Study in France: Student Visas & Permits

There are two types of French student visa available, the short-stay visa for less than 90 days (court sojourn pour études)  and the long-stay visa (visa étudiant long séjour valant titre de séjour) for more than 90 days. Visa applications in France are time consuming and more complex than in other countries, but don’t worry! We have gathered all the necessary information you need before applying for your visa!

EU & EEA Students

There are no visa requirements for students wanting to study in France at any academic level: Bachelor’s, Master’s or Doctorate. You may freely enter the country for studies or an internship regardless of the length of your stay. Keep in mind that you need to have your own medical insurance covering you in cases of sickness and emergency and sufficient financial resources either from a scholarship or personal funds in order to support you during your studies. You are also allowed to work as a European national in France without a residence permit with a maximum of 964 hours per year. 

Non-EU/EEA Students

If you are a non-European national and your goal is to stay in France for studies for more than three months, then a long-stay visa is required. There are two types of French student visa available: 

• The long-term visa used as Residence Permit (VLS-TS)

The particular visa needs to be validated upon arrival in the country and allows you to stay in France for one year with no need to request a residence permit. Depending on the level of your studies, there are three types of long-stay student visas in France:

• For Bachelor's and Master's studies: The Student VLS-TS Visa 
• For Doctorate studies: The Talent Passport VLS-TS Visa
• For internships: The Internship VLS-TS Visa
• The temporary long-term visa (VLS-T)

The temporary long-term visa doesn’t need validation upon arrival and it cannot be renewed. With this type of visa you can stay in France for one year for educational purposes, benefit from the French Social Security and travel freely within the Schengen countries.

In order to be granted a temporary long-term visa, you need to submit your registration application on the ‘’Studies in France’’ platform. Your application will be then automatically submitted to the French authorities of your country of residence for evaluation. Be careful, since there are only particular countries that belong to the ‘’Studies in France’’ process. If your country is not on the list, then you need to contact the French Embassy or Consulate in your country of origin and they will help you with your next steps.

French Student Visa Procedure: What steps you need to follow

For the Internship VLS-TS Visa:

With this visa you can stay in France for an internship in a company or public hospital for more than three months. If your internship is less than three months, then another short-term type of visa is required. This type of visa needs to be validated by the French Office of Immigration and Integration (OFII) as soon as possible after your arrival. The documentation you will need for the internship visa is:

• A valid passport.
• Proof of financial resources like scholarship grant or proof of personal funds through bank statements.
• Proof of residency in France like the contract of your rented apartment or dormitory. 
• A three-party internship agreement stamped by the Prefect and signed by you, the training institute or your employer and your training organization, company or the health institution in France. The Prefect's stamp is obtained from the Regional Department of Competition, Consumption, Work and Employment. 

For Bachelor’s and Master’s Studies VLS-TS Visa:

The particular visa allows you to study in France for a period of four months to one year and needs to be also validated upon arrival. In case your studies last more than a year, then you should apply for a multi-annual residence permit. This French student visa gives you the opportunity to travel freely within the Schengen Area countries, work as a student in France and also receive a subsidy from the French Family Allowance Fund. 

Similarly to the VLS-T Visa, you need to submit your registration application on the ‘’Studies in France’’ platform. Your application will be then automatically submitted to the French authorities of your country of residence for evaluation. Again, pay special attention on whether your country belongs to the ‘’Studies in France’’ process. Otherwise, contact the French Embassy or Consulate in your country of origin. 

You have a three month period to validate this type of visa after your arrival in France. You can easily validate it digitally through this link and the only things you will needs for the online validation process are:

• A valid email address.
• The relevant information on your visa.
• Your arrival date in France. 
• Your home address in France. 
• A bank card to pay the online fee for validation. If you still don’t have a French bank card then you can buy an electronic stamp at a kiosk and pay in cash there. 

For Doctorate Studies/The Talent Passport VLS-TS:

The talent passport long-stay visa allows you to stay and study in France at the highest academic level pursuing Doctorate degrees, work as a professor or researcher at an institution. It may be renewed, if needed. You need to be a Master’s degree holder in order to be able to apply for this type of French student visa. 

The document you will need as a researcher or Doctoral student in France is the hosting agreement which clearly states the length and nature of the assignment at the institution. Be aware that this document must be sent by the host institute to the beneficiary and needs to be stamped by the official Consulate authorities in your home country. European nationals don’t need to have this particular document.

For a study stay less than one year, you can validate your visa within three months upon arrival online, as stated above. For studies lasting longer than a year, you need to apply for a multi-year Researcher Talent Passport residence permit during your first two months in France.

Consult your nearest French Embassy or Consulate in order to submit your talent passport application and gain more information about the eligibility requirements.