Visas and residence permits
Depending on your length of stay and of your status, the visa you have to apply to at the French Consulate or the French Ambassy of your home country can be different from one to another.
Members of the European Union don’t need any visa nor residence card.
Algerian people have a particular status, please contact us for further information.
Visa for a short-term stay
- For a short-term stay (less than 3 months): the visa you will be delivered in your home country is sufficient. There will be no other mandatory procedure once in France.
Visa for a long-term stay
- For a long-term stay, from 3 to 12 months, you will be delivered a long-term stay visa, considered as a residence permit called VLS-TS (Visa Long Séjour Valant Titre de Séjour).
- For a longer stay, above 12 months, you will be delivered a 3 month visa with the special mention “Carte de séjour à solliciter dans les deux mois suivant votre arrivée” because you will need to apply for a residence permit.
Anyway, this is the French consulate or Embassy in your home country that will decide the type of visa they will deliver, according to your own situation.
If you enter the country with a VLS-TS (Visa Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour) you will need to complete an administrative process to validate your visa as a residence permit.
- The validation procedure for VLS TS (Long Stay Visa with Residence Permit) is simplified. You just have to connect to the following website :
https://administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr/particuliers/#/ - You must click on “I validate my VLS-TS”, then fill out the online form and upload the required documents.
- You must also have paid your tax stamp with a credit card by clicking here:
https://administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr/particuliers/#/achattimbreselectroniques
Then, you will immediately receive a document to download that will validate your visa as a residence permit.
If you enter France with a visa marked “Carte de séjour à solliciter dans les 2 mois” (residence permit to be applied for within 2 months), you must apply for a residence permit via the online procedure (ANEF) within 2 months of your arrival in France.
This is how you must proceed:
- It is no longer necessary to make an appointment at the Prefecture of your place of residence to submit your application. You can now use the online procedure (ANEF) to request your residence permit by clicking here
- You will have to click on “I am applying for or renewing a residence permit”, then fill in the online form and upload the documents required for your residence permit application.
- Once your application has been processed by the prefecture, you will receive a text message asking you to pick up your residence permit, which depends on your status: “student”, “talent passport” (obtained with a reception agreement), “qualified employee”…
- On that day, you will have to pay a tax stamp, the amount of which varies according to your status.
- This residence permit may be valid for several years and, for researchers and doctoral students, corresponds to the dates indicated on their hosting agreement.
Do not hesitate to contact us if necessary to help you in this process.
Residence Card
If you arrive with a VLS-TS, you won’t need to ask for a residence card before its potential renewal.
However, if you arrive with a visa “Carte de séjour à solliciter” or “L313-20 4°” or “C.SEJ A SOLLIC.”, you will have to ask for a residence card within 2 months after your arrival in France. If you are not a member of the EU, residence cards requests vary depending on your status. Different documents will then be required.
Algerian people have a special status regarding the residence card request, please contact us for more information.