The French Long-Stay Visa: Types, Requirements and How to Apply

Why the type matters

US citizens need a long-stay visa (visa de long séjour, VLS-TS) to live in France for more than 90 days. The type you apply for governs what you may do once you arrive, and changing it later is harder than choosing correctly now.

Most long-stay visas are issued as a VLS-TS — a visa that doubles as a residence permit once validated. Validation happens online within 3 months of arrival, and skipping it leaves you without legal status even though the visa itself is valid.

A second format, the temporary long-stay visa (VLS-T), is for a stay that will not be extended. It is a format rather than a route of its own: Campus France states that the student VLS-T lasts 4 to 12 months and cannot be renewed.

The main categories

Every long-stay applicant lands in one of a handful of categories, and the category decides what you may do once you arrive: work, study, or neither. Read the five below against your own plan rather than your hopes. If you will be earning in France in any way, the visitor route is not yours; if a French employer or institution is involved, the paperwork starts on their side before it starts on yours. Several narrower official categories exist too — intern, temporary and seasonal worker, posted employee, entrepreneur — but these five are the main ones.

VisitorVLS-TS visiteur

for those who will not work in France. Retirees and people living on savings or pensions; whether it covers remote work for a foreign employer is contested, and the visitor guide sets out where that stands

WorkVLS-TS salarié

requires a French job offer, and the employer must obtain the autorisation de travail before you apply

Talent Passport

highly-skilled workers, researchers, founders and investors. Valid up to 4 years, with salary thresholds set by ministerial order

StudentVLS-TS étudiant

enrollment at a French institution, after the Campus France step below, with work permitted up to 964 hours a year

Spouse / family

spouses of French or EU/EEA residents, and family reunification

Students start with Campus France

Once admitted to a program in France, US students must complete the Campus France “Études en France” pre-consular application before applying for the student visa. Campus France USA reviews that application; the visa application itself then goes through France-Visas and the consulate. You can book the visa appointment once Campus France confirms it has processed your Études en France file.

A program shorter than 90 days needs neither a student visa nor the Études en France step.

• The Études en France application, reviewed by Campus France USA — with an application fee shown on the Campus France USA site
• The visa application on France-Visas, reviewed by the consulate — its appointment booked only after Campus France’s confirmation
• Proof of resources of at least €877.50 a month from August 1, 2026, up from €615

How to apply, step by step

The application is made from the United States and runs in the same order for every category. The sections below go into each part; this is the sequence, so you can see where you are. Students have one step before it: the Campus France application described above.

1. 1Choose the category that matches what you will do in France: work, study, or neither
2. 2Complete the long-stay application on France-Visas, then print and sign it
3. 3Book a biometric appointment at a TLScontact center, which handles visa intake in the US for the French consulate
4. 4Hand over the file at the appointment, no earlier than 3 months and no later than 15 days before you travel, and pay the €99 visa fee and the TLScontact service fee of about €220
5. 5Wait for the decision: France-Visas gives an official baseline of roughly 15 working days to 2 months
6. 6After you arrive, validate the visa online on the ANEF portal within 3 months

Validation is what makes it a residence permit

Most VLS-TS holders must validate online within 3 months of arrival, through the ANEF portal. This is the step that turns the visa into a residence permit for its first year.

Under Article 128 of the loi de finances pour 2026, the validation tax for standard VLS-TS categories rose from €200 to €300, effective May 1, 2026. Some exemptions still apply — spouses of French nationals, certain scholarship holders — so confirm your category on the portal.

What every type has in common

Whichever category you land in, the consulate checks the same foundations first, and a file that fails one of them is refused before the category-specific documents are even read. Get these six settled before you think about anything else. The one that surprises people most is the first: the application is made from the United States, through France-Visas and the consulate that covers your state, and cannot be started after you arrive.

• Apply from the US, through France-Visas and a TLScontact appointment — never after arriving
• Passport valid 6+ months beyond the intended stay
• Comprehensive health insurance covering the full stay, including repatriation and emergency care
• Proof of accommodation in France
• Proof of financial resources appropriate to the category
• Passport photos and the completed long-stay application

Documents every application needs

This is the physical file every applicant hands over at the biometric appointment. Two habits keep it out of trouble: start on the slow items first, because an FBI check or an apostille takes weeks while a photo takes an afternoon, and keep everything inside the submission window, since a statement or a certificate that has aged past three months is asked for again. The list is the same for every category; the category then adds its own items on top, covered in the next section.

• US passport issued within the last 10 years, valid at least 3 months beyond your stay — 6+ months is strongly recommended as a buffer for onward Schengen travel
• The France-Visas application, printed and signed, with a recent ICAO-compliant biometric photo
• Proof of financial means — typically 3 months of bank statements, at a level set by the category
• Insurance meeting the Schengen minimum of €30,000 for medical costs, repatriation and emergency care
• Proof of accommodation — a lease, a booking, or a signed attestation d’hébergement
• A biometric appointment at a TLScontact center — TLScontact replaced VFS Global as the US visa application center on April 18, 2025

Documents only some categories need

These vary by category and by consulate, which is why checklists found online disagree. Work from your own consulate’s list.

• FBI Identity History Summary with a State Department apostille — common for work, family and some visitor files, but not universal
• Birth certificate with apostille — typically family-based and naturalisation-track applications
• Marriage certificate with apostille, where relevant
• Transcripts and diplomas with apostille, for Talent Passport, work and student files
• Employment contract, secondment letter, or a school or university acceptance letter

What it actually costs

Two fees are fixed per applicant: the visa fee and the TLScontact service fee, which since the 2025 change of operator is the larger of the two. Everything else is priced per document: an apostille for each certificate and the FBI check, and, after arrival, a sworn translation of each certificate. Budget per document rather than per application, and add the optional extras only if you need them.

• Visa fee: €99 long-stay, €50 student, €90 short-stay — not refunded on a refusal
• TLScontact service fee: about €220 (around $235) for a long-stay visa, charged in dollars, paid online and not refunded if you cancel
• Apostille: roughly $20–40 per document. Sworn translation, after arrival: roughly $30–100 per page
• FBI background check: $18
• Optional TLScontact extras — priority slots, SMS tracking, courier return — are priced by center and do not speed up the decision