NEW : New long stay visas equivalent to a residence permit As from June the 1st 2009, holders of long stay visas for France (3 months +) will be exempted from applying for a residence permit (carte de sejour) at the Prefecture.

Who does it concern ?
Are affected by this reform: spouses of French Nationals, visitors, students, employees temporary workers.

Scope of application: Those provisions apply to the French Departements (France and its overseas departments) and St Pierre and Miquelon. They do not apply for stays in New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna and Mayotte.

What it means: As the holder of a long stay visa, you not longer need to apply for a residence permit at the Prefecture. At the time of visa application, the applicant must enclose the « attestation OFII », document that will then need to be posted within 3 months of arrival in France to the local “Delegation territoriale de l’OFII” - Addresses can be found at the back of the Attestation OFII or online at website of the OFII.
Note that this registration process is compulsory and non-compliance will result in the person being considered illegal by the French Authorities. Holders of those visas are free to travel in all Schengen States for stay up to 3 months within the validity of the visa. Processing delays of at least a week (depending of the nationality and the purpose of the stay).

What does not change: The application form; The supporting documents.

These terms do not apply to young Canadians travelling to France as part of the French-Canadian Youth Exchange.

Except if they are citizens of a country member of the European Union (see list), spouses of French citizens need to obtain a long stay visa if they want to stay in France for more than 90 days, whatever the purpose of the stay (work, study, etc.).

Procedure

A long stay visa allows the bearer to apply, within 2 months after arrival in France, to apply for a residence permit ("carte de séjour") to the local Préfecture.

Documents required

Please note that the photocopies as well as the originals are mandatory. If they are missing, your file will be considered incomplete. If for a special reason you don't have the original, submit two photocopies of the copy you have. The consulate will stamp these documents and return them so that you can take them on the trip to France.

2 long stay application forms.The form(s) must be completely and neatly filled out. Do not leave anything blank. If there is something that does not apply to you, write N/A - for "not applicable". Don't forget to sign them and to glue on each form one recent, original identity picture cut to the size indicated.

Your original passport. It must be valid for at least 1 year after the arrival in France. Make sure you have signed it.

Your Permanent Resident Card. Write its number and validity on the short stay visa application form section 18.

1 recent color photo, format 35mm x 45mm, with a clear plain background. The height must be between 31.5mm and 36mm from chin to crown. The person’s head must be full front view centered in the middle of the photograph. Photos with hat, caps, sunglasses, etc. will not be accepted nor digitized photos. This photo will be scanned in the visa. This photo will be scanned in the visa.

2 photocopies of the spouse's French passport or of the "Carte nationale d'identité" or "Certificat de nationalité française" for French citizens.

2 photocopies of the marriage certificate registered at the spouse's European Consulate or of the "livret de famille" for French citizens.

Do not fax anything to the French Consulate. Incomplete applications will be returned by courier service at your own expense.

Fees

NONE. The visa application is free of charge.

Time process

It usually takes between 2 and 15 working days to process the visa application, depending on your nationality. Find out how long it will take for you by sending an e-mail to
visas@consulfrance-vancouver.org . State your nationality and status in Canada.