The visa

Visa / RESIDENCE PERMIT: WHAT’S THE diffErence ?

A visa
- gives you the right to enter France
- is delivered by the French Consulate in your usual country of residence.
A residence permit
- gives you the right to stay in France
- is delivered by the Prefecture of your place of residence in France.

The French Consulate will provide you with a visa corresponding:

to the motive (examination, studies or internship)
and for the duration of your stay in France (short or long stay).

visa?

RESIDENCE PERMIT?

DO YOU NEED A VISA for France?

IMPORTANT: Be carreful to arrive in France with the correct visa (motive and duration of your stay).

You must request a visa for study or internship if:

You are a citizen of a country OUTSIDE the European Union (EU).
You are in possession of a TEMPORARY residence permit delivered by ANOTHER country of the European Union, UNLESS:
- you have a “student” or “Student mobility” residence permit delivered by another European Union State ;
- and you are enrolled in a mobility program (such as Erasmus+, Erasmus Mundus,…). In that case, you must follow the “Notification of the mobility in France of a foreign student authorized to stay in another EU Member State” procedure.

You do not need a visa if:

You are a citizen of the European Union (UE), the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland or Liechtenstein. Nor do you need to apply for a residence permit once you are in France. All you need is a valid identity card or passport.
You have a EU long-term residence permit (Carte de Résident Longue Durée-Union Européenne / CRLD-UE). BUT you will have to apply for a residence permit once in France.
you have a “student” or “Student mobility” residence permit delivered by another European Union State in the context of a mobility program (such as Erasmus+, Erasmus Mundus,…). In that case, you must follow the “Notification of the mobility in France of a foreign student authorized to stay in another EU Member State” procedure.

Check HERE if you need a visa for France

How to apply for a visa

You are from an EEF (Études En France) procedure country

You must follow the Campus France procedure.

You are coming for an internship

Log on to France visa to make your request online or contact the French Consulate in your usual country of residence.

You are admitted in the context of a cooperation agreement (without applying via the Campus France platform)

Create an EEF (Études En France) account, then choose the “I have already been accepted” category in order to benefit from the pre-consular procedure.

IMPORTANT: If you do not take this step, your student visa may be refused.

ESSENTIAL Documents FOR YOUR VISA application

PLEASE NOTE!

This list is provided for information purposes only: in all cases, you must refer to the list of documents required by the French Consulate in your usual country of residence.

valid passport
proof of address or accommodation in France (notification of allocation of a CROUS accommodation, rental agreement, etc.)
letter or notification of admission to the university (response via Études En France – EEF) specifying the nature (studies or internship) and duration of your stay (short or long stay)
if you are from an EEF (Études En France) procedure country, you must provide your EEF file number
proof of financial resources at minimum equivalent to €877,50/ month in 2026: scholarship certificate, blocking certificate issued by your bank, certificate of support by a finanical guarantor, etc.

AND AFTER THE visa?

In order to obtain the right to stay in France, you must:

validate your visa if you have a long-stay visa valid as a residence permit (Visa Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour – VLS-TS)
apply for a residence permit if you have:
- a temporary long-stay visa (Visa Long Séjour Temporaire – VLS-T) with the reference “Residence permit to request upon arrival in France” (Carte de séjour à solliciter à l’arrivée en France)
- a short-term “competitive exam” (Concours) visa and you have passed the exam for which the visa was delivered to you
- a long-stay “school-going minor” visa (Mineur scolartisé) and you are 18 years old

WATCH OUT!

The “student” temporary long stay visa (aka VLS-T) with the reference “temporary exemption from the residence permit requirement” (dispense temporaire de titre de séjour) enables you to stay in France from 4 to 6 months maximum in order to attend a short course. It acts as temporary authorization to stay in France. So you do not need to request a residence permit as long as the visa is valid. When this type of visa expires, you must return to your country of residence.

It is very important to arrive with the appropriate visa, as once you are in France, you will not be able to request:
- modification of the motive on your visa. For example: if you arrive in France with a tourist visa and you want to study or carry out an internship, you will have to come back to your usual country of residence to request a “student” or “trainee” visa.
- a residence permit on the basis of a tourist visa
- an extension of a tourist visa