Do you need a visa?
It depends on your passport and on how long you study.
| Your situation | What you need |
|---|---|
| EU, EEA or Swiss citizen | No visa and no residence permit. You need a place at an institution, health insurance and enough money to live on.Service-Public — Étudiant européen en France (F2651) |
| Any other passport, studies of more than 3 months | A long-stay student visa that works as a residence permit (VLS-TS “étudiant”), valid for 4 months to 1 year. You validate it online within 3 months of arrival and pay €100.Service-Public — Étudiant étranger : visa et titre de séjour (F2231) |
| Algerian passport | A long-stay visa, then a student residence certificate (€150). The France–Algeria agreement also changes the work rules.Service-Public — Étudiant algérien en France (F2215) |
| Coming for an internship with a company in France, over 3 months | A long-stay visa that counts as a residence permit (VLS-TS “stagiaire”), requested at the French consulate in your country of residence. You need an internship agreement signed by you, your training institution and the host company; the company has it validated by the administration at least 2 months before the start (1 month for a European programme). The internship lasts 6 months at most. Under 3 months, the visa is a short stay.Service-Public — Stagiaire étranger en France : visa de long séjour ou carte de séjour (F17312) |
| Coming to sit an entrance exam or competition | A short-stay “étudiant-concours” visa, 90 days at most. If you pass, you apply for your student residence permit at the préfecture, without a VLS-TS. Algerians cannot use this visa.Service-Public — Étudiant étranger : visa et titre de séjour (F2231); France-Visas — Étudiant |
Online validation is what makes your stay legal and lets you cross the Schengen border again. Do it within 3 months of arrival.
Service-Public — Étudiant étranger : visa et titre de séjour (F2231)
Coming for an internship in France
An internship of more than 3 months, as part of a course you follow in your country of residence, needs a “stagiaire” visa. The internship does not give you employee status.
The steps, in order
- A three-party internship agreementIt is signed by you, your training institution abroad and the host company in France. The internship lasts 6 months at most.Service-Public — Stagiaire étranger en France : visa de long séjour ou carte de séjour (F17312)
- Validation by the administrationThe host company has the agreement validated, by registered letter to the prefecture or online, at least 2 months before the start (1 month for a European or intergovernmental programme). Canadians are exempt. With no answer after 30 days (15 days in those programmes), the request is refused.Service-Public — Stagiaire étranger en France : visa de long séjour ou carte de séjour (F17312)
- The visa documentsValid passport, signed agreement endorsed by the administration, proof of resources, proof of accommodation in France.Service-Public — Stagiaire étranger en France : visa de long séjour ou carte de séjour (F17312)
- The long-stay visaYou apply at the French embassy or consulate in your country of residence: a VLS-TS “stagiaire”, which exempts you from applying for a residence card. The Ofii may summon you, notably for a medical visit.Service-Public — Stagiaire étranger en France : visa de long séjour ou carte de séjour (F17312)
- Under 3 monthsThe procedure changes: you apply for a short-stay visa.Service-Public — Stagiaire étranger en France : visa de long séjour ou carte de séjour (F17312)
- Extending the internshipThe company has an amendment to the agreement validated (with no answer after 15 days, it is accepted). You then apply for a temporary “stagiaire” residence card at the prefecture of your home, with €150 in tax stamps.Service-Public — Stagiaire étranger en France : visa de long séjour ou carte de séjour (F17312)
Not verified
The monthly resources figure a trainee must show is not published here: the official page dates from June 2026, before the student threshold was revised on 1 August. An employee of a foreign company coming for training, and a hospital internship, have their own rules, not detailed here.
Getting a place
It all starts with one question: do you live in a country covered by the Études en France procedure? If you do, your application and your visa go through Campus France.
- Countries covered by Études en France
- more than 70
- Campus France — La procédure Études en France
- including Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, China, India, Brazil and the United States
- First year of a bachelor’s, with a foreign school diploma
- Preliminary admission request (DAP)
- Campus France — La procédure Études en France
- through Études en France; the 3 universities you choose review your application at the same time
Not verified
The DAP closing date outside Morocco and Algeria (the central official page shows a wrong date), the level of French required (it depends on the programme; no central official page sets one threshold) and the first-year bachelor’s procedure if you live outside the Études en France countries.
From application to visa
- Know which route is yours
- Apply and pay the application fee
- Accept a place
- Apply for the visa
- Register with French social security
- Pay the CVEC
- Validate your VLS-TS
- Renew after the first year
Not verified
How long the consulate takes to decide, and the earliest date you can lodge the visa application: no official page we read sets them.
Money to show
For the visa, then at every renewal, you show at least €877.50 a month.
- Minimum resources
- €877.50 a month
- Service-Public — Étudiant étranger : visa et titre de séjour (F2231)
Not verified
How many months of resources to show for the first visa (the official page gives a monthly amount, not a period) and the list of accepted proofs for that first visa, given by the France-Visas assistant.
Health
| Your passport | Your cover |
|---|---|
| Outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland | Register with French social security on etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr, with your passport, residence permit, certificate of enrolment, bank details and birth certificate.Assurance Maladie — Vous venez étudier en France |
Not verified
France-Visas says registration is compulsory for students under 28, Campus France says “all students”, the national health insurance sets no age.
Working while you study
| Your situation | Work allowed |
|---|---|
| VLS-TS or student residence card | Up to 964 hours a year, 60% of the legal working time, with no permit. Your employer declares you to the préfecture at least 2 working days before you start.Service-Public — Travail d’un étudiant étranger (F2713) |
| Algerian student | Up to 50% of the annual working time, and only after your employer obtains a work permit.Service-Public — Travail d’un étudiant étranger (F2713) |
| Apprenticeship contract | Possible after 1 year in France, with no such condition for a master’s. A validated contract lets you work beyond 964 hours.Service-Public — Travail d’un étudiant étranger (F2713) |
Going over 964 hours can cost you your residence permit: withdrawal and refusal to renew.
Bringing your family
Family reunification lets your spouse and minor children join you. It requires a residence card of at least 1 year, the student card included, and 18 months of residence in France: so it is not open in your first year. You also need income at least equal to the average minimum wage (€1,867.02 a month for a household of 2 or 3) and large enough housing.
Not verified
How the préfecture applies these conditions to a student: no official page for students says.
The companies and registers for your file
For each need of your file: the official rule, the register that lists the approved providers, and the companies that serve students.
After your degree
The “job search or business creation” card gives you 1 year to find a job or start a business linked to your studies.
- Length
- 1 year
- Service-Public — Carte recherche d’emploi ou création d’entreprise (F17319)
- not renewable
- Degrees that count
- professional bachelor’s, master’s or equivalent
- Service-Public — Carte recherche d’emploi ou création d’entreprise (F17319)
- including the Mastère spécialisé and MSc accredited by the Conférence des grandes écoles
Tuition fees
At public universities, the State sets the fees. Amounts for 2026-2027.
- Bachelor’s (licence)
- €2,902
- Service-Public — Droits d’inscription à l’université en 2026-2027
- non-EU; €178 for EU, EEA and Swiss citizens
Not verified
Campus France lists engineering programmes among the higher non-EU rates, the ministry says the opposite: read the fee on the school’s own site.