Immigration
Apply for a long-stay visa
visa de long séjour (type D)
A type D visa sticker that lets you enter France and stay for more than 3 months, up to a year. It is issued before you travel, by the French consular authorities.
Yes, if you are non-European and plan to stay longer than 3 months. EU nationals and Andorran, Monegasque, San Marino and Vatican nationals are exempt.
Before you leave, and no earlier than 3 months before your planned departure.
Online through France-Visas, to the French consulate or embassy for the country you live in. Students from 72 listed countries go through the Études en France platform instead.
A visa fee applies. It varies by country, and France-Visas publishes the rate for the post you apply to.
- If the visa is granted, it is a sticker in your passport valid for 4 to 12 months depending on the type.
- If it is marked VLS-TS you validate it online within 3 months of arriving; otherwise you apply for a residence permit at the préfecture to stay on.
- A refusal can be challenged with the consulate, or before the CRRV commission, which is a required step before an administrative judge.
A long-stay visa is not renewed. Staying past it means applying for a residence permit in France.