How to apply for a French visa as a US citizen

If you're coming to France to live, or for a visit lasting 90 days, it's likely that you will need a visa if you are American.

Here is our guide to the steps you need to take: 

General rules 

You must apply for the visa before travelling to France, rather than arriving in France and then making the application.

All applications must be first made online via the France-Visas page. 

Almost all Americans wanting to stay longer than 90 days will need a visa - including those married to French citizens - but the exception is those who have dual nationality with an EU country.

The type of visa that you need will depend on whether you intend to live in France or just pay long visits and what you intend to do here (work, study, retire etc).

Fortunately, the online portal has a helpful little tool called the visa wizard - you tell it your personal circumstances and it tells you the type of visa you need.

For the most part, there is no need to translate documents into French.

You can find more details on the main visa types below.

The process

Step one involves heading to the Visa wizard HERE and filling out a questionnaire. You will be asked to provide details like your age, whether or not you are married to a French person, and what you will be doing in France and the wizard then tells you whether you need a visa and if so what type. 

Next it's time to get the paperwork together. Everyone applying for a visa to come to France must have the following before beginning the online application: a travel document (ie passport) less than 10 years old with two blank pages and a validity that stretches at least three months longer than the expiration date of the visa; two ID pictures in ISO/IECI format and various supporting documents. The exact documents that you need depend on the type of visa you are applying for (more details below).

Once you have all your paperwork together, then you make the application online HERE.

Following the online application, you will need to have a face-to-face appointment with a private company called VFS - there are 9 VFS branches in the USA; Washington DC, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, so depending on where you live this could involve a long journey. 

You should make sure that your face-to-face meeting is booked at least one month before your date of departure to France. Applications cannot be made more than three months before the departure date.

VFS charges a $38 administrative fee. You will also need to pay a fee for the visa itself and the price varies depending on your reasons for travel. 

Once the visa is issued - and processing times vary with the pandemic having an effect - you can travel to France.

That's not the end of the paperwork, however. As a general rule (although this depends on the visa type) you must validate your visa within three months of arriving in France, via this online portal - you may also be required to pay a visit to your local Préfecture and undertake a medical examination.

If you fail to doing so, you may be breaking the law, so when your visa arrives make sure you check carefully the requirements. 

The majority of visas last one year, so after that time you will also need to apply for a new visa or apply for residency, depending on your plans.

You eventually become entitled to apply for permanent residency in France after five years of living in the country continuously, and you can also apply for French citizenship after five years of residency. 

Visa types

Below is an approximate guide to the documents you will need to provide. But be sure to check the requirements for your precise situation via the online visa wizard. 

Working in France

If you plan to work in France for a period more than 90 days, you will need to provide extra documentation.

The cost of the one-year visa is €99 ($112). You may need proof of a clean criminal record. 

Depending on what kind of economic activity you will be doing, you may need to have international health insurance - which can be cancelled once you have enrolled in the French social security system. 

What extra documentation you require to apply for a visa depends on your personal situation: whether or not you have been recruited by a French company, intend to set up your own business, or are part of a religious order.

If you have already been recruited by a French company, you will need them to provide you with a work permit and the company may also need to sponsor your visa application. If you are moving to and intend to find work once you are here, you don't need such a permit. 

If you plan to start a business, you will need to provide a written presentation of your project, your business plan and a multi-annual estimated budget - and that is just the start. 

Certain professions like doctors and teachers need to meet extra requirements and you may also have to apply to have your professional qualifications recognised in France. 

To find out exactly what documents you need to provide, fill out the simulator here. 

Retiring in France

Most people who move to France post-retirement, apply for a one-year visitor visa.

This is also the visa used by people staying in France for tourism for a period of more 90 days. The cost is €99 ($112) and you are not allowed to work while here on a visitor visa.

You need to prove that you have the financial resources to support yourself - this can either be income such as a pension or savings.

You must be earning more than the French minimum wage - €1,269 post-tax - every month. If you’re using savings, you need a year’s equivalent - €15,228 - in your bank account.

You need proof of accommodation in France: property title deed, tenancy agreement or any other supporting document. Or proof that accommodation will be provided by a person residing in France, or if not, a document explaining the accommodation arrangements planned for France.

You also need health insurance that covers you in France, covering any possible costs for medical repatriation, and emergency and/or hospital treatment, for a minimum amount of €30,000.

This insurance must valid in France for the whole stay - but can be cancelled once you have registered with the State health system, which is free and will cover the majority of medical costs. Anyone living or working in France has the right to do this after 90 days in the country and must fill in the following form (although it can take up to 6 months for your application to be processed).

Studying in France

If you are applying as a student, you will only need to pay €50 for the visa. 

You will need to show that you are financially secure. This means you must either present a scholarship certificate or 3 bank statements showing availability of at least €615 per month. 

You will also need to create an account on EEF-Pastel and generate a pre-registration certificate with your personal EEF number, showing that you are enrolled in a French education establishment.

The law authorises foreign students to work 964 hours per year. Part-time work will not be sufficient to cover all your expenses and should be considered as a secondary source of income.

Some students, such as those coming to France for internships, also need to take out an international health insurance policy. This can be cancelled once you have enrolled in the French social security system. 

Au Pair visa

If you plan to come to France as an Au Pair - proving low-cost childcare to a family while also learning French - you will need to have an au pair placement agreement (pdf) setting out your working conditions, your pay and the arrangements for your French classes.

You will also need to provide details of your accommodation and insurance arrangements. You need to prove that you have a basic knowledge of French, have attended secondary school or have a professional qualification. 

Spousal visa  

If you are married to a French person, you will still need to apply for a visa - although VFS fees aside, this is free. 

Along with all the usual documents, you will need: a full copy of a French marriage certificate, drawn up by a French town hall, or transcribed in the consular civil status registers for marriages outside France. You will also need proof of your spouse's French nationality. 

You do not need an international health insurance policy, but this may be a good idea until you are enrolled in the French social security system. 

If you are in a civil partnership, pacsé or otherwise living in a couple with a French citizen but are not legally married, you must apply for a regular visitor visa if you want to stay in France longer than 90 days. If you want the right to work in France and are pacsé with a French person, you can apply for a carte de séjour once you have arrived in the country. 

READ MORE Does it make financial sense to get married in France?

Spouses of non-French nationals who have obtained a visa to work in France can also apply for a visa to join them. This costs €99 (around $112). 

You will need to provide proof of your relationship to the person who has already received a visa - either a marriage or birth certificate. 

Once the application has been accepted by the police station, the consular services will contact you to issue your long-stay visa, which is valid for three months. You will then be issued with a residence permit which must be applied for at the police station in the département where you reside.

The family of those who have received a talent visa (see below) can also apply to join them. 

You do not need an international health insurance policy, but this may be a good idea until you are enrolled in the French social security system. 

Talent visa 

France also has a talent visa, typically costing €99 (about $112) available for certain people, including: investors, entrepreneurs, researchers, artists, professional athletes and people with an international reputation in their profession. 

These visas can be valid for a four-year period from the date of your arrival in France. Family members who join talent visa holders will also be issued multi-year visas. You and your family must visit your local prefecture in France to request a multi-year residence permit within three months of your arrival in France. 

READ MORE Talent passport: The little-known French visa that could make moving to France a lot easier

The supporting evidence you need depends on your situation. Scientists for example need a Convention d’Accueil signed by their host organisation. Investors will need to provide proof of an undertaking to create or safeguard jobs within four years of investing in French territory. Professional artists will need to provide evidence of their work. 

You do not need an international health insurance policy, but this may be a good idea until you are enrolled in the French social security system. 

Diplomats and employees of international organisation

If you plan to work in France as part of the diplomatic service, you will still need to apply for a visa and require a note from the Department of State or Department of Defense. 

If you work for an international institution such as the UN or the OECD, the organisation will need to provide you will a note verbale. 

Ordinarily, the diplomatic service or organisation you are working for will have covered you with international health insurance. 

Exemptions 

You do not need a visa if you are a foreign national who holds a long-term resident permit from another EU nation.

If you hold dual nationality with an EU country (or are a citizen of Iceland, Lichtenstein, Norway or Switzerland), you do not need to apply for a visa. 

Extra help and note of caution

VFS and the French consulate in Washington DC have warned that visa applications are suffering significant delays due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Also, check the latest travel restrictions between France and the USA, for more on this, click HERE. 

The above text provides approximate guidance. Be sure to check the online visa questionnaire provided by the French government for full details of your individual requirements. 

If you are already in France and worried about your visa situation, you can contact the French government's support unit, known as the Directorate-General for Foreign Nationals in France. You can call 0806 001 620 or email [email protected]. 

You can also contact the US Embassy and Consulate - although they will likely redirect you to the France-Visas service of the French government.