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Apply for a visa and residence permit

Before you leave: apply for a visa

To study in France, you must comply with all French entry and residence requirements. We encourage you to use the visa wizard which will help you identify whether you will require a student visa.

Citizens of European Union countries, the European Economic Area or Switzerland do not need a visa to study in France.

Students from countries other than those listed above must apply for a student visa to come to France, even if they already hold another European residence permit. The only exception is if this student residence permit already bears the mention “mobility” (“§16b Abs 1” for German residence permits) or if this residence permit is a valid “long-term resident” card delivered by another EU country (carte de résident longue durée union européenne).

International students with a “long-term resident” card who arrive in France must apply for a French student residence permit within 3 months of their arrival, via the Anef portal.

From the 1st of January 2021, British citizens must apply for a visa to study in France.

Validation of the “mobility”student residence permit

If you arrive in France with a “mobility” student residence permit (or “§16b Abs 1” for German residence permits), different conditions apply to validate your stay:

This residence permit must be valid for the entire period of the mobility in France.
Unlike the French long-stay student visa, the mobility residence permit does not entitle the student to social security in France or to assistance such as APL housing benefit.
The student mobility residence permit cannot be extended.
The Scholarships and Student Support service must send additional documents to the Ministry of the Interior to validate the stay of students holding a mobility residence permit. If no answer is received after 30 days of sending the documents, the application is considered to be accepted.

Students concerned by this process must contact the Scholarships and Student Support service and send the following documents:

CERFA N° 15972*01 form filled out by the student directly on the PDF (no printed or scanned documents).
Copy of a valid travel document (e.g., passport).
Copy of the residence permit.
Proof of sufficient resources for the duration of the planned mobility (at least 615€/month of stay).
Proof of health insurance that covers the stay in France
Proof that the student is pursuing their studies as part of a multilateral program involving a mobility or an agreement between the higher education institutions.

Our advice

Check if your home country is concerned by the Study in France (EEF, Études en France) procedure and if so, apply through the Campus France website
Have a look at the France visas website to see in which consulate you should submit your visa application
Make sure that you make an appointment as soon as you have received confirmation of your admission to Sciences Po. A visa request may take 2 to 3 months.
Once you receive your visa, check the wording/remark (student visa) as indicated in the remarks section of your visa (PDF, 88 ko)

If your program includes a compulsory mobility within the European Union, you will need to present to the consulate a certificate from the university allowing you to obtain a student mobility visa. You will then be able to apply for a multi-year residence permit “student - mobility program.”

To certify your address in France, you can use a hotel reservation, a student residence certificate or a housing contract. If necessary, you can also ask Sciences Po’s Student Services Centre team for a certificate to help you with your visa application.

Steps to be taken upon arrival in France according to the type of visa (non-exhaustive list)

The exact wording as indicated in the remarks section of your visa	Steps to take
Visa Étudiant-R311-3 6° or Visa Étudiant remark E1 VLSTS Valider en ligne	This is the Long Stay Visa-residence permit (VLS-TS, Visa Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour) that you must validate within 3 months of your arrival through the French Ministry of Interior website.
Visa Étudiant - Carte de séjour à solliciter dans les deux mois suivant l’arrivée	Apply for your residence permit, especially for Algerian nationals through the Prefecture website within 2 months of your arrival
Visa Étudiant mobilité carte de séjour à solliciter dans les deux mois suivant l'arrivée	This is the Long Stay Visa/residence permit (VLT-TS, Visa Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour) that you must validate within 3 months of your arrival through the French Ministry of Interior website.
Visa de retour carte de séjour à solliciter dans les deux mois suivant l'arrivée (ex: Algerian nationals)	Apply for your residence permit through the Prefecture website of your place of residence within 2 months of your arrival
Visa mineur scolarité	Apply for a residence permit when you become 18 years old on Prefecture website. If the procedure is not available, please contact the prefecture for further information.

When you arrive: validate your visa to acquire a residence permit

Within 3 months of entering France, you must register your ÉTUDIANT– R311-3 6° visa or your ÉTUDIANT visa, remark E1 VLSTS Valider en ligne, on the website of the French Ministry of the Interior.

To do this, you will need:

a valid email address
your ÉTUDIANT– R311-3 6° visa or your ÉTUDIANT visa, remark E1 VLSTS Valider en ligne
your date of entry into France
your address in France (this address will determine the prefecture to which your file will be linked)
a credit card to pay the residence permit validation fee (€ 50) which you will receive in PDF format

At the end of the procedure, you will receive confirmation by email of the registration of your ÉTUDIANT– R311-3 6° visa or your ÉTUDIANT visa, remark E1 VLSTS Valider en ligne.

This administrative step is compulsory and guarantees your legal status in France. It will prevent you from having to pay a regularization fine.

Once the student visa has been validated online, your residence permit will be the visa on your passport along with the online validation PDF named “Confirmation de la validation de l'enregistrement de votre visa long séjour valant titre de séjour”.

Your student residence permit gives you certain rights, such as allowing you to work a maximum of 964 hours per year (for a residence permit valid for a year).