Planning to move to France? Whether it’s for work, family, or personal reasons, understanding the different long-stay visas (visa de long séjour) is essential to guide your application.
❓What is a long-stay visa (visa de long séjour)?
If you intend to stay in France for more than 3 months, you’ll need a long-stay visa, even if your nationality doesn’t require a short-stay visa (<90 days).
*Exceptions apply: Citizens of the European Union, European Economic Area, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and the Vatican may stay in France without a visa for longer than 90 days.
❓What are the different types of long-stay visas?
France offers two main types of long-stay visas, VLS-TS and VLS:
1. VLS-TS (Visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour VLS-TS)
English: Long-Stay Visa as Residence Permit
The VLS-TS must be validated within 3 months of your arrival in France. The validation is done online.
This visa is issued to:
- Student
- Employee (with an unlimited work contract – CDI: Contrat à durée indéterminée)
- Spouses of French nationals
- Talents Resident Permit (including liberal or independent profession)
2. VLS (Visa de long séjour, mention “carte de séjour à solliciter dans les 2 mois suivant l’arrivée”)
English: Long-Stay Visa with mention “residence card to be requested within 2 months of arrival”)
For this visa, you will need to obtain a residence permit in the prefecture where you are staying within 2 months of arrival. You will need to book an appointment.
This visa is issued to:
- Family of a French national
- Self-employed
- Employee or family member of an employee (EU Blue Card, seasonal workers, talent passport)
- Retiree or spouse of a retiree
- Artist
Ok, so how do I start?
First, verify your situation with the visa assistant on the official government website.
👉🏻 🇫🇷 Visa Assistant
Then, select your purpose of stay.
(So many options, what do I choose?)
You may want to explore each option and test different scenarios to determine which one aligns best with your needs.
👉🏻 Read: France’s long-stay visa – What is your main purpose of stay?
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