Getting a French Visa in 2022

Bonjour à tous et à toutes!

Today I had my appointment at the VFS Center in New York City as the final step in the process of obtaining my long-stay student visa for France. This process is no easy feat, so I’ve decided to lay out the steps below. However, visa information may change regularly, so it’s important to consult the official France Visas website for the most up-to-date information.

1. Utilize the Campus France website.

Campus France is the French agency responsible for helping international students in France by promoting education and student services. Their website is very helpful in providing everything to know about the visa process and life as a student in France. Campus France will direct you to create an account on Études en France (the higher education process) for starting the visa process.

2. Create an Etudes en France account and begin the first application.

When you create the account, use a personal email that you will have access to at all times. Tip: Keep the email consistent between Campus France, Etudes en France and the final French Visas sites for consistency. Once logged into Etudes en France, select “Students already accepted” (if you’ve already been accepted to a French university) and begin the process under “Finalize the procedure”. This application requires information about your school and program as well as uploaded documents in correct size and file format. To convert my files, I used a lot of screenshots and this JPG compressor to compress the size.

After you’ve uploaded your passport, headshot, resumé, acceptance letter and transcript/diploma, you are ready to submit. They have two options for submitting: 1) $25o for 3-week processing time or 2) $390 for a 3-day processing time.

Once it is processed (if there is nothing missing) you will receive an email from Campus France confirming it’s been processed. Additionally, an attestation called “Accord préalable d’inscription” or “Pre-enrollment Certificate” will be posted in your account. BOTH of these things must be printed and brought to the final visa appointment.

3. Create an account on France Visas to begin the second step

The next step is completing the application on the France Visas website. This application is relatively quick and does not require any uploading. At the end of the application, the website directs you to make an appointment at one of the 9 France VFS Centers in the U.S. Tip: It is important that the city you select in the application is the SAME as the city of your appointment. If there are no available appointments in the city you selected in the application, you MUST redo the application before your appointment.

Note: Summer is the peak season for visa appointments, so plan accordingly (although you cannot start the process more than 90 days before your departure!)

Once the appointment has been booked and the application completed, you are almost there!

4. Gather all documents for the appointment

Below is the list of documents that I brought to the appointment. Some items were not needed, but I always say it’s better to be safe than sorry. They also say to bring two copies of everything, but only one was taken.

• The France Visas completed application (dated and signed)
• France Visas appointment letter (received in an email after booking)
• Passport
• Passport photocopies (including pages of previous visas)
• License
• License photocopy
• Passport-sized photo (unless, like I did, you pay for the service where they take it at the appointment)
• Last completed degree (for this, I brought a validation letter from my undergrad university confirming I will be receiving a diploma as well as my final official transcript)
• Etudes en France Certificate “Accord préalable d’inscription”
• Campus France confirmation email
• Last 3 bank statements OR financial guarantor form and the guarantor’s last three bank statements and proof of ID (must prove that after tuition you have at least 615 euros/month of stay)
• Proof of accommodation OR explanatory letter of how accommodation is planned AND hotel reservation and (optional) letter from university explaining accommodation assistance
• Acceptance Letter from university
• Letter of Enrollment from university

Other items I brought but weren’t mandatory:

• Flight receipt
• High school diploma
• CVEC student tax proof
• Proof of tuition payment
• Statement of motivation
• Resumé
• Confirmation of Campus France payment

5. Go to the appointment and wait for your passport

At the appointment, all papers will be collected and you will be asked to sign a few things. Finally, the address will be confirmed where your passport will be shipped back to. Someone MUST be home to sign for the passport upon its arrival. After the paperwork is done, someone will collect your fingerprint data and take your photo if you paid for that service.

Timeline: As of my appointment today, it is about a 2-3 week processing time give or take.

6. And you’re off! Bon voyage:)

I hope this was helpful or informative. It’s definitely been a big task gathering everything and preparing for this big day but overall it went very well and I hope to get my visa soon! À bientôt;)