AskExpats.org

Advice From Those Who Have Made the Move

Appling for French visa

STEP 1 – Gather information on your situation

https://france-visas.gouv.fr/web/france-visas/depot-et-traitement-de-la-demande

Seek information and check if you require a visa or not

This portal helps you assemble the information you will need before submitting your visa application online.

The visa wizard will help you determine, depending on your situation, the visa requirements to which you are subject, as well as the submission fee and required supporting documents.

If you have lived in the Schengen Area within the past 6 months please use the Visa Calculator tool to determine the precise number of days you have remaining. (online calculator ).

Determine which authority is approved to receive your application

In addition to furnishing important general information, this link offers pages specific to your local, so that you can access the most accurate information for your visa application.

STEP 2 – Set up my online application

Fill out the visa application form

To submit a visa application, you must provide at least the following :

  • A travel document (original + copy) in good condition, issued less than 10 years ago, with at least two blank pages, which is valid for at least three months after the date on which you have planned to leave the Schengen Area, or in the event of a long stay, which is valid for at least three months on the date on which the requested visa expires. However, in the event of a duly proven emergency, this final requirement may be waived.
  • 2 recent ID pictures in https://visaguide.world/europe/schengen-visa/requirements/photo/ISO/IECI format (pdf)   
  • The supporting documents (originals and copy) depending on your situation and your plan

Important : All documents in languages other than French or English must be translated into French.

  • Your application fees are due upon filing.
  • If your home country is eligible, you must fill out the online application form. You will be guided through the whole process by on-screen explanations.
    • Before validating and printing out your application, you will be asked to create a personal account that includes your email address in order to save your partially- or fully-completed form. After this step, you will receive the list of required supporting documents and have the opportunity to book your appointment.
  • If your country is not eligible, please check the appropriate procedure on your country of application page.

STEP 3 – Book your appointment

Arrange an appointment with the visa application centre

Make sure you allow enough time before your departure date to schedule an appointment to have your application reviewed.

Check on the average appointment wait times to ensure that you are able to submit your application three months to two weeks prior to your departure date for a long stay visa and 6 months to two weeks to your departure date for a short stay visa.

In most cases, the consular services use external service providers to receive visa applicants and their documents. The consular services nonetheless remain fully responsible for reviewing applications and making visa issuance decisions.

You will find all the necessary details to make an appointment on the country of application page.

STEP 4 – Submit your file

Application in person

You must attend your appointment with all the required documents. Also bring a copy of each document, including the passport and its ID pages.

The service provider (or consulate) will receive you, review your application, collect the visa fee, capture your biometric data (photo and fingerprints) and retain your passport and the copies of all your supporting documents in order to forward them to the consulate.

The visa application submission will take approximately 20 minutes at the visa centre.

Biometrics

All visas issued by France are biometric visas.

Any visa applicant aged 12 or older must submit his or her visa application in person. The following biometric data will be required: a photo (scanned or taken during your appointment), and ten individually-taken fingerprints.

If you hold a biometric Schengen visa issued within 59 months, either bearing the mention ‘VIS’ or issued after March 2016, your previous biometric data can be re-used.

Fees

Visa application fees are composed of :

  • The administrative costs incurred for the processing of your application. The amount paid is kept by the administration, even in cases where visas are denied. For more details, please refer to the table of application fees by visa type (pdf).
  • If application fees are received by an external service provider, this provider is responsible for collecting the appropriate fees. The service charge differs by country, but may not exceed € 40 per visa application. External service providers are also authorized by the administration to offer additional services at cost.

You may be exempt from attending your visa appointment in person if :

  • You have held previous Schengen visas and have used them in accordance with the law.
  • You travel regularly or frequently for the same purpose.

NOTE: To confirm whether  someone else can apply for a visa on your behalf, please contact your visa centre

STEP 5 – Track your application

Tracking your application and collecting your passport

In most cases, you can track the progress of your application. For details, go to our track the progress of your application page.

You will be notified when your passport is ready for collection from the visa centre where you applied.

In some instances, the passport can be sent by postal services.

General required documents for a France Visa Application:

  • Download the France Visa Application form, fill it completely and with sincerity. You can also fill the France Schengen Visa application form electronically and then print a hard-copy.
  • 2 photos must be attached; the photo should be of passport format – a recent whole-face capture with a light background. Learn more about photo requirements and specifications for a French Visa.
  • Your passport and copies of your previous visas – valid for at least 3 months beyond return date – are required. Your passport must have at least two blank pages.
  • A copy of your return-ticket reservation. It is not recommended to purchase the ticket before obtaining the visa – if not otherwise required
  • Travel visa insurance confirmation of minimum 30,000 € coverage within France and the entire Schengen area. In order to apply for a French visa, the French embassy/consulate requires a Schengen travel insurance policy that is valid in all Schengen countries. French embassy/consulate also requires the confirmation of coverage letter as the proof of coverage to be submitted along with other requested documents and France visa application.
  • A cover letter stating the purpose of a visit to France and itinerary
  • Flight ticket reservations. Find out how to get a flight reservation for France Visa Application without paying the actual flight.
  • Proof of accommodation for your entire stay in France. Book a hotel in France online!
  • Proof of civil status (marriage certificate, birth certificate of children, death certificate of spouse, ration card if applicable)
  • Means of subsistence – Proof of sufficient financial means for the period of stay. As the European Commission specifies, any foreigner seeking to enter France, since 19 June 2014, when applying for France Visa must be able attesting to the France Embassy or Consulate possessing the daily money amount of 120€ if holding no proof of prepaid accommodation. If the applicant has a prepaid hotel, then this amount reduces to 65€/daily for the period of covered hotel accommodation, while the rest is 120€. Also, in case the applicant proofs cheaper forms of accommodation the amount decreases to 32.25€/ day.

Applying for VISA, OFII, docs needed

KAYLEE KAREN LINSCOTT·SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2019· 

FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/notes/retired-americans-in-france/applying-for-visa-ofii-docs-needed/357776014923449/

The first step is to find the French consulate for your area which will take your application. UPDATE: You most likely will now go to a VFS office – it does NOT have to be in your area anymore, though hopefully, they are keeping them in the same towns as the consulates and NOT go to the French Consulate. There are multiple VFS offices in the US. Getting appointments, the application is now all done online and it is hard to get info until you at least register with VFS, which you should do and get a copy of the application am told they will not give you the list of requirements until after submitting documents, there is a 35.00 fee. When you are ready to actually go for an appointment keep in mind you might be looking at a calendar that is two months out. Also you cannot have your appointment more than 3 months prior to arriving in France..
To make the whole scary application process less scary I used a notebook with the page protectors and a file tab sheet in front labeled with the requirement, so one for the application, another for birth/marriage certificates, health insurance, SS letters & proof, pension letter & proof, financial statements from: bank 1, bank 2, investment company 1, 2, and so on. On the file tab page I would put if I had all the required docs, or what I was waiting on, things like financial statements have to be the last 3 months, so as they came in I added them. Breaking down the requirements in nice small bites makes it easier and not so overwhelming, then you have everything you need to make your copies and you will need all of these documents many times once in France. Having this notebook with your originals all in one place will make life MUCH easier.
Valid Passport – Passports must be valid for at least 3 months beyond the date of exit or end of the visa. So if coming for a year your passport could not expire for 15 months.
Proof of Residence – Bring a Driver’s License or State ID Card (and 2 photocopies of it in case you need to leave the actual license at the entrance) to prove you live in your consulate’s jurisdiction.
2 Long Stay Application Forms – Pretty straightforward, now you must go thru VFS, register and you can print them off line, but are now submitted on line when you make the appointment.
DOCUMENTS – you will need copies of everything, and to bring originals of everything, but they will just look and give them back and keep the copies. Birth Certificates, Marriage License (if married more than once I think we had to give them those documents so they could see how you get from maiden name to current name – Women in France ALWAYS will use maiden name as part of everything, a woman’s FR driving license will be issued in maiden name only), Driver’s License, proof of where you have been living, (we gave them property tax records and utility bills) of course financial records and documents.
Passport Photo – The consulate website says these should be “passport size” but guess what? Not the American passport size. They need to be 1.4″ x 1.7″ (3,5cm x 4,5cm – we got ours at the local AAA store – plus they have all the requirements for each country if they tell you a different size, ask for the size above or check to make sure there has not been a change.
Letter from Employer – If you’re currently employed, employee verification sheet. (The consulate might ask for a letter directly from your company instead).
Letter Explaining Purpose of Your Stay – Why do you want to go to France? We just wrote that we were retired and wish to live in France and enjoy all it has to offer.
OFII Form – This form is no longer required, you will apply now on line once you are in France. You do this within the first 3 months of arriving and submit online which is the request for the appt – if you are not moving from one department to another like we did, it is best to do this right away – if you do not hear back with an appt date within a month, send a copy of the form you sent with a letter asking if there is a problem – use Registered Return mail – we send nothing to them except this way so we always have proof of submission.
CHANGE OF RESIDENCY FORM – Again this form was also not made clear that it was needed, probably because many use a long term visa who do not plan on moving to France, so technically it is not needed for a visa, but if moving here you should have this form; it is the form that allows you to bring in anything you want shipped over without paying duty and VAT which is expensive. (if you leave things in the states that you are not sure about shipping over – you can state on your original inventory that you will make a second shipment – you have 12 months from the arrival date of your belongings to do this duty and VAT free).
Finances – Submitted the last 3 months of our bank statements, Investment statements, if retired, letters from SS, pensions (you can get this SS and Govt pension letters online), your 1099’s showing all income and the sources of that income such as pensions, annuities etc. (they require 3 months). They want to see that you have enough money to support yourself during your stay without working if that is the case, and that you will not be a burden upon the French Govt. Currently, the minimum required by France is to have at least the equivalent of their minimum wage which equals €14,000, (2018) so would be 15 to 20% more in US dollars depending on the exchange rate. Some places to rent like in Paris, you need to prove that you earn three times the monthly rent per month and they want a YEAR’S rent in advance.
Letter Promising Not to Work – We just stated that we were retired and promised not to work in France.
Medical Insurance– you must show proof of good coverage that works in France including Repatriation insurance (which is if you are too sick or dead that the company will pay to ship you back) Our regular medical insurance is one of the few that actually can work in France – Fed BC/BS, not that we have ever really used it as the cost of medical here is the same as, or less than our co-pays in the States, so the insurance company doesn’t pay if it is less. We used Allianz for the Repatriation insurance, it was one of the few that came without medical insurance. They said it had to be a year’s policy, now it says 3 month’s under the new rules you can start to apply for French Medical Insurance once you have been in country for 3 months – it does, however, take longer to get, (as of 2019 you often get your first letter within a month, but others have been waiting longer – if you don’t call and ask they don’t bother to reach out and your file just sits there) After waiting 6 weeks from submitting we called, the nice lady said “oh they need to know if you are retired or not” – this question and answer is on our application – IN FRENCH – we got the letters a week later. The second letter asking for your signature and a picture came 3 weeks later – the actual card seems to take much longer to arrive. Ours still have not come after a month. (the cards came our 5th week) So you DO need insurance for longer than 3 months or you will be without coverage.
Lodging – You will need to show proof of where you will be staying – many places and sites make it sound like you must have a full year lease agreement etc. NOT true you can actually just show hotel reservations even. But we showed 3 months of paid gite rentals, we were planning to stay in different areas for at least a year to see where exactly where we wanted to buy. Again many sites say you need notarized statements from landlords, attestations etc. just not so, our first visa he asked where we would be and I just told him I would keep making reservations as we moved around exploring, all I had was 3 weeks’ worth of reservations. Same thing this time, told him we would be house hunting during the first few months, he seemed happy with my 3 months of paid rentals.
BACKGROUND CHECK – Again many tell you that you absolutely must have a FBI background check, we didn’t, just get a letter from the local Sheriff or your police department saying you do not have any criminal background and were members in good standing in your community – came with lovely official stamping in color, the French love their official stamps! PLEASE DOUBLE
CHECK THAT THIS HAS NOT CHANGED WITH THE VFS SITE – I know of at least 4 people who went thru VFS that only had the police letter – BUT it was in the first 4 months of the new system.
Processing Fees – The fee to apply for the visa was I think (in 2017) 125.00 they do not accept cash, but take most credit/debit cards, the VFS app is 35.00 to be paid online now, and the visa is 99.00€.
Prepaid USPS Express Mail Envelope – I purchased an overnight, prepaid envelope from UPS, for the visa’s/passports to be sent back in – they do offer, at a cost of 35.00 or so to provide the overnight for you, but the instructions said they wanted it already labeled and ready to go, so that is what we did.

The Appointment

The appointment at the consulate was NOT what we expected at all, we went to Miami and you wait in a typical govt. office waiting room, the guy calls you up to a window, with a little pass through for documents and you just stand there handing over your things, he goes thru them and gives you back what he doesn’t want, takes your fingerprints and a photo and that was it – lol no interview in a nice room explaining why you want to move to France or anything.
You have to print your appointment confirmation letter in order to get into the building – don’t forget or you might not get in. Also have your passport or driver’s license to show as well.
A few final things that you need once you are in France, a copy of your driving record from the state or states if less than 5 years in current state, the longer the better on this – we gave them 30 years from Florida, it will state that you are or not in good standing, safe driver, restrictions etc.. You need information from your auto insurance company – in France, you have to show what kind of driver you have been, if not you pay – a LOT, no one told us this and we had to get it once here – our insurance (Allstate) absolutely refuses to give more than 5 years’ worth of records – thankfully the agent was a friend and she made copies and put together 20 plus years of records showing there had been no accidents that were our fault, that the 3 claims we had were all caused by the other driver and that our insurance company did not pay. The driving and insurance records are a must.
Make sure you have the new long form birth certificates that also show parents names – we managed to get through with my very small original one and my husband, although larger, actually did not state who his parents were. So again we had to send for these once here in order to go to the renewal of the Carte de Sejour and we probably should have had them for the OFII meeting but they accepted the ones we had.
The OFII Appointment – You no longer need to get this form prior to your VISA appt. you will apply on line now once you are in France. You need to apply within the first 3 months of arrival. The appointment was almost the same as the visa appointment except they send you for an X-ray the day of the appointment or before, you again stand in the hallway and hand documents through the glass. Then off to see a nurse for an eye chart exam and questions regarding vaccinations. We just told them we had everything required for people of our age, the only thing they wanted more info on was tetanus shot when appx. the last one was. They did not require proof or medical records for anything. Next stop was to see the actual doctor, she asked basic medical questions, did I have any disease, what medications I was taking, how was the health of family members etc. All very basic stuff, she too asked about vaccinations and tetanus – at this time we knew almost no French and these people pretty much did not speak any English, but we somehow managed. You fill out 5 times more info in the US whenever you go see a new doctor!
Then we were sent back down to the man behind the glass, gave him more documents, he is most interested in seeing the proof of payment for the appt. (250.00 euro each), they want to see your French bank account – which is often not easy for User’s to get because of our IRS FATCA laws and proof of where you are living, leases, utility bills etc. We had a short term lease of 6 months from the gite we were staying in, no utility bills and all was fine. We were then told WELCOME TO FRANCE! That was it we were done, again no interview, no checking to see our level of French, haha, and no mention of attending cultural classes, but we left with a vignette in our passports and very happy and relieved, just like the visa process we worried about this appointment WAY too much, it was easy.

Personal Property

Source: https://www.douane.gouv.fr/fiche/transferring-your-primary-residence-france

You may be exempt from paying duties and taxes when you import your personal belongings.

 

If you come from a country in the European Union

When you move to France from another EU country, there are no particular customs procedures that need to be observed.

If you come from a country that is not a member of the European Union

You may be exempt from paying duties and taxes when you import your personal belongings if you stayed in a non-EU country for at least one year and you wish to transfer your primary residence to France.

Your personal belongings are exempt if you have used them privately for at least six months prior to the transfer of residence, regardless of how you acquired them: inclusive of tax or tax-free.

Please note: to qualify for an exemption, any customs duties and/or taxes on saddle animals (horses, donkeys, ponies, etc.), bicycles and motorbikes, private motor vehicles and their trailers, camping caravans, pleasure craft, and private airplanes must already have been paid in the country of origin.

The exemption does not apply to alcoholic products, tobacco and tobacco products, commercial means of transport, vehicles intended for mixed-use, mobile homes, articles for use in the exercise of a trade or profession other than portable instruments of the applied or liberal arts, stocks of raw materials and finished or semi-finished products.

Please note: employees of embassies and international organizations may be subject to different regimes and should contact the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs.

The specific cases of Saint Martin and Saint Barthélemy

Saint Martin is part of the customs territory of the European Union but remains excluded from the tax territory of the EU.
Since 1 January 2012, Saint Barthélemy has no longer been part of the EU customs territory.

Inasmuch as neither customs duties, VAT nor dock dues are payable within these islands or on items imported there, goods sent from these islands to another part of the EU customs territory are subject to all duties and taxes due.

Therefore, if you previously resided in Saint Martin or Saint Barthélemy and you transfer your principal residence to mainland France, any means of transport acquired on or imported into either of these two islands will be subject to effective duties and taxes (based on their origin) when they are imported into mainland France.

Specific terms

  • You must transfer your property to France within 12 months from the date of transfer of your residence.
  • You may import your property all at once or in several stages. In the latter case, the inventory provided to French Customs for the first import must include all belongings for which an exemption is being requested.
  • You may not divest yourself (sale or rental, loan, pledge, etc.) of any exempt belongings within 12 months of the date of their entry into France.

Documents to provide to French Customs

  • A detailed, estimated inventory (dated, signed and in two copies) of the belongings and household items you wish to import.
  • Cerfa form 10070  [www.formulaires.modernisation.gouv.fr] for declaration of duty-free entry into France of personal property from non-EU countries if you import goods constituting means of transport and/or valuable belongings and household items.
  • Any documentation proving that:
    • Your primary residence was in a non-EU country.
    • You are moving to France (change of residence certificate, transfer order for French civil servants and members of the military, residency card, immigration card, etc.).

In exchange French Customs will give you:

  • A stamped copy of the inventory.
  • A copy of Certificate 846A, so that you can register your vehicle with a standard registration number.
  • A free circulation card, which can be drawn up at your request.

Travel Insurance

https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/europe-travel-insurance/france/

What is France Travel Visa Insurance?

Travel Medical Insurance is one of the main requirements for a visa to France. It is a type of health insurance in France for foreigners that enter the country for short-stays and it covers all types of medical emergencies.

France Visa Insurance Requirements

Medical insurance for the French visa must meet the following criteria:

  • Minimum coverage of at least 30,000 EUR (equivalent to 34,000 USD).
  • It should cover not only France but all member states of the Schengen Area.
  • Cover any expenses which might arise in connection with repatriation for medical reasons, urgent health attention and/or emergency hospital treatment or death.

Medical Insurance policies for traveling to France that fulfill France Visa requirements can be purchased online on AXA website or Europ Assistance.

Long term Visa checklist

Source: https://www.schengenvisainfo.com/france-visa/general-requirements/

 

General Requirements to Apply for French Visa

Whenever you apply for any type of French Visa, regardless of the purpose of your travel and regardless of French visa type you intend to apply for, you will be required to meet the following general or common requirements of the French Visa application procedure, together with specific ones, as aforesaid:

Set Up An Appointment with the French Diplomatic Office

Reservation of an appointment with the French Diplomatic Office is the first thing to do before visiting the diplomatic office since in this appointment, you will be actually submitting your visa application package.

*Note: Make sure to arrive at the French Diplomatic Office at least 15 minutes earlier to your appointment, and do not bring other people with you. It is not allowed to accompany others, only when they are children below the age of 18, or, individuals who need special assistance (people with health problems or disabilities). If you do not make it to appear in time, you cannot reschedule the same appointment and you can schedule a new one only after a day (24 hrs). If you are applying as a family, each family member must schedule its own individual appointment.

And submit the following general required documents to the relevant French Embassy or Consulate:

A Duly Completed Application Form

Download The France Schengen Visa application form. It can be filled out in a printed version, or electronically and printed after that. In both cases, it needs to be signed by the applicant in order to be considered authentic. Get detailed instructions on how to accurately fill the application form!

*Note: If the applicant is under the age of 18, parents or guardian is the authorized person to sign the application form.

Two Recently Made Passport Photos

Understand which are French Visa Photo Requirements and other Specifications.

A Valid Passport

The Passport of the visa applicant must be valid at least three months beyond the return date, as well as it needs to have at least two blank pages.

*Note: Rules of entry and stay in France might change depending on if you possess a regular, diplomatic or an official duty passport

Proof of the Applicant’s Address

A copy of the lease agreement or deed of apartment/house. Bills such as electricity, water, cable, or, other regular bills are accepted

A Proof of A Booked Round-Trip Flight Ticket with Travel Itinerary

The French diplomatic office will only require you to present a copy of a booked round-trip flight ticket, instead of buying the actual flight ticket before obtaining the visa. This document must involve information about the airline company, your name and identity details, destinations, flight number, days, and hours.

*Tip: Save your money from buying a costly flight ticket to France, by knowing How to Book a Flight Itinerary for France’s Visa Application.

*Note: The French Embassy or Consulate might require you to present the actual round-trip flight ticket at the moment of issuing a French Visa.

Proof of A Travel Visa Insurance

A confirming document offering the information that you have at your disposition at least 30,000€ coverage within France and the entire Schengen Area for any of your unanticipated cases of emergency during your stay in the Schengen Area. Understand more about Schengen Travel Insurance Requirements and what sort of emergency costs it covers.

Covering Letter

A one or two-page document signed by the applicant, stating the purpose of your visit to France, including the travel program. This is a separate written or printed sheet, where you include information about the days of travel, about means of transportation, destinations, addresses, and so on.

*Note: If the applicant is a businessman or self-employed when applying for a tourist visa, a covering letter can be required on company letterhead.

Proof of A Booked Accommodation

Proof of A Booked Accommodation for the Period of Stay in France. Learn How to get Hotel Booking or Reservation for France Visa Application.

Proof of the Civil Status

Marriage certificate, child’s birth certificate, spouse’s death certificate, ration card if applicable.

Means of Subsistence

Proof of sufficient means to cope with the living costs during for the period of stay. Learn more about the Means of Subsistence for France and other Schengen Countries.

Visa Application Fee

A fee applies to each applicant who submits a French visa application. Learn more about French Visa Fees.

**Note: The signed application form must be accompanied by the rest of the above-mentioned required documents and handed personally at the French embassy/consulate or its representative in your home country.

Fulfilling visa requirements, set by the relevant French embassy or Consulate, is highly important. Make sure to provide all the information and documents necessary since this might lead to an unsuccessful visa application, postponement or rejection.

Also, it is important to remember that depending on the personal situation and status of the applicant, additional or other specific visa application criteria for a French visa might apply.

Attention! Please consult the Embassy of France in your country for the updated France Visa requirements!

Recommended to read: How to Find Cheap Flights to France and other European Countries

 

STEP 1 – Gather information on your situation https://france-visas.gouv.fr/web/france-visas/depot-et-traitement-de-la-demande Seek information and check if you require a visa or not This portal helps you assemble the information you will need before submitting your visa application online. The visa wizard will help you determine, depending on your situation, the visa requirements to which…

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