A France long-stay visa is what you need to live in France for more than 90 days, and the type you apply for depends on why you’re moving: work, study, family, or living off your own resources. Most applicants receive a Visa de Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour (VLS-TS), which serves as both entry visa and temporary residence permit for the first year. The rules sit in the Code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d’asile (CESEDA), and the process runs from an online application through an in-person biometrics appointment to several mandatory steps once you land.
Which Long-Stay Category Fits Your Situation
Picking the wrong category is a common early mistake that forces people to restart, so decide this first. The main VLS-TS categories are:
- Salaried employee. For workers with a French job offer. Your employer must first prove to the regional labor authority that no local candidate could fill the role.
- Student. For enrollment at a recognized French institution of higher education. Part-time work alongside studies is allowed.
- Family reunification. Lets a spouse and minor children join a legal resident who can show adequate income and housing.
- Visitor (visiteur). For people who want to live in France without working. Retirees are the most common users. You must support yourself entirely through savings, pensions, or investment income, and paid employment in France is explicitly prohibited.
- Talent Passport. A multi-year permit for highly skilled workers, investors, researchers, and artists, covered separately below.
Every field in your application must match your passport exactly, including name spellings, dates, and place of birth.
The Talent Passport Route
The Talent Passport (Passeport Talent) is France’s main route for skilled professionals and entrepreneurs, governed by CESEDA Articles L421-7 through L421-25.1Légifrance. France Code de l’Entree et du Sejour des Etrangers et du Droit d’Asile – Etranger Beneficiaire du Passeport Talent It doesn’t require your employer to prove no French worker could fill the job, which makes it faster than the standard salaried employee visa.
Salary thresholds vary by subcategory:
- Qualified employee or innovative company employee: annual gross salary of at least €39,582
- European Blue Card for highly qualified positions: at least €59,373
- Company founder or innovative project leader: resources equal to the annual gross SMIC, about €21,876
- Medical or pharmacy professional: at least €41,386
- CEO or senior executive: at least €65,629 (three times the SMIC)
- Artist or author: resources equal to at least 70% of the monthly gross SMIC per month of stay, about €1,276 per month
A significant benefit for families: your spouse and children who turn 18 during the visa period receive their own multi-year residence permits and are authorized to work in France without needing a separate work permit.3France-Visas. International Talents and Economic Attractiveness
Money and Insurance You Need to Show
For salaried employees, your employment contract and salary do the work. For visitors and retirees, the benchmark is the SMIC, roughly €1,823.03 gross per month in 2026.4URSSAF. Amount of the Legal Minimum Wage (SMIC) Couples typically need a combined annual income in the range of €20,000 to €25,000. Students face a lower bar: €615 per month, or about €6,150 for a standard 10-month academic year. Consulates want stable, consistent income or savings. A one-time lump deposit right before applying raises more questions than it answers.
Health insurance is mandatory, and the requirement is different from what you may have read for short trips. The widely cited €30,000 minimum coverage threshold applies to short-stay Schengen visas of 90 days or fewer.5France-Visas. Frequently Asked Questions For a long-stay visa you need comprehensive coverage valid for the duration of your stay, covering medical and hospital care in France. Visitor visa holders must carry private coverage for a full 12 months. Workers become eligible for the national health system more quickly once employed in France.
Preparing Your Documents
Passport
Your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond the date you plan to leave France and must have been issued within the last 10 years.6Your Europe. Travel Documents for Non-EU Nationals You also need at least one blank page for entry stamps.7U.S. Department of State. France Travel Advisory The 10-year rule catches people off guard. A passport issued 9 years and 8 months ago still has validity remaining, but won’t qualify if it will exceed 10 years from issuance before your planned departure.
Translations and Apostilles
Every document not in French, including birth certificates, diplomas, marriage certificates, and criminal background checks, must be translated by a sworn translator (traducteur assermenté). These are professionals appointed by a French Court of Appeal, and their translations carry the same legal weight as the original in French administrative proceedings. Expect to pay roughly €40 to €80 per standard one-page document.
Because France is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, documents from other member countries need an apostille rather than full consular legalization. In most U.S. states, the apostille is issued by the Secretary of State’s office. Without the apostille, French authorities may refuse to accept your documents even if they’re properly translated.
Other Supporting Documents
The standard package also includes proof of accommodation (a lease, property deed, or hosting certificate), proof of financial resources (typically three months of bank statements or payslips), and health insurance valid in France. The France-Visas portal has a visa wizard that generates a tailored checklist by nationality and category. Use it, because the generic list misses category-specific items.
Applying and Submitting Your File
Start at the France-Visas portal. Create an account, complete the application form, and upload digital copies of your supporting documents. The system generates a registration receipt. Print it and keep it safe for your appointment.
The physical submission happens at an external service center. In the United States, TLScontact handles French visa applications across 10 centers, with a postal option through the Washington, D.C. office.8France-Visas. France-Visas – United States of America Other countries may use VFS Global. At the appointment, staff verify your originals against the digital copies, collect fingerprints and a photograph, and take payment.
The standard long-stay visa application fee is €99, reduced to €50 for spouses of French nationals.9France-Visas. Visa Fees The service provider charges its own fee on top; check the provider’s website. Standard processing takes about 15 days, though complex cases can stretch to 45 days.10France-Visas. The Process
What to Do After You Arrive
Validate Your VLS-TS Within Three Months
Landing in France is closer to halfway than the finish line. VLS-TS holders must validate the visa online within three months of arrival through the Administration Numérique des Étrangers en France (ANEF) portal.11France-Visas. Long-Stay Visa Skip this step and the visa has no legal effect, which means you’re staying in France without authorization even though you entered legally.
Validation requires paying a residence permit tax via electronic stamp (timbre électronique). The standard rate is now €300, with a reduced rate of €100 for students, seasonal workers, family reunification beneficiaries, and several other categories.12Service Public. Residence Permits – Increase in the Amount of Fees Charged If you don’t have a bank card, you can buy the electronic stamp at a dedicated terminal and pay cash.13Campus France. Long Stay Visa Valid as Residence Permit for Students
The OFII Appointment and Integration Contract
The Office Français de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration (OFII) oversees integration. Depending on your category, you’ll be called in for an appointment that includes a medical examination (vision test, chest X-ray, brief interview with a doctor) and signing of the Republican Integration Contract (CIR). The CIR applies to a wide range of holders, including refugees, family reunification beneficiaries, and employees with long-stay visas.14Réfugiés.info. Sign the Republican Integration Contract (CIR)
The CIR runs one year and commits you to four days (24 hours) of civic training on French values, institutions, and daily life, plus French language classes if your proficiency is below A1. Test below A1 and OFII provides between 100 and 600 hours of free instruction. From January 1, 2026, the language bar rises for future milestones: A2 for a multi-year residence permit, B1 for a 10-year resident card, and B2 to apply for French nationality.14Réfugiés.info. Sign the Republican Integration Contract (CIR)
Enroll in French Health Coverage
France’s universal system, Protection Universelle Maladie (PUMa), covers anyone who lives in France on a stable and regular basis. If you arrive with a work contract, coverage opens as soon as your PUMa application is accepted. If you’re not working, whether retiree, visitor, or accompanying family member, you must wait three months of continuous residence before your rights open.15Service-Public.fr. What Is Universal Health Protection (UHC)? That three-month gap is why private insurance is required at the visa stage. Once enrolled, you must live in France at least six months per year to keep coverage.
Renewing Before the First Year Ends
As your VLS-TS year closes, apply for a carte de séjour at your local prefecture. The filing window opens four months before your current document expires and closes two months before. Miss the window and you risk a gap in legal status, plus a €180 late fee.16Service Public. Residence Card – Private and Family Life of a Foreigner in France Online applications follow the same two-to-four-month window; in-person submissions should be filed at least two months ahead.
While the file is processed, the prefecture issues a temporary receipt called a récépissé. For most non-student holders, including workers, family-life permits, and Talent Passport holders, the récépissé authorizes continued work. Students are treated differently. They receive a certificate of deposit when they submit, but it does not grant work rights. Students must wait for a separate attestation of favorable decision before working or accessing social benefits. Neither the certificate of deposit nor the récépissé allows international travel, so plan trips around your renewal.
What Happens If You Overstay
Letting your visa or residence permit lapse without renewal puts you in irregular status. The prefecture can issue an Obligation de Quitter le Territoire Français (OQTF), a formal order to leave France within 30 days.17Service Public. Obligation to Leave French Territory (OQTF) Comply within that window and the damage is limited. If you don’t, you can be placed in a detention center or under house arrest while the administration arranges your departure.
The prefecture will also issue an Interdiction de Retour sur le Territoire Français (IRTF), a ban on returning to France that can last up to five years, or up to 10 years if you’re considered a serious threat to public order.17Service Public. Obligation to Leave French Territory (OQTF) An OQTF remains enforceable for three years. Because France is part of the Schengen zone, an entry ban here effectively locks you out of 27 European countries. Filing your renewal early within the four-month window is the simplest way to avoid all of this.