Passports and Student Visas for Semester/Academic Year Students

All students studying in France need a passport. For more information on applying for a passport, click here.

Semester and Academic Year students are required to apply for a long-stay visa. Students are required to register with CampusFrance and make an appointment with the local consulate.

We strongly recommend that you read the directions very carefully so you do not miss any steps in applying to CampusFrance and to the consulate for your visa. Please begin this process immediately as it usually takes longer than expected. If you start the process late, you risk not being able to leave on time for the program or not being able to attend. Typically, registration with CampusFrance takes four weeks and consulates process the visas in two to five weeks. This means that the entire process to apply for your visa may take two months. If you are a non-U.S. citizen, the process may take much longer.

For instructions on applying for your long-stay student visa, click here.

Non-US Citizens

Depending on your citizenship, non-US citizens may have a much longer visa process and should begin the process immediately after acceptance in order to be able to depart on time.

Students with passports to the following countries are not required to apply for a long-stay student visa:  Switzerland, Andorra, Vatican, San Marino, Monaco, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Sweden.  

Visit your country's French consulate website to determine student visa requirements. The visa process for non-US citizens may take much longer than that of US citizens so please begin the application process as soon as possible or you risk not receiving your visa in time. If you need a visa, please contact the U.S. Office of Admissions immediately for assistance.

In addition, before arrival in France, non-US citizens must check visa requirements of countries to be visited, and obtain visas necessary for travel within Europe.

Passports

Passports should be applied for five months in advance of departure date through a US Passport Agency (Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC); through a Postal Clerk designated by the Postmaster General; Clerk of any Federal Court; or Judge or Clerk of any Probate Court. You must have a passport before you can apply for a visa.

Needed for a passport application:

• proof of identity
• proof of US citizenship (birth certificate, naturalization certificate, consular report or certification of birth, or previous passport)
• completed application forms
• photographs (two duplicate color passport-size)
• fee presently $135

On receipt of the passport, check that all information is correct. If not, return it for correction to the office of application; under no circumstances should you correct it yourself. Keep a photocopy of the information on the first two pages of your passport; in case of loss, this information will be very helpful in getting a replacement.

Student Visas

CampusFrance Registration

Semester and academic year students must register with CampusFrance before obtaining their long-term student visa. Summer students are exempt from this requirement.

To begin the registration process, please refer to our CampusFrance registration guide which will walk you through all the various steps to register, complete your online application, and mail the payment and copy of your acceptance letter. Begin this process as soon as possible so you do not risk delaying the arrival of your visa. CampusFrance recommends starting the process at least two months before you need to leave for France.  Priority is given to students who start the process early.   

Schedule Online Appointment at the French Consulate

Even though students are not able to apply for their visa at the consulate until the CampusFrance application is complete, students need to schedule an appointment at the consulate ahead of time (but no more than three months prior to leaving the U.S.) because these appointments book weeks, sometimes months in advance. This can be done by going to the appropriate French consulate website (see link at bottom of page to find out which consulate to contact) and making the appointment online. When making the appointment, please leave four weeks for CampusFrance to process your application. Students cannot go to the consulate without their CampusFrance confirmation e-mail.

French Consulate

Semester and Academic Year Students

After registering with CampusFrance, students are required to apply for a long-stay visa (90+ days). Individual French consulates operate autonomously with regard to visa applications and requirements may vary from consulate to consulate or change without notice. Therefore, students are advised to verify the number of accompanying documents currently required by the consulate in question at the time they request an application form, and to be sure to carefully complete the form with precise dates of arrival in and departure from France.

It will take approximately 2-5 weeks after the appointment at the consulate for American students to receive their visas. If you are an international student, it could take up to three months so please read all of the information on the consulate website very carefully. This means that students must schedule their consulate appointments for approximately 5 weeks (more than 5 weeks for international students) before their departure date. Otherwise, students risk not being able to leave on time for the program.

Completing the Visa Process Once in France

Once students have their visas and arrive in France, they will need to submit the appropriate documents to the OFII (Office français de l' Immigration et de l'Intégration/French Office of Immigration and Integration).  Students are responsible for completing the process once they arrive in France in order to abide by the French laws.  Students who do not complete this process risk being arrested and deported.  IAU helps students by scheduling the below medical visits as a group to facilitate transport.  Students who miss these scheduled dates are required to arrange their own transportation.

Students will need to provide them with:

• the completed residence form they submitted for their visa application in the U.S.
• a copy of the ID pages of their passport and of the immigration stamp received at the border
• although this is not required, it may be a good idea to have a copy of their birth certificate

Then, they will need to appear for an interview and medical examination with:

• their passport
• a proof of accommodation/residence in France
• one ID picture (Students should have this taken in France.  The cost is approximately 5€ )
• means of payment for the processing fees of 55€

When the file is complete, a registration stamp will be added to their passport and it will allow them to stay and study for up to one full year.

Tips for Completing Your Visa Application:

For a long stay visa application:

Download a translation of the long stay application

#10: “Type of Travel Document”: This is requesting information about your US Passport.

#22: “What will your address during your stay be?”: You can just put the institute’s address

For Marchutz and Aix Students:	For Avignon Students:
2 bis, rue du Bon Pasteur 13625 Aix-en-Provence	5 Rue Figuière 84000 Avignon

#23: “Will you be employed during your stay?”: The Visa valant titre de séjour gives students permission to work 60% of the normal time (35 hours week) or approximately 20 hours.  

Needed (typically) for a visa application - requirements change often so please consult the consulate website:

• US Passport (signed)
• CampusFrance confirmation e-mail and proof of payment
• two or more passport-size photographs
• two or more visa application forms (Semester/Academic Year students need the long-stay form. Forms can be obtained from the Consulate website), completed and signed
• proof of enrollment and housing from IAU
• proof of sufficient funds - please consult consulate website for details
• a notarized Financial Guarantee form, completed and signed by parent or guardian if they are paying for expenses
• residence form (you will receive this form back from the consulate with your visa and you need to take it with you to France to complete the process)
• proof of your address (copy of driver's license or state id and utility bill - please see consulate website for details)
• letter from your home college/university verifying your enrollment
• acceptance letter from IAU
• present visa application fee is roughly $130 (price fluctuates due to the value of the dollar)
• proof of insurance

The figure of $600-800 per month suggested on the Financial Guarantee form does not necessarily mean that each student will be spending this amount or that it will actually cost that much to live in France. Rather, this figure approximates expenses such as lunches, travel, and theater, and is a guarantee to the French government that the student will not be stranded in France without funds.

In order to obtain a visa, apply to the French Consulate serving either the student's legal state of residence or the state in which the student's school resides.

Consulate Contact Information

For a list of consulates, including their address, phone number, and the web address for student visa requirements and application information, go HERE.

Passport and Visa Checklist for Semester Students  

□    Apply for passport

□    Register with CampusFrance and send payment and copy of acceptance letter

□    Visit French consulate website and and make online appointment at the same time you commence your CampusFrance application.  Consulate appointments book weeks/months in advance so if you delay, you risk not receiving your visa on time. You need the CampusFrance e-mail before you can go to the consulate so schedule your appointment for four weeks after you have completed the CampusFrance application in its entirety.

□    Receive CampusFrance’s e-mail confirmation, print it out and write your ID number on it

□    Apply for student visa in person at the French consulate.  Make sure you have all of the required documents by reviewing the consulate website very carefully.

□    Receive your visa and your residency form; you will need to keep this form and take it with you to France to complete the process

□    Complete your interview and medical exam once you arrive in France