The online validation is for those with a long-stay student visa marked as "ETUDIANT" or "Étudiant - long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS)"
Your passport with your student visa (when returned by the French Embassy) will contain a note indicating that you will need to validate your visa upon arrival in France.
*Note: Some students who are under a mobility program (Erasmus, or those with courses in other EU countries) are issued a visa étudiant-mobilité ("ETUDIANT-MOBILITE" or "ETUDIANT-MOBIL." + "CARTE A SOLLICITER DANS LES DEUX MOIS" or "C.SEJASOLLIC" remarks on their visa). They will need to follow a different procedure which is explained towards the end of this page.
Last update: 23 Aug 2021
Visa Étudiant - long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS)
Make sure to accomplish this within 3 months of your arrival date!
Upon arrival in France, validate your student visa to formalize it as a residence permit for the first year of your studies.
Good news: The process is now entirely digital, you can do everything on your computer/mobile/tablet!
The official website for visa validation
Ministère de l'Intérieur - Directorate general for foreign nationals in France (click here)
Why is it important to validate your visa?
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To make your stay in France legal
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To allow you to travel out of and return to the country (beyond the 3 months of your arrival)
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To be able to use your visa to visit the entire Schengen area
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So you can work part-time (if you choose to do so) — including internships —during your stay as a student in France
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To allow you to apply for state subsidies such as rental assistance from CAF (aide personnalisée au logement - APL)
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If your academic program is longer than one year - to be able to extend the validity of your residence permit (titre de séjour), covering the entire duration of your studies
What you will need for the online visa validation
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your visa information
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immigration entry stamp (with date) on your passport
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address (residential) in France
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either of the two payment methods for the residence permit tax (la taxe de délivrance d’un titre de séjour)
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Credit or debit card to pay for the tax online (through the official website)
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Cash (euros) to pay for an electronic fiscal stamp (un timbre électronique) that corresponds to the tax amount which can be bought at a local tobacco shop (bureau de tabac)
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Step-by-step procedure: validating your long-stay student visa (VLS-TS)
click here
Did you know?
Your French student visa allows you to travel to the 26 states that are part of the Schengen Area.
visa étudiant-mobilité
Some students who are in France as part of a mobility program (Erasmus, or those with courses in other EU countries) are issued a visa étudiant-mobilité
To know if this concerns you, your French student visa will have both of these remarks:
- "ETUDIANT-MOBILITE" or "ETUDIANT-MOBIL."
- "CARTE A SOLLICITER DANS LES DEUX MOIS" or "C.SEJASOLLIC"
You will need to apply for a residence permit (carte de séjour) within two months of your arrival in France.
This is not the same online validation (see above), but you will have to go through a slightly different procedure which may include an appointment with your local Préfecture.
Don't hesitate to ask for assistance from your Erasmus program coordinator and from the international office of your French higher education institution, they are there to help you too!
For additional information:
- From the France-Visas site ➜ visa type explanation
- From the French Interior Ministry (in French) ➜ procedure
- From Campus France ➜ interactive map of student welcome desks
- Several government offices and agencies (such as the local Préfecture) are here to assist students in completing different administrative procedures
NB: If your visa only has "ETUDIANT-MOBILITE" or "ETUDIANT-MOBIL." as a remark:
➜ You can follow the online validation procedure as explained above.
