All students and applicants who wish to follow studies in France must first enroll themselves within the "CampusFrance" in order to obtain a student visa for France.   You will need to obtain A PROOF OF PAYMENT FROM CAMPUSFRANCE! Please visit www.usa.campusfrance.org e-mail: campusfrance@ambafrance-us.org for more information. This subject only concerns : - the studies for a period of time superior to three months (including doctorate studies), - the studies after the high-school education.

PLEASE READ "GENERAL INFORMATION" SECTION FIRST prior to going ahead of this "studies" section.

American citizens intending to study in France have to apply for a visa before leaving the United States, if they wish to stay more than 90 days. The visa cannot be issued once the applicant is in France.

For american citizens traveling to France for studying less than 90 days, a visa is no longer requested.

NOTE : Students who will be 18 years old within 3 months of the dates of registration in a French school, must apply for a Long Stay Student visa.

If you are a minor, please refer to « visa for minor » section.

The visa issued will depend on the duration of the studies in France :

- Less than 90 days : no visa requested for american citizens. other aliens residents in the US need a student short stay visa.

- More than 90 days : you will have to apply for a long stay visa by filling out 2 long stay application forms.

  Translation in English of the long stay visa application form.

You have to apply with the French Consulate in Washington DC, only if you study or reside in one of the following states :

Deleware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia.

If you are not resident nor studying in one of those states, you have to apply with another French Consulate, depending on where you live in the United states. To know where to apply, click here.

 

Health Care System (only for students holder of a french student card and excluding study abroad students) :
 if the student is less than 28 years old : the student enrolled in a participating institution of higher education is eligible for the national student health plan (régime de sécurité sociale étudiant),
 if the student is 28 years old and older, from the first day of his/her arrival, is eligible to a special minimum health insurance called "CMU" (Couverture Maladie Universelle).

 

Working in France during your studies.

French law allows foreign students to work under the following conditions :
 a maximum of 964 hours per year can be worked ( during the school year : part-time / during vacations periods : full-time, all along within the 964 hours yearly limit).

I/ Studies in France for less than 90 days : short stay visa

Holders of american passports do NOT need this visa for studying in france less than 90 day. Holders of Permit to re-enter or Refugee Travel Document need a visa.

Depending on your nationality, alien resident in the US intending to stay in France less than three months, may have to apply for a short stay. You have to fill out 2 short stay application forms.

This visa, if granted, allows you to travel within the whole Schengen space.

 

REQUIREMENTS :

 

You have to apply with all the required documents in original and one copy. The visa section does not make any copies.   Note that the personal appearance MANDATORY. Student visas applications are no longer accepted by mail.

 

 Passport valid for at least three months beyond the applicant’s last day of stay in the Schengen states. Please make sure that :

• your passport has a minimum of two blank pages (to affix the visa and for border stamps). Only visa pages are valid, amendments pages cannot be used for visas or entry stamps.
• your passport is in good condition (any slight damage, even to the cover, can be considered as a compromission of the security of the travel document and declined at the visa section or at the border)
• your passport allows proper identification of the bearer without any doubt (for example, passports of adults with passport pictures in their young ages may not be accepted)
• your passport has been issued less than 10 years ago (first issuance) . Even if it has been renewed since then by your country, we will decline your passport for a visa application and you will have to renew it prior to applying.

The immigration officer of the visa section has full authority to decline a passport that wouldn’t meet the requirements and request a renewed one before you can apply for a visa at the french consulate.

 Copy of the 5 first pages of your passport.

 2 short stay application forms filled out in black ink (only one application form for US citizen). Please do not forget to write your phone number and e-mail address. Verify the number of forms by clicking here.

 2 photographs (more informations about the photograph) . All photos must be recent, identical, passport size - 1,4" x 1,7" (3,5cm x 4,5cm) and showing face front the forehead hairline and ears on a white background, the face must take up 70-80% of the photograph.

 As a non American citizen, a proof of your status in the US : green card, a valid US visa WITH the I-94, the I-20, the valid I-AP66, I-551 or Advance Parole. (+ one copy) Holders of B1/B2 visa cannot apply for a visa, they should apply in their country of residence.

 A proof of your address (in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia). If you are neither living nor studying in one of the 6 above mentionned states, you have to apply with another French consulate : click here (BOTH documents requested) :

• copy of your driver’s license or state ID

AND

• original and copy of a utility bill no old than 3 months OR lease agreement OR deed of house/appartment (For bills, are accepted ONLY : water, electricity, resident phone, cable or rent slip. Other bills, for example cellphone, or insurance bills will be declined), showing the name and proving the address of the applicant and should match the driver’s licence/state ID Any other situation is subject to review by the immigration officer of the visa section and may not make you illegible for a visa application until met.

 Flight reservation : complete itinerary or round trip ticket with confirmed dates and passenger’s name. Do not purchase tickets until the visa has been approved.

 Letter of admission from a French public or private school/University (+ one copy) mentioning the specific beginning and ending dates of your studies, address of the university/school where you are enrolled.

 Letter from your university (enrollment verification letter to request from the registrar office of your university/school) in the US stating that you are currently registered there as a student or a copy of your last diploma (+ one copy).

 Proof of lodging for your stay (lease agreement or deed in France, hotel booking, statement from your host university in France…)

 Proof of sufficient funds :

• If your parents are going to pay for your expenses in France : a financial guarantee such as a notarized statement certifying that the applicant will be provided with a monthly allowance of $ 600 for the duration of his/her stay in France, or proof of personal income along with a letter from school stating that room, board, and tuition are already fully prepaid . If the host provides the student with a letter certifying that lodging will be free of charge, and provides a copy of his/her pictured I.D., an allowance of $ 400 will be accepted.

• If you pay for your own expenses, you have to bring your three last months bank statements, savings and checkings (all that you own or share as a owner) with all detailled operations’ history and day to day balance. Make sure any document edited has the name of the owner of the account and his/her address on it (sometimes web edited statements will not show all these informations, and you will have to ask your bank’s local branch to edit a certified bank statement with all these requirements) (+ one copy).

 Processing fees : by credit card (Visa, Mastercard only), cash, money order or certified check made out to "Consulate General of France". Personal checks are not accepted.

 You can choose wether to :

• leave your passport at the visa office and get it back with when your visa is granted. Please prepare a prepaid self-addressed registered express mail envelope, to get your passeport back with the visa stamped in, if granted. (we recommend this option)
• keep your passport during the process of your visa. You will then get a pre-approval letter when your visa has been granted. With this letter, you will be allowed to come back at the embassy any morning we are open, without making an appointment with your passport. You cannot decide to send your passport to the visa section afterwards to get the visa stamped if you initially choose this option.

You cannot leave the USA before your visa is granted.

While extreme precautions are made at each step of the visa process with all the documents submitted or left by the applicant at the visa office, they are left on the sole responsibility of the applicant. We will not accept any liability of any kind, direct or indirect, in case of passports or documents damaged, destroyed or lost.

 

IMPORTANT : Processing time depends on your citizenship. A short stay student visa may be issued the same day you apply, except if you are a passport holder of :

 

Afghanistan	Algeria	Bahrain
Bangladesh	Belarus	Burma
Burundi	Congo DRC	Egypt
Guinea	Indonesia	Iran
Iraq	Jordan	Kuwait
Lebanon	Libya	Mali
Morocco	Niger	Nigeria
North Korea	Oman	Pakistan
Palestinians	Philippines	Qatar
Rwanda	Saudi Arabia	Somalia
Sudan	Suriname	Syria
Tunisia	United Arab Emirates	Vietnam
Yemen	Zimbabwe	US Re-entry permit
US Refugee travel document

which will require 15 to 20 business days to issue the visa (3 to 4 weeks)

 

 

II/ Studies in France for more than 90 days

Warning : it takes a minimum 2 weeks to up to 3 weeks to get this visa, depending on your nationality. We strongly advise you to apply for this visa at least 4 to 5 weeks prior to your scheduled departure. Applying on a shorter basis will more than likely require you to postpone your trip. You cannot leave the USA before your visa is granted.

All students and those who wish to follow studies in France must first enroll themselves within the "CampusFrance" in order to obtain a student visa for France.   You will need to obtain A PROOF OF PAYMENT FROM CAMPUSFRANCE! Please visit www.usa.campusfrance.org e-mail: campusfrance@ambafrance-us.org for more information. This subject only concerns : - the studies for a period of time superior to three months (including doctorate studies), - the studies after the high-school education.

NOTE : Students who will be 18 years old within 3 months of the dates of registration in a French school, must apply for a Long Stay Student visa.

You have to apply for a student long stay visa, filling out two long stay application forms

 Translation in English of the long stay visa application form.

You must apply at the French Consulate in DC, if you are living or studying in one of the following states :

Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia.

If not, click here to know where you have to apply.

The student long stay visa, if granted, is a multiple entries visa and is valid from 4 to 12 months, depending on the length of your studies. With such a visa, you will not have to apply for a resident card (« carte de séjour »), as your visa will be valid as resident card during your whole stay. Arriving in France, you will only be required to register at the OFII local branch by sending a form provided below, filled in and stamped by the french consulate if your visa has been granted.

No long stay visa can be issued on a Refugee Travel Document or Re-entry Permit.

Processing fees are the same as for a long stay visa.

 

REQUIREMENTS :

 

You have to apply with all the required documents in original and one copy. The visa section does not make any copies.   Note that the personal appearance MANDATORY. Student visas applications are no longer accepted by mail.

 

 A proof of payment from Campusfrance (campus france receipt, mentioning your student number starting in USxxxxx).

 Passport valid for at least three months beyond the applicant’s last day of stay in the Schengen states. Please make sure that :

• your passport has a minimum of two blank pages (to affix the visa and for border stamps). Only visa pages are valid, amendments pages cannot be used for visas or entry stamps.
• your passport is in good condition (any slight damage, even to the cover, can be considered as a compromission of the security of the travel document and declined at the visa section or at the border)
• your passport allows proper identification of the bearer without any doubt (for example, passports of adults with passport pictures in their young ages may not be accepted)
• your passport has been issued less than 10 years ago (first issuance) . Even if it has been renewed since then by your country, we will decline your passport for a visa application and you will have to renew it prior to applying.

The immigration officer of the visa section has full authority to decline a passport that wouldn’t meet the requirements and request a renewed one before you can apply for a visa at the french consulate.

 Copy of the 5 first pages of your passport.

 2 long stay application forms filled out in black (only one application form for US citizen). Please do not forget to write your phone number (home and cell) and e-mail address.

  Translation in English of the long stay visa application form.

 2 photographs (more informations about the photograph) . All photos must be recent, identical, passport size - 1,4" x 1,7" (3,5cm x 4,5cm) and showing face front the forehead hairline and ears on a white background, the face must take up 70-80% of the photograph.

 An OFII Form (this form is only available in french) that you will have filled in all the first superior part (above the middle section). If your visa is granted, the consulate will stamp this form and give it back. You will then fill in the last portion of it upon your arrival in france and send it to the closest local branch of the OFII of your home in france.

 For non American citizen, a proof of your status in the US : green card, a valid US visa WITH the I-94, the I-20, the valid I-AP66, I-551 or Advance Parole…(+ one copy). Holders of B1/B2 visa cannot apply for a visa, they should apply in their country of residence.

 A proof of your address (in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia). If you are neither living nor studying in one of the 6 above mentionned states, you have to apply with another French consulate : click here (BOTH documents requested) :

• copy of your driver’s license or state ID

AND ONE OF THE TWO FOLLOWING :

• original and copy of a utility bill no old than 3 months OR lease agreement OR deed of house/appartment (For bills, are accepted ONLY : water, electricity, resident phone, cable or rent slip. Other bills, for example cellphone, or insurance bills will be declined), showing the name and proving the address of the applicant and should match the driver’s licence/state ID. It can be your own address or the address of your parents (in this case we also need your birth certificate and copy of your parent’s driver licence matching the address). Proof of address of any other relative (friend, boyfriend, aunt/uncle, cousins…) will not be accepted. Any other documentation is subject to review by the immigration officer of the visa section and may not make you illegible for a visa application until met.

• Proof of studies in Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia (enrollment verification letter to be requested at the registrar of your univfersity ONLY. Student ID will be declined)

 Letter of admission from a French public or private school/University (+ one copy) mentioning the specific beginning and ending dates of your studies, address of the university/school where you are enrolled.

 Letter from your university (enrollment verification letter to request from the registrar office of your university/school) in the US stating that you are currently registered there as a student or a copy of your last diploma (+ one copy).

 Proof of sufficient funds :

• If your parents are going to pay for your expenses in France : a financial guarantee such as a notarized statement certifying that the applicant will be provided with a monthly allowance of $ 600 for the duration of his/her stay in France, or proof of personal income along with a letter from school stating that room, board, and tuition are fully prepaid. If the host provides the student with a letter certifying that lodging will be free of charge, and provides a copy of his/her pictured I.D., an allowance of $ 400 will be accepted.

• If you pay for your own expenses, you have to bring your three last months bank statements, savings and checkings (all that you own or share as a owner) with all detailled operations’ history and day to day balance. Make sure any document edited has the name of the owner of the account and his/her address on it (sometimes web edited statements will not show all these informations, and you will have to ask your bank’s local branch to edit a certified bank statement with all these requirements)(+ one copy).

 Flight reservation : one way itinerary or round trip ticket with confirmed dates and passenger’s name. Do not purchase tickets until the visa has been approved.

 Proof of lodging for the first 3 months of your stay (lease agreement or deed in France, hotel booking, statement from your host university in France…)

 Processing fees : by credit card (Visa, Mastercard only), cash, money order or certified check made out to "Consulate General of France". Personal checks are not accepted.

 You can choose wether to :

• leave your passport at the visa office and get it back with when your visa is granted. Please prepare a prepaid self-addressed registered express mail envelope, to get your passeport back with the visa stamped in, if granted. (we recommend this option)
• keep your passport during the process of your visa. You will then get a pre-approval letter when your visa has been granted. With this letter, you will be allowed to come back at the embassy any morning we are open, without making an appointment with your passport. You cannot decide to send your passport to the visa section afterwards to get the visa stamped if you initially choose this option.

You cannot leave the USA before your visa is granted.

While extreme precautions are made at each step of the visa process with all the documents submitted or left by the applicant at the visa office, they are left on the sole responsibility of the applicant. We will not accept any liability of any kind, direct or indirect, in case of passports or documents damaged, destroyed or lost.

Since june 1st 2009, as a change of regulation making the student long stay visa valid at the same time as a resident permit for stays from more than 3 months and up to 12 months, a minimum 10 to 15 business days (2 to 3 weeks) processing time will be required to issue this visa (including american citizens). This processing time may be extended to 5 more business days (4 weeks) if you are the holder of these passports :

Afghanistan	Algeria	Bahrain
Bangladesh	Belarus	Burma
Burundi	Colombia	Congo DRC
Egypt	Guinea	Indonesia
Iran	Iraq	Jordan
Kuwait	Lebanon	Libya
Nigeria	North Korea	Oman
Pakistan	Palestinians	Philippines
Qatar	Rwanda	Saudi Arabia
Somalia	Sudan	Suriname
Syria	United Arab Emirates	Vietnam
Yemen	Zimbabwe	US Re-entry permit
US Refugee travel document

Therefore, we strongly advise you to apply at least 4 to 5 weeks prior to your scheduled departure. Failing to do so will more than likely require you to postpone your trip.

 

Documents needed at the French prefecture

 

 

III/ Frequently asked questions

Q : I am an American citizen. How long does it take to get a student long stay visa ?

A : As an American citizen, if you apply in person, with all the required documents for a student visa (short stay, temporary long stay or long stay), the visa will usually issued within the next 10 business days (2 weeks). Allow extra time to get the visa back. If you choose to leave it at the visa office, Your passport will be kept during the processing time, and sent back with the prepaid self-addressed envelope you provided (we recommend this option). If you wish or need to keep your passport during the processing time of your visa, once granted, you will be required to come a second time at the visa section to bring it back to have your visa issued on it.

Q : Where is the visa section located ?

A : Our address is 4101 Reservoir Road, NW Washington DC 20007. This information and many others can be found under "general information" section.