Student Visa Guide for France

Table of Content

France is one of the most attractive destinations for most of the students. Providing quality education all over the world, education in France comes at a low cost as well. Being the fashion capital across the globe, France is known best for its business and fashion schools. With the France student visa, you can easily the country and experience its top-class and diverse educational system.

What is France's student visa?

It is a permit that allows a student to enter France and get engaged in academic activities for a specified period.

They can also be classified into four types:

France National Student Visa: This type comes under the D long term category, and gets issued if you have to study in France for more than three months.
France Schengen Student Visa: This comes under the C short term category and gets issued for the studies that do not last for more than 90 days.
Visa to sit for entrance exams: If you want to travel to France to sit for one or more university entrance exams, you can apply for visa de court Sejour student Concours, which means getting a visa for entrance exams. If you sit for the exam and pass, you are then eligible to apply for a renewable, one-year permit of residence. To get more information, you can contact the admission department of the French institution where you wish to study.
Temporary visa for long-stay: It is a temporary stay visa that allows you to study in France for about six months. With the student visa for France, you don’t need to apply separately for a residence permit.

They can be issued as single-entry, double-entry, or even multiple-entries. Also, if you are going to study for more than a year, you should apply for the resident permit after arrival in France.

How to apply for a student visa?

To apply for the permit of a French student, the application should be made online. However, the submission is made offline at one of the French appointed visa application centres. The consulates or embassies don’t accept the applications directly. Before starting to fill the form, it is essential to check if you meet the eligibility conditions for the student category. You can then proceed further to make the application as follows:

Get ready with all the necessary documents required for the student application.
Create your account at the French visa application portal called French-visas.
Fill in the application form online with all the details required. You must mention the purpose as ‘study’ and the type as either ‘short-term’ or ‘long-term’ as per the requirement.
You are going to receive the email of the completed application form. Take printout.
Proceed to book the visa appointment for the document and biometric submission at the centre. It can be done either by calling the VAC, or online by visiting the website. Note that you must consider choosing a VAC as per the jurisdiction (state of residence for the past six months).

Make sure to submit the genuine documents. Any fake documentation or misinformation can lead to rejection of the visa. Keep in mind that if you have provided the biometric in the Schengen information system in the past five years, you don’t need to submit them again. In this case, you don’t need to be at the appointment in person. You can send the application through someone else. In some of the cases, you might be required to attend the interview.

Eligibility of Student Visa

To apply for any of the permits for the student, you must meet the following eligibility conditions:

You must be present in the country if you are applying from within. If you are a UK resident in another country, you might be able to apply for a visa in that country itself.
You must have the UK or any other country’s passport where you are residing valid for at least three months from the validity.
Your primary motive behind the visit should be to take part in academic activities like research, study, training, and internship.
You must have a letter of registration from the educational institution in France enrolling you.
You must have sufficient funds as per the requirements to cover your stay in France.
You can apply for the permit for the long term only if France is your destination to study.

Documents to have for France Student Visa

As per the requirements of France visa, the following documents should be submitted at the centre for completing the application:

A valid passport–
It must comprise at least two blank pages.
It should not be more than ten years older.
It needs to have validity for at least six months from the travel date.
If there are any old passports, they need to be attached.
Two passport size photographs
Accommodation proof such as an invitation letter from the host, bookings in the hotel
Travel medical insurance
Financial documents to show sufficient funds like-
Bank guarantees
Bank statements
Scholarship documents
Long-term educational documents
Internship agreement if applicable
Certificate of registration or pre-registration at a French institute stating the course duration

Photo specifications for France Student Visa

Colour: Coloured
Dimensions: 35mm X 45mm
Must be captured recently within the last three months
Head must occupy the central position
Face coverage of 80%
Background: plain white, solid or gray
Glasses: Non-thick framed and the prescription is permitted
Neutral expression
Facial hair is permitted
Headgears are allowed only for religious reasons

Visa Processing Time for France Student

The processing time for the France Schengen Student Visa is around 15 working days, and for the National French Student Visa, it can take more than 30 days. However, the processing times can vary on the validity, the total number of entries, the volume of applications at the consulate/embassy, as well as the previous travel history. As a result, you must apply in advance.

France Student Visa Fees

The total fee depends upon the various factors like the type of the French student permit, biometric charges, express delivery charges, and so on. Since the cost might vary upon the foreign exchange rates as well, it is advised strongly to check the exact fees before applying.

After submission of the visa

Once you have submitted the application at a VAC, it will be then sent to the respective French diplomatic mission for processing based upon the jurisdiction. As per the province, they are sent to the France Embassy or one of the consultants of France.

If the French Schengen student visa has been approved, it can be collected from the VAC, or have it delivered to you for the additional charge.

How to check the status of the visa?

After submission of the application, you can track the status of the application in different ways. You can either opt for the notification by SMS, or you can also check online by entering the application number and name to know about the status. You can also consider contacting the travel agency to get it tracked on your behalf.

When you get the Visa

After receiving the permit successfully, you must keep in mind the following points to make sure you have a pleasant stay and entry:

Take consideration of the visa expiry date, validity, and the number of entries. You can’t stay in France beyond that period.
You should take a visit to France within six months of the issuance of visa, or as it is mentioned on the sticker.
Make sure to carry a copy of the residence/passport permit when you are traveling within the county.
While you are in the short-term category, you are not allowed to take part in paid work on the payroll of a French establishment. However, on long term student permits, you might be allowed to work part-time.
The short-term permit cannot be extended unless in extreme unforeseeable circumstances. The national visa might get extended upon good reasons.
You must obey the laws of France and respect its culture.
The national visa also plays a significant role, like a Schengen visa. As a result, you can take a visit to other Schengen countries with this. However, if you have the national permit, you can stay in another Schengen country for a maximum duration of stay of 3 months in 180 days.

Working in France with a French Student Visa

With a valid residence permit, as an international student, you are eligible to take the paid work for about 965 hours annually. The number of hours is configured for work between the periods of 1 September to 31 August. Eligible hours of work are between September and June are 680, while July to August is 350 hours.

Hope you got all your answers related to visa to France. What are you waiting for? Apply it right away.

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