU resident permit, a family member of an EEA/Swiss citizen, or you’re a citizen of Andorra, Monaco, or Saint Marino, you don’t need a visa for France.

Besides this, European citizens and citizens from Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway don’t need a visa either.

Which of the 4 French student visas you get depends on the duration of your study. France offers 1 long-stay student visa that is renewable and 3 short-stay student visas that are not renewable.

Are you doing a doctorate? In that case, you need to apply for a researcher talent passport visa at your local French consulate.

Student long-stay visa valid a residence permit

The VLS-TS Student is for international students who want to do a bachelor's or master's course from a French university. This long-stay visa acts as a French residence permit for your first year of study.

To continue studying in France beyond the first year, you need to apply for a multi-annual residence permit (carte de séjour pluriannuelle) 3 months before your Student VLS-TS expires.

Once you arrive in France, you must validate your visa within 3 months using an online platform.

The VLS-TS Student comes with several benefits:

1. Travel freely within all the European countries
2. Work for 964 hours per year
3. Use the free rental deposit service for students (VISALE) to improve your chance of finding a house.
4. Qualify for a housing allowance with the CAF to subsidize high rental prices.
5. Get your healthcare costs refunded with free access to French public health insurance

Find out what how to plan your student budget for France.

Student temporary long-stay visa

The student temporary long-stay visa (VLS-T) is perfect for students on an Erasmus program or exchange semester as you can stay in France for 3 to 6 months. You can’t renew the visa beyond its validity and you don’t need to validate your visa once you arrive in France.

With the VLS-T, you can travel visa free within the EU and get your French healthcare costs subsidized. But you can’t:

• Work in France
• Make use of the free rental deposit service for students (VISALE)
• Benefit from housing allowance with the CAF

Short-stay student visa

The short-stay student visa, also known as a Schengen study visa, is non-renewable and valid for a training course not exceeding 3 months (e.g., summer language courses, short-term study programs).

With a short-stay visa, you

• Don’t need to validate your short-stay visa once you arrive in France
• Can travel to other Schengen countries up to 3 times for the period of its validity

But you can’t:

• Work in France
• Benefit from French health insurance or qualify for a housing allowance

“Student in competition” visa

This visa is also known as the visa for entrance exams (étudiant concours). You must apply for the “student in competition” visa if a French university needs you to come to France for an entrance exam or interview. You’ll only get the visa if the results are announced within 3 months.

You don’t need to validate the “student in competition” visa upon arrival. During your stay, it’s important to note that this visa is only valid in France and you cannot travel to another EU country, work in France, or benefit from any government subsidies.

The “student in competition” visa is non-renewable and if you fail your entrance exam, you’ll have to go back to your home country immediately.

If you pass your exam or interview before your “student in competition” visa expires, you can apply for a student long-stay visa from France. You’ll need to bring the following documents to the préfecture in your city:

• Your student examination visa (étudiant concours)
• Proof of enrollment from your university of choice.

Depending on your country of residence, you can either apply for a French student visa online via the Études en France (EEF) platform or directly via a French consulate.

Études en France is an organization responsible for helping international students study in France. The online platform manages everything, from university enrollment to the visa application.

International students residing in one of the 67 countries need to apply for their French student visa via the Études en France platform. If you’re not a resident in any of these 67 countries, check with your local French consulate.

The French student visa application process is divided into 4 steps:

1. Register on the Études en France platform and complete the application process.

This big step consists of filling in your personal information, uploading academic/professional documents, paying for the processing fee, and attending an interview with a Campus France officer.

After the interview, you’ll receive a certificate from Études en France, which you’ll need to show at the French consulate or the visa center. Read more about registering under the EEF procedure in our study in France guide.

2. Fill out the online visa application on the France-Visas portal and book an appointment at your nearest visa center or French consulate.

3. Bring the following documents when applying for a French student visa

In some countries, you can even upload all your documents online instead of bringing physical copies to the consulate/visa center.

• Études en France completion certificate that has your Campus France ID or a registration certificate from a French university if you’re not applying via EEF portal
• Printed version of the filled France-Visas application form
• Passport
• 3 Passport-sized photos
• Proof of enrollment in a French university
• Proof of financial funds, amounting to €615 per month for the duration of your stay. It can be a bank statement, loan approval letter, guarantor letter, or scholarship.
• Flight itinerary (return flight if your course is shorter than 1 year)
• Health and travel insurance certificate (you need this until you can register for French social security)
• Proof of your accommodation arrangement (rental agreement or hotel booking of at least 3 months)
• Proof of language proficiency (either French or English, depending on the language of your program)

For the “student in competition” visa (étudiant concours), you must also bring your invitation to take an exam.

If your documents are in languages other than French or English, they must be officially translated.

Although the minimum financial requirement for the visa is €615 per month, the real cost of living may be higher, around €900 per month.

4. Pay the visa application fee and wait for the visa approval

The French student visa application cost is €50 if you’re applying via the EEF platform. The cost for a French student visa for residents in non-EEF countries is €99.

You can track your application status via this website.

Now that you know how to apply for your student visa application for France make sure you read the relocation checklist to be on top of everything before you move to France.

And once you settle in France, there’ll be a few things you can do to make your life easier for you:

1. Get a French SIM card for a cheaper phone plan and set up utilities.
2. Open a French bank account to pay your rent and utilities quickly.
3. Check out internship possibilities in France for extra income.
4. Learn where to do your [grocery shopping](for the best quality and price ratio.
5. Learn how to show proof of your address in France for future administrative tasks.

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