How To Move To France Video #2: Do I Need A Visa?
If you want to live in France, the first thing you need to do is figure out whether or not you need a visa. In this video I talk about who needs a visa and which one to get if you plan to live in France. Not visit but actually “LIVE” in France. it will demystify a lot of things for you.
Even if you don’t ever plan to move abroad and are just a curious armchair traveler, you can and should watch this video series. I’ve tried to make this equal parts entertaining and educational so that anyone can watch it. I share all my personal experience with you and will leave no stone un-turned.
If you haven’t already, please go see Part 1 of this series titled “How to Move To France video Series #1: Introduction. If you’re curious about life in France, I have another video series where my family and I share what it’s like. You can find all the videos at the “our Life Abroad” Section of the site.
Mentioned in this video
Short Stay 90 days or less –
Citizens of the following countries DO NOT need a visa to visit France for 90 days or less.
USA, Canada, Member states of the European Union
Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bermuda, Brazil, Brunei, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Uruguay, Venezuela.
Citizens of all other countries will need to apply for a visa just to step foot in France for one day. Sorry China, Thailand, Vietnam and more. I know, it’s not fair.
Long Stay: 90 days or more-
If you plan to stay in France for 90 days or more, you will need to apply for a “LONG STAY VISA”. This applies to EVERYONE unless………… you are a citizen of a country which is a member State of the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland, Monaco and Andorra.
What Does The Long Stay Visa Allow You To Do?
My family has a long stay visa to live in France for one year. We have the option to renew if we like for another year which we plan to do. A long stay visa does not allow you to work or study legally in France. You will have to apply for a different visa to do that. In the video I discus the reasons.
How To Apply For A Long Stay Visa To Stay in France. ( Called “Carte de Séjour” in French).
Step one: Find the website of the French consulate nearest your place of residency.
I’ve listed out how to find the one nearest you below after this set of directions.
Step two: Navigate to the Visa section of the consulates website.
Step three: If you don’t speak French, you can translate the entire website to your home countries language. In some cases the home country language is not available. Instead, English is available.
Step three: Look for a download link that says Long stay visa for non professional purpose “visitor visa” or something similar. ( this is the one located on the Washington D.C. French embassies site.
*Note:
* The application will be in French. There is usually a translated application in English or your home country for you to download. You CANNOT use the non French version to apply. It is only there for you so you can understand the requirements.
* You must apply apply for a long stay visa by applying at the nearest French Embassy / Consulate in your home country. You cannot apply while in France or abroad. This information is stated directly on the French Embassies website.
Next Week I will go over each section of the visa application and show you how to fill it out even if you don’t speak french. I’ll also start diving into the requirements. Eventually we’ll get to the all important “MONEY” part. So stay tuned.
Below: List of French Embassies and Consulates In the World
Follow the directions in video to learn where to get the application.
All French Embassies In The World
Here are the French Embassies in Canada
Below are the US Embassies and Consulates
Click on the one that is nearest you.
Atlanta
Service area: Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee.
Location: Prominence in Buckhead, Suite 1840, 3475 Piedmont Rd., NE
Atlanta, GA 30305, USA
Phone: (404) 495-1660 ; Fax: (404) 495-1661
Boston
Service area: Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont.
Location: Park Square Building, Suite 750
31 Saint James Avenue
Boston, MA 02116, USA
Phone: (617) 542-7374 ; Fax: (617) 542-8054
Chicago
Service area: North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Wisconsin.
Location: Olympia Center, 737 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 2020
Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA
Phone: (312) 787-5359 /60 /61 and 787-5385
Fax: (312) 664-4196
Honolulu- No website listed you will need to call
Service area: Hawaii and the Pacific Islands under U.S. jurisdiction.
Location: 2 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 300
500 Ala Moana Boulevard
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813, USA
Phone: (808) 599-4458 /59 /60 ; Fax: (808) 599-4751 ;
Houston
Service area: Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas.
Location: 777 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 600
Houston, TX 77056, USA
Phone: (713) 572-2799 and 572-0654
Fax: (713) 572-2904
Los Angeles
Service area: Arizona, California (Mono, Inyo, Kings, San Luis Obispo, Kern, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, Imperial and San Diego Counties), Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada (Clark, Lincoln, Nye, Esmeralda and Mineral Counties).
Location: 10990 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 300
Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA
Phone: (310) 235-3250 ; Fax: (310) 479-4813
Miami
Service area: Florida, Bahamas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Cayman Islands.
Location: Biscayne Tower, 2 South Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 1710
Miami, FL 33131, USA
Phone: (305) 372-9798 /99 ; Fax: (305) 372-9549
New Orleans
Service area: Louisiana.
Location: Amoco Building 1340 Poydras Street, Suite 1710
New Orleans, ÊLA 70112, USA
Phone: (504) 523-5772 ; Fax: (504) 523-5725
New York
Service area: Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Bermuda.
Location: 934 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10017, USA
Visa section: 10 East 74th Street, New York , NY 10021, USA
Phone: (212) 606-3644 ; Recorded information: (212) 606-3688
Fax: (212) 606-3670
San Francisco
Service area: Alaska, California (except for Mono, Inyo, Kings, San Luis Obispo, Kern, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Orange, Riverside, Imperial and San Diego Counties), Idaho, Montana, Nevada (except for Clark, Lincoln, Nye, Esmeralda and Mineral Counties), Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming.
Location: 540 Bush Street
San Francisco, CA 94108, USA
Phone: (415) 397-4330 ; Fax: (415) 433-8357
Visas only: (415) 616-4910 ; Fax: 397-7843
San Juan, P.R.- No website found you will have to call
Service area: Puerto Rico & Vieques, U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, Turks & Cayman Islands, Anguilla, Caicos Islands, Montserrat.
Location: Mercantile Plaza, Suite 720, Ponce de Leon Avenue
Stop 27-1/2, Hato Rey, Puerto Rico
Phone: (809) 753-1700 /01
Washington, D.C.
Service area: Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia.
Offices are open to the public from 8:45am to 12:45pm on weekdays.
Location: 4101 Reservoir Road N.W.
Washington, DC 20007, USA
Phone: Embassy: (202) 944-6000 ; Consulate: (202) 944-6200 ;
Fax: Embassy: (202) 944-6072 ; Consulate: (202) 944-6212
If you have any questions about this process feel free to ask by leaving a comment below.
You give some great directions on how to get a visa. With this information, I think anyone can take this necessary step. You could use this information to get long or short term visas too.
I’ve had to get several visas for short term traveling through some countries in Asia and the process to get them is about the same as the one you outlined here. The Chinese visa was particularly tough because I forgot to include a self addressed stamped envelope with the materials I sent them. I actually called the consulate and talked to someone who barely spoke English and I told them what happened. It was an easy fix.
Steve recently posted..How to Turn Anything Into a Passion in 4 Steps
Steve,
Interesting about the self addressed stamped envelope. Beauracracy, one little slip up and it can cause a delay and unforeseeable events.
Wow – this is so incredibly packed with information! What an excellent resource for folks looking to live abroad in France. Even if they’ve got their sights set on another European country, I bet this is a great primer to give them an idea of what to expect. Thanks for providing all these details. I’ll definitely be referring expat aspiring friends!
Sarah O recently posted..Fasting And Detox Part 4: Nourish Your Spirit And Emotions
Wow! There is some great information here Annie! I have always wanted to travel to Europe but I wasn’t exactly sure where I wanted to go. You are making this decision much easier for me! I will try to keep up with some of your other posts related to France as well. Thank you so much for the information and keep it up!
Walter Martin recently posted..Patio Furniture Sale at Target This Weekend – February 25 Deals on Wicker and Metal Outdoor Living Room Sets
What a great video Annie, you’ve really provided some gems here.
I’m getting a real lesson here even if I don’t intend to move to another country. I’m finding this so fascinating.
Off to your life abroad video.
Adrienne recently posted..Why You Should Go For No
Yeah, i’m so glad to hear that. my biggest concern was that i wanted to make this NOT boring. i.e. interestin even for people not wanting to move to France. thanks for all your feedback. If ever you have any questions please let me know so that i can perhaps make a post or video out of them Adrienne.
Salut
Annie Andre recently posted..Adventures In France #2: One Day In Marseille + Why We Moved To France
My wife is always jealous cause having a US passport means I don’t need a VISA most of the time. So I guess I’ll have to leave her home when I visit!
Benny recently posted..18 Achievers Talk the Power of Goal Setting
Yeah Benny you should do that if you want to get divorced. LOL
Hi Annie, thanks for this! I actually had no idea that the “long-stay visa” existed. Can I ask you a couple questions?
1) Being unable to study – does that mean only studying at the university level? Or does it also preclude, for example, taking French classes at a language school?
2) Does the no-study rule also mean you’re homeschooling your kids?
Thanks in advance
It’s my husband’s dream to live in France someday, so I’m eating up all this info!
Brasilicana recently posted..Brazil Mystery #5: Our Lady of Mini-Skirts
Brasilicana,
Great questions i’ll clarify on my next post about filling out and fullfilling the application requirements in regards to schooling.
For now i will answer very briefly.
1) with a long stay visa you cannot study at an accredited university like Sorbonne. However you can study at most language schools. just don’t choose one that lasts for more than 90 days unless you have the long stay visa.
2) The no study rule only applies to me and my husband. My minor children have the right to attend public or private school since we live legally on french soil for as long as our visas are good. It is free for them to attend.
The best part is school is free at the preschool age too. In the us you would have to pay. In Canada it’s almost free.
If you or your husband have anymore questions please let me know. I’ll do my best to answer them.
Annie Andre recently posted..Adventures In France #1: Life Abroad Will Be Miserable Unless You Do This One Thing
This is great information Annie. I am not planning on living in France right NOW, but you never know that could change overnight.
Meg | One Love Meg recently posted..Music Movement Monday: Adele
Hi Meg, i’ve been talking to other people who live in different countries and a lot of what i talk about can apply to most countries. Names, places are different. Plus people who don’t ever plan on moving to france ask me how we did it all the time so in the least i hope it quels peoples curiosity.
Annie Andre recently posted..Adventures In France #2: One Day In Marseille + Why We Moved To France