France
Effective June 1, 2009:
http://www.consulfrance-washington.org/spip.php?article385
France has instituted new visa requirements for students who study in France for longer than three months. These new requirements are effective June 1, 2009.
For those holders of American passports studying less than 90 days in France, a visa will not be required. Holders of Permits to Re-Enter or Refugee Travel Documents do need a visa.
Depending on your nationality, alien residents in the US intending to stay in France less than three months may have to apply for a short stay. You will need to complete two short stay application forms. Information can be found online at:
http://www.consulfrance-washington.org/spip.php?article385#I-Studies-in-France-for-less-than.
This visa, if granted, allows you to travel within the whole Schengen space.
All students studying longer than 3 months in France will need to apply for a visa and register with the local French Office of Immigration and Integration (OFII) upon their arrival in France. In order to comply with this requirement, the visa process in the US has changed, and there are new procedures for students once they are in France. Application information can be found online at:
http://www.consulfrance-washington.org/spip.php?article385#II-Studies-in-France-for-more-than.
New Visa Procedures:
- US French Consulates are requiring extended time for French visa processing, as the new visa procedures require additional work on their part. As a result, please be certain students check their consulate's information. The processing time can be up to 4 weeks.
- Some consulates are requiring students or an authorized individual to drop off and pick up the student's passport in person.
- For most French consulate procedures, students must complete a “residence form” as part of the visa process. This form will be processed and returned to the student with their passport and visa. The student must bring this registration form to France and submit it to the local French authorities during the on-site immigration registration process. Students should consult and follow the visa procedures at their appropriate US French consulate for more information.
Once in France, students will need to comply with the following requirements:
- They will need to submit the "residence form", if required as part of their local French consulate visa procedures.
- They will need to undergo a medical exam in France that is organized by OFII.
- They will need to pay a 55 euro tax.
- We expect that they will need to provide a certified copy of their birth certificate, translated into French (the French translation should be an accurate, well-composed translation; not just a student's own translation).**
- Additional documents may be required. Students should consult their French consulate’s visa information page.
This information is still in discussion. Thus, we recommend being in touch with the local consulate, and following proecures they set forth.
**The birth certificate requirement is currently under discussion, and is currently listed on the French Embassy's web site in Washington, D.C. and at several of the French consulate web sites. Thus, we recommend that students be prepared to produce this document once in France.
The information above is not comprehensive and may not reflect recent policy changes. For the most current and complete visa information please contact the embassy of the country to which you are traveling. Please contact a study abroad advisor with any questions or for a letter of support from the home institution verifying payment and ensuring that the student will return to the U.S. to complete his degree.
