Visa and Settling in France

Once you've been accepted onto a degree course, exchange programme or intensive French language course, your host institution in France will send you a letter of acceptance/admission. Once you've received it, you can start the visa application procedure.

 

Which visa should I apply for?

If your stay is longer than 3 months (90 days), you will need a visa. British citizens are allowed to stay in France without a visa for up to 90 days within an 180-day period. If you are not a British citizen, use our visa wizard to see if you need one. If you are a EU or French citizen, you don't need a visa.

A long-stay student visa (VLS-TS) is compulsory if you fit one of those categories:

• I have been accepted onto a degree programme in France;
• I am doing a PhD without a work contract;
• I have been accepted onto a French intensive course (FLE programmes);
• I am doing a study placement (exchange, double degree, study abroad) for a semester or a year;
  • If you are also doing a work placement in addition to your study placement, upload your internship agreement during the procedure;
    • If you are only doing a work placement, then you should apply for a student trainee visa (you don't need to complete the Etudes en France process).

! I won't be in the UK right before my study placement in France ! If you are doing a study placement for a semester in another country + a study placement for a semester in France: you must apply for your French visa at the French consulate of your first country of studies. Also, if you are not British and you are spending your summer in your home country, you can also apply from there, but you need to ask us for a transfer of files.

Even if you're supposed to stay for longer than a year, your first student visa will only last for the duration of your first year of study. Then, you can apply for a temporary student residence card (valid for 1 year) or a multiannual student residence card (valid for 2 to 4 years). You are subject to resource requirements. In some cases, the residence permit can be issued automatically. For more information, check out How to renew your residence permit (Titre de séjour)?

 

Documents & Procedure

To apply for a visa, you will need:

1. Passport (Valid for the duration of the mobility + 3 months)
2. ID Photograph
3. CV + Diploma or Proof of Enrollment (Any document allowing us to review your academic background​)
4. Admission Lettre from your French institution (and once reviewed by Campus France, the EEF Certificate)
5. (From step 2) Proof of Accomodation (at least the first three weeks of stay): Hotel reservation, rental agreement, sworn statement/undertaking from the host…​
6. (From step 2) Proof of Financial Means of Support (615€ x the number of months of your visa)​: Bank statements, ​Proof of scholarship, ​Lettre from sponsor with ID and supporting documents…​
7. (If not British) Proof that you are legally resident in the UK

 

The procedure is divided into 3 steps:

 

STEP 1

Register on the “Etudes en France” platform and follow the "VISA" process. If you applied to a programme on Etudes en France, use the same account.

Fee: £110 except if:

1. you benefit from an Erasmus+ grant or a French government grant (exempt),
2. if you hold a French or International baccalauréat (exempt),
3. if you take part in the Taith programme (exempt),
4. if you take part in the Turing programme (£55),
5. if you have successfully applied via the EEF application procedure (fee already paid)

Where does my money go? The EEF processing fee is redirected to Campus France UK and, by extension, the French Institute and Embassy in the UK, where it is used to finance promotional activities, staff costs, scholarships, cultural events, and other related initiatives aimed at fostering educational and cultural exchange between France and the UK.

 

STEP 2

Fill in a visa request on the France-Visas platform (see below for the type of visa you need to require). You will be asked to provide your EEF number, which is a number given during the "Etudes en France" process. More information on this process, including the necessary documents: france-visas.gouv.fr

Fee: 50€ (except for Erasmus+ students)

Where does my money go? Visa fees go to the French government to cover administrative costs associated with processing applications and maintaining the visa system. These costs include staff salaries, equipment, consular services, security measures, technology, document verification, and biometric data collection.

 

STEP 3

Book an appointment in a TLS Center (London/ Edinburgh /Manchester) to deposit your biometrics. The appointment must be booked early if possible within the limit of the three months ahead of the programme. You will hand over your passport at the TLS center, and they will send it to the French Consulate, which will keep it for up to 3 weeks before sending it back to you. Make sure you haven't made plans to leave the country!

Fee: May vary

Where does my money go? TLS Contact is an entity distinct from the French mission in the UK. They help us and other countries (Switzerland, Belgium, Netherlands...) manage the flow of visa applications. The TLS booking fee primarily finances the operation of the centres, covering costs such as staff salaries, facility maintenance, equipment, and technology infrastructure to process applications efficiently.

 

Make sure to follow those steps in that order to avoid any setbacks.

 

Check out the Q&A if your question is not answered in this section!