Administrative steps

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France has suspended the issuance of visas until further notice.

Due to the current situation regarding the spread of the coronavirus, France has decided to suspend the issuance of visas until further notice. All visa types are affected : short stay Schengen visas, long stay visas to France, visas to overseas territories. This suspension also applies to visa applications for which an appointment has already been made.

Documents to include in your file:

1- Passport and national identity card

Upon arrival at the French border, all foreign nationals must have a passport issued by their country. An identity card is sufficient for citizens of the European Union. The passport must be valid for at least the entire length of their stay.

2- Visa

Different visa categories cover all requests from foreign students wishing to travel to France. The embassies’ cultural services and, if applicable, their Campus France EEF office are responsible for managing foreign students’ academic plans. The consular services are responsible for processing visa applications in accordance with the regulations in force.

To know which type of visa to request and the procedure to be followed, log on to France-Visas, France’s official visa website.

3- Pre-registration

Foreign students holding a foreign school-finishing diploma who wish to sign up for a first-cycle higher education qualification in France must fill out a pre-admission request or demande d’admission préalable (DAP). This request can be submitted to the cooperation and cultural action services within French embassies abroad or, in certain countries, the CampusFrance offices following the “Études en France” (EEF) procedure. This formality is only for students who wish to apply, for the first time, for their first year of university studies (or during any academic year, for applications to a school of architecture).

Students wishing to sign up for a higher cycle must contact the university concerned directly, or, follow the EEF procedure in countries where it exists.

Students who wish to enrol in a selective first-cycle course must complete the ParcourSup procedure unless they wish to enrol in a University Institute of Technology (IUT) and live in a country with the EEF procedure. These students must follow the EEF procedure alone (contact the CampusFrance office in the relevant country for more information).

For more information, visit the website of the Ministry of National Education (in French)

4- The CampusFrance offices following the EEF ("Études en France") procedure

CampusFrance offices following the EEF (Études en France) procedure offer foreign students the possibility of creating their file online and following its processing thanks to an entirely digitized process. Higher education institutions are also able to process foreign students’ pre-applications meaning that students do not have to send a paper application to France.

5- Financial requirements

Students who do not receive scholarships or bursaries from the French Government, foreign governments, international bodies and do not benefit from EU programmes must prove that they have sufficient means (i.e. €615 per month), equivalent to 100% of the basic monthly maintenance allocation given to foreign students on scholarships by the French Government (references: Article 36 of Decree No. 2011-1049 of 6 September 2011 amending Article 14 of Decree No.99-352 of 5 May 1999).

Updated: March 2019