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The essentials
- EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need no visa, regardless of how long they intend to stay ;
- Non-EU citizens need a Schengen short-stay visa for trips of 90 days or fewer, and a long-stay visa for any stay above 90 days ;
- The most common long-stay category is the VLS-TS (Visa de Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour), valid for 12 months and equivalent to a residence permit ;
- Apply at the French consulate in your country of residence via france-visas.gouv.fr — never from inside France.
Who needs a French visa
Whether you need a visa for France depends on three factors: your nationality, the length of your planned stay and the purpose of your trip. The first variable does most of the work.
EU, EEA and Swiss citizens
Citizens of the 27 EU member states, of Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway (EEA), and of Switzerland enjoy freedom of movement. They never need a visa to enter or settle in France, no matter the duration. A valid national identity card or passport is enough proof of legal stay, and the right to work is automatic from day one.
Visa-exempt nationalities for short stays
Around 60 nationalities can enter France without a visa for tourism, business or family visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day window — among them American, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Japanese, South Korean, Brazilian, Argentinian and Israeli passport holders. The full list is published by the Ministry of the Interior and on france-visas.gouv.fr.
Visa exemption never extends beyond 90 days. Anyone planning to live, work or study in France for longer must apply for a long-stay visa, regardless of whether their nationality is short-stay exempt.
Non-EU, non-exempt nationalities
Citizens of countries that do not benefit from short-stay exemption need a Schengen short-stay visa even for tourism. They also need a long-stay visa for any project above 90 days. The application is made at the French consulate in their country of legal residence — France does not issue visas to people already on its territory.
Schengen short-stay vs long-stay visas
French visas split into two distinct regimes. The Schengen short-stay visa (visa de court séjour, type C) is governed by EU law and authorises stays of up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across the entire Schengen Area. It costs €90 for adults in 2026 and is the right tool for tourism, family visits and short business trips.
The long-stay visa (visa de long séjour, type D) is governed by French national law and is mandatory for any stay above 90 days. Its holder can travel freely in the rest of the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in 180, but the underlying right to reside attaches to France. Long-stay visas come in several categories detailed in the next section, and most lead to a French carte de séjour (residence permit) after the first year.
If your trip is exactly 90 days, count carefully: the Schengen rule is rolling, not per calendar year, and overstays trigger entry bans. The official visa assistant on france-visas.gouv.fr tells you which regime applies in under five minutes.
Types of long-stay visa
France issues a handful of long-stay categories tailored to different projects. Picking the right one matters: it determines your right to work, the renewal options and the residence card you receive after one year.
| Visa type | Duration | Conditions | Cost (2026) | Renewable in France |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VLS-TS | 12 months | Salaried workers, students, partners, visitors with stable income | €99 + €200 OFII tax | Yes, on a carte de séjour |
| VLST | 3 to 12 months | Short missions, seasonal work, language courses, internships | €99 | No |
| Talent Passport | Up to 4 years | Researchers, salaries above 2× the SMIC (~€43,000/year), entrepreneurs, recognised artists | €99 + €225 issuance | Yes |
| Student visa | Length of academic year | Enrolment in a French institution; Campus France procedure for 67 countries | €50 | Yes |
| Working Holiday Visa | 12 months | 18-30 (18-35 for Argentina) from Australia, Canada, NZ, Japan and 10 more countries | €99 | No |
| Family reunification | 12 months, then carte de séjour | Joining a French citizen or a legal resident under income and housing thresholds | €99 + €200 OFII | Yes |
VLS-TS: the default one-year visa
The VLS-TS (Visa de Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour) is the workhorse category. It is issued for 12 months and, once validated on the ANEF portal within three months of arrival, doubles as a residence permit — no need to visit the préfecture. Salaried workers, students, civil partners of French nationals and visitors with sufficient income all use it.
VLST: temporary, no renewal in France
The VLST (Visa de Long Séjour Temporaire) covers stays between three and twelve months that are not meant to settle. It is the right pick for a one-semester language course, a seasonal job or a short professional mission. It cannot be converted into a carte de séjour from inside France — at the end of its validity, the holder must leave and apply again from abroad if they want to come back.
Talent Passport: four years for skilled profiles
The Talent Passport bundles a dozen sub-categories aimed at researchers, qualified salaried employees earning more than twice the SMIC (around €43,000 per year in 2026), entrepreneurs investing at least €30,000 in a French project, and internationally recognised artists. It is issued directly for up to four years and skips the one-year cycle, which makes it the smoothest path for highly qualified expats.
The application process step by step
All long-stay visa applications start on the same official portal: france-visas.gouv.fr. The portal hosts the visa assistant, the application form and the document checklist tailored to your profile. Plan eight to twelve weeks between starting the file and boarding the plane.
- Use the visa assistant on france-visas.gouv.fr to confirm the right category and the documents required for your nationality and project ;
- Fill in the online application form, then save and print the receipt — you will hand it in at the consulate appointment ;
- Book an appointment at the French consulate in your country of legal residence (in some countries, the consulate outsources biometric capture to VFS Global or TLScontact) ;
- Attend the appointment in person, hand in the documents, give your fingerprints and pay the visa fee ;
- Wait for the decision — typically two to eight weeks depending on the country and the season ;
- Collect the passport with the visa sticker, then travel to France within the validity start date.
Étudiants: the Campus France detour
Students from 67 countries — including the United States, Canada, Brazil, India, China, Mexico, Senegal and Vietnam — must go through the Études en France procedure managed by Campus France before applying for the visa. The platform validates the academic project, the level of French and the financial means, and only then forwards the file to the consulate. Plan an extra one to three months on top of the regular visa timeline.
After arrival: validating your VLS-TS on ANEF
The VLS-TS is only half-active when the consulate stamps it. Within three months of entering France you must validate it online on the ANEF portal (Administration Numérique des Étrangers en France). The procedure replaces the legacy OFII paper step: you upload your passport, your French address and proof of payment of the €200 tax, then receive the visa validation by email within a few days. Without this validation, the visa stops counting as a residence permit, and exiting and re-entering France becomes impossible.
Required documents
Every long-stay file is built around the same core set of documents, with extras depending on the visa category. Bring originals and one photocopy of each — French consulates routinely keep the copies and return originals on the spot.
Documents required for every long-stay visa
- A passport valid at least three months beyond the planned end of stay, with two blank pages ;
- The application form printed from france-visas.gouv.fr, signed and dated ;
- Two recent passport-format photos (35 × 45 mm, neutral expression, plain background) ;
- Proof of accommodation in France — rental lease, attestation d'hébergement, hotel bookings or property deed ;
- Proof of sufficient resources: the threshold is the equivalent of the SMIC for visitor visas, and varies by category for the rest ;
- Travel and health insurance covering at least €30,000 of medical and repatriation costs in France and the Schengen Area ;
- The visa fee receipt in the local currency.
Extra documents by category
On top of the core list, each long-stay category requires its own evidence. The most common extras are:
- Salaried workers: French employment contract approved by the DREETS, last six pay slips from the home country, diploma copies ;
- Students: Études en France attestation (where applicable), enrolment certificate from the French institution, six months of bank statements proving roughly €615 per month in resources ;
- Visitors: a written statement promising not to work in France, plus proof of resources at least equal to the SMIC (€1,801.80 gross per month in 2026) ;
- Talent Passport: documents specific to the sub-category — research convention for scientists, employment contract above the salary threshold for skilled workers, business plan and proof of investment for entrepreneurs ;
- Working Holiday: proof of age, return ticket or financial means to buy one, around €2,500 of savings, no dependent children.
Costs and processing times
The visa fee is paid at the consulate appointment, in the local currency at the official exchange rate. Fees are non-refundable, including if the application is refused.
Headline fees in 2026
- Schengen short-stay visa: €90 for adults, €45 for children aged 6 to 11, free under 6 ;
- Long-stay visa (VLS-TS, VLST, family, Talent Passport): €99 ;
- Long-stay student visa: €50 ;
- OFII validation tax on a VLS-TS: €200, paid online during the ANEF validation step ;
- Talent Passport issuance fee: an additional €225 for the residence card delivered after one year.
How long does the visa take?
Consular processing times vary widely. For most long-stay categories outside peak season (April to August), expect two to eight weeks between the appointment and the passport returned with the visa sticker. The Talent Passport is usually faster (around fifteen working days). The Études en France procedure for students adds four to twelve weeks upstream, so applicants targeting a September academic start should ideally open their Campus France file no later than March.
Consulate-specific timelines and the current backlog are published on each consulate's website. Some posts (notably London, New York, Washington and Sydney) accept "premium" or expedited slots for an extra fee through their outsourced provider, which can shave one to three weeks off the standard wait.
After the first year: renewing or converting
The first long-stay visa is rarely the end of the journey. Most expats renew it into a French residence permit (carte de séjour) and progressively unlock longer-duration cards.
The first renewal: from VLS-TS to carte de séjour
Two months before the VLS-TS expires, you apply on ANEF for a carte de séjour pluriannuelle matching your status (employee, student, family, visitor, talent). The first multi-year card is typically issued for one to four years depending on the category, and renewing it requires roughly the same proof as the original visa: stable resources, ongoing employment or study, valid accommodation. The card itself costs €225 plus a €25 stamp duty for most categories.
Five years in: the carte de résident
After five years of regular and continuous residence, the file is examined for a carte de résident valid 10 years and renewable. The 10-year card delivers near-EU-citizen rights — full work rights, easy bank credit, simple cross-border travel — and is the typical end-state for expats who do not pursue naturalisation. The full path is detailed on our becoming a French resident guide.
Special cases and bilateral agreements
Some categories of expats benefit from accelerated or simplified visa pathways, set out either in bilateral agreements or in dedicated French regulations.
Working Holiday Visa
France has signed Working Holiday agreements with 14 countries (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Russia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Uruguay and Brazil). Applicants aged 18 to 30 (18 to 35 for Argentina) can spend a full year in France combining travel, casual work and short courses, with no employer sponsorship required. The €99 visa is non-renewable and counts as a once-in-a-lifetime allowance per signatory country.
Retirees: the visitor route
There is no specific retirement visa, but retirees with sufficient pension income use the VLS-TS visiteur. The bar is to prove resources at least equal to the French SMIC (around €1,802 gross per month) and to commit not to work in France. The visa is renewable into a multi-year visitor card. UK and EU retirees additionally benefit from the S1 form, which keeps their home-country health system paying for their care in France. Our retiring in France guide breaks down the options by nationality.
Digital nomads and remote workers
France has not yet issued a dedicated digital-nomad visa as of 2026. Remote workers employed by a foreign company use either the visitor VLS-TS (if their salary covers the SMIC threshold and their employer accepts the French residency) or, for higher salaries, a Talent Passport sub-category. Tax residency is triggered after 183 days in France or as soon as the country becomes the centre of economic interests, whichever comes first.
UK citizens after 2020
Since the end of the Brexit transition period, British nationals follow the same long-stay visa rules as American or Australian arrivals. UK residents who lived in France before 31 December 2020 are protected by the Withdrawal Agreement and hold a dedicated WARP residence card — they do not need a new visa. Everyone else applies for a VLS-TS or Talent Passport via the consulates in London, Edinburgh or Manchester, with documents and timelines covered in detail on our moving from the UK guide.
For country-specific paperwork, see also moving from the USA, from Canada and from Australia. If your project is to take a job in France, our hub on working in France covers the employment-side requirements, and the healthcare guide details how to register with sécurité sociale once your visa is validated.