French Visas: A Look At Visas For Those Coming To France

France is a popular destination for expats. If you are looking to move to France and plan on applying for legal residency you will need to be certain that you obtain the correct visa before you leave. You will discover that there are different types of French visas and not applying for the correct one can definitely disrupt your plans.

It is important to ensure that the French visa that you apply for covers the entire length of your planned stay in France. This is vitally important as visas are only valid for the amount of time that is specified on the visa. The time period actually upon your arrival in the country.

Your visa for France must be applied for and obtained before you leave your country and get within the borders of France. If you end up with the incorrect visa and do not notice it until you are already within the borders of France you will not be able to change the visa. Instead, you will need to leave France and return back to your home country so that you can apply for the correct visa. Then, once you get that visa you can return back to France. For this reason, it is always a good idea to double check your visa before you set out for France.

There are currently six different types of French visas that you can apply to receive. The six types are:

short stay visa
long stay visa
temporary long stay visa
short stay student examination visa
circulation visa
transit visa

The short stay visa called visa de court séjour. It is valid for a maximum period of three months. If you obtain this visa in France, note that it is also valid for all other member countries of the Schengen area. This means that if you hold this visa that you are free to travel about all of the Schengen countries. However, remember that if you travel to a country that is not part of the Schengen area, like the United Kingdom, you will actually need to get yourself a multiple entry short term visa. That way your movement and re-entries will be legal.

The long stay visa is called visa de long séjour. It is valid for long stays. Long stays are defined as stay that last from three to six months in length. Note that if you are granted a visa de long séjour then you are required to apply for a temporary stay permit, or carte de séjour temporaire, once you arrive in the country. Once you get your carte de séjour temporaire you will notice that is lists your status while in France. It will say one of the following:

visitor (visiteur)
student (étudiant)
for private or family purposes (vie privée et familiale)
employee (salarié)

The temporary long stay visa is called visa long séjour temporaire de six mois. It is valid for long stays that last up to six months in length. The difference between this permit and the long stay visa is that you are not required to obtain a temporary stay permit with this visa.

The short stay student examination visa is called Etudiant-concours. This visa is valid only for students. And to qualify you have to be enrolled in a university, which is contingent upon an examination in France. And a temporary stay permit will have to be applied for if the exam is successful.

The circulation visa is called a visa de circulation. While this visa is valid for a period of one to five years, it only allows for stays in France lasting up to three months. Additionally, these stays can only occur once every 180 days. Basically, that means for a one year period you can only stay in France for a total of six months.

The transit visa is called a visa de transit aéroportuaire. While it does not have a valid time limit period, it is only available to people that are moving through France from a one country to another. Be warned though that processing times for this type of visa are typically pretty long.