Student Visa Application Guide (VLS-TS)
After completing your pre-consular visa application on the Etudes en France platform, you can proceed to apply for your long-stay student visa online!
(Video tutorials below)
The academic year starts in September or October, depending on the institution.
Enrolling in a programme that starts after the standard Rentrée in France (in January, February, etc.) is strongly discouraged!
Such programmes can cause problems for obtaining a long-stay student visa.
Digitisation of the visa application procedure
Since April 7, the France-Visas application offers a new service to international students by allowing to submit digital copies of their supporting document during the completion of their online visa application.
The new service is available to international students living in a country where the visa application is outsourced (Capago) and available online. This service helps accelerate the transfer to the outsourced service provider.
Digital visa application prerequisites
To complete a digital visa application, you must comply with the following conditions:
- Be an international student applying for studies in France;
- Apply for a long-stay visa for studies only; and
- Live in a country including an outsourced service provider collecting visa applications.
Online visa application steps
If you comply with the prerequisites, you may apply for a student visa by completing the following four steps:
- Complete your online visa application on France-Visas and transfer your documents;
- Book an appointment and submit your passport and completed form, in person, at the Capago office;
- Follow your online application on the Capago website; and
- Collect your passport when it's ready!
Student Visa Checklist
- ID Photograph (a European-size passport-style headshot photograph, 3.5 cm by 4.5 cm, in colour, against a uniform and clear background).
- Passport
- University acceptance letter
- EEF Admission Certificate (Accord préalable d'Inscription)
- EEF number (ZA21-XXXXX-PXX)
- Proof of accommodation in France
- Proof of sufficient funds for your time in France (the equivalent of 615€ per month for the duration of your stay in France)
- Visa application form (completed)
- France-Visas receipt (generated by the France-Visas platform when you complete the visa application online)
- *For non-South African citizens, proof of legal status in South Africa
Please note that the requirements are subject to change.
Students should always follow the checklist generated by France-Visas, which may include additional documents not listed here. This article serves an explanatory purpose to help students understand the items they will see on the France-Visas checklists.
The academic year starts in September or October, depending on the institution.
Enrolling in a programme that starts after the standard Rentrée in France (in January, February, etc.) is strongly discouraged!
Such programmes can cause problems for obtaining a long-stay student visa.
