In short: To study in France as an international student you apply for: Long-stay student visa valid as residence permit (VLS-TS etudiant). Create an account and complete the long stay student visa application online on France-Visas, then submit the file at your local visa centre. Student visa processing fee EUR 50, charged in local currency by mission (e.g. 201 AED in UAE); some scholarship holders exempt. No fixed processing time is published; waiting times for appointments and processing vary by country and time of year, and you can apply up to six months before departure. Every line on this page was read on an official page, which is linked beside it; the facts were last checked on 14 October 2026.
| Visa or permit | Long-stay student visa valid as residence permit (VLS-TS etudiant) |
|---|---|
| Application fee | EUR 50 (uae.campusfrance.org) |
| Money to show | EUR 877.5 per month (from 1 August 2026, previously 615) (service-public.gouv.fr) |
| Processing time | No fixed processing time is published; waiting times for appointments and processing vary by country and time of year, and you can apply up to six months before departure. (pk.diplomatie.gouv.fr) |
| Where you apply | Create an account and complete the long stay student visa application online on France-Visas, then submit the file at your local visa centre. (pk.diplomatie.gouv.fr) |
| Last checked |
Authority: France-Visas / French consulates; Campus France (Etudes en France); Ministry of the Interior (validation). Official portal: France-Visas.
Registration or pre-registration in a higher education institution; 72 countries apply through Etudes en France.
Source: service-public.gouv.fr · checked on
The EU Immigration Portal page for France names what you must show for the student long-stay visa. Its money figure is out of date: service-public.gouv.fr gives EUR 877.50 a month from 1 August 2026 (the money fact on this page). The detailed list of papers for your consulate is on France-Visas, which the French Government's own page (service-public.gouv.fr) tells you to consult.
Source: home-affairs.ec.europa.eu · checked on
admission or pre-registration is required.
Source: service-public.gouv.fr · checked on
Resources of at least EUR 877.50 per month, raised from EUR 615 on 1 August 2026.
Source: service-public.gouv.fr · checked on
Student visa processing fee EUR 50, charged in local currency by mission (e.g. 201 AED in UAE); some scholarship holders exempt. Etudes en France fee is separate.
Source: uae.campusfrance.org · checked on
| Charge | Amount | What the official page says | Source, checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa fee (government) | EUR 50 | Student visa processing fee EUR 50, charged in local currency by mission (e.g. 201 AED in UAE); some scholarship holders exempt. Etudes en France fee is separate. | uae.campusfrance.org, 15 September 2026 |
Create an account and complete the long stay student visa application online on France-Visas, then submit the file at your local visa centre.
France-Visas: france-visas.gouv.fr · form: Long-stay visa application (VLS-TS étudiant)
Source: pk.diplomatie.gouv.fr · checked on
You track the application on France-Visas after submitting it at the visa centre.
Official tracking page: france-visas.gouv.fr
Source: pk.diplomatie.gouv.fr · checked on
No fixed processing time is published; waiting times for appointments and processing vary by country and time of year, and you can apply up to six months before departure.
Source: pk.diplomatie.gouv.fr · checked on
France-Visas tells you when your passport is ready and how to collect it.
Source: pk.diplomatie.gouv.fr · checked on
Students register with French student social security.
Source: campusfrance.org · checked on
Students may work 964 hours per year (about 20 hours per week).
Source: campusfrance.org · checked on
Within 3 months of arrival, validate the VLS-TS online and pay a EUR 100 tax by fiscal stamps.
Source: service-public.gouv.fr · checked on
We did not find these on the official pages we read for France: the processing time, a language requirement, fingerprints and photo, a police certificate, a medical examination. That means "not stated on the pages we read", not "not required": ask the authority above, or check the official portal, before you apply.
The official pages say more for applicants in: Pakistan.
ForiForeign prepares your student visa application with you and guides you through each step: the documents, the forms and the order to do them in. You file the application yourself with the authority named above, and that authority decides. ForiForeign is not a visa office or an agent of France, and no one can promise a visa. Rules, fees and dates change: confirm each one on the official page linked beside it before you pay or travel.
The same facts for software and AI assistants: /facts/visa/fr.json.
ForiForeign.com · admin@foriforeign.com · WhatsApp +92 310 5048760 · Information drawn from official sources shown on each rule; not legal advice.
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