Foreign missions : Long Stay Diplomatic and official visas

This page applies to non U.S. citizen, foreign nationals holders of diplomatic or official passport and posted in the United States as diplomats in foreign missions.

The information provided here DO NOT apply to the following cases :
 U.S. citizen holder of an American diplomatic or official passport. See relevant page here for more information.
 Foreign diplomats or their family members with diplomatic status in the US, seeking to settle in France for more than 90 days for personal reasons (retirement, personal stay, studies…). They cannot apply with a diplomatic passport and need to apply with a regular passport. See the relevant long stay section here for more information.

Individuals have to apply with the following requirements, if their government is posting them in France with Diplomatic, Official or service passport on official duty in a foreign mission for a long stay (more than 90 days)

REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION FOR A LONG STAY (90 days or more):

Applications for a diplomatic or official long stay in France (90 days or more) to be posted on official duties.

 Passport valid for at least six months. 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.

TWO ORIGINAL FULL SET OF APPLICATION PACKAGE ARE NECESSARY FOR EACH APPLICANT :

 two copies of the passport (identification page + signature).

 2 original long stay application forms fully filled out in black and signed by the applicant. Imitation of a signature is a fraud and will be reported to the proper authorities. Please do not forget to write your phone number (home and cell) and e-mail address. (hint : forms should be signed precisely and consistently, and matching the one in the passport.)

 2 photographs (more information 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. (hint for the picture size : measure the face size between the exterior of the two ears : from 3/4 of an inch to less than one inch the picture size will be fine. an inch or more, or less than 3/4 of an inch : high chance to be invalid to make a visa)

 An official diplomatic letter from the State Department (for American officials) with each application set. This letter should specify your name, your position, your passport’s type and number, and the name of the person you replace (or detailed precisions about your futur duties in case of a new post if you are not replacing anyone)

No biometric fingerprinting will be needed for a long stay diplomatic visa.

Official and diplomatic passport holders are advised that long stay visas for France take a minimum average time process of 4 weeks, and occasionaly up to two months. We advise you to apply at least 2 months prior to your departure for a position of this type in France.

When a visa is ready, pick up by carriers can be made any open business day between 3:00 and 4:00 pm only.