At a glance
If a French school or training provider has accepted you, you may be able to move to France to study. For a course lasting more than three months, most students who are not EU, EEA, or Swiss citizens start with a long-stay student visa. The visa may also serve as your first residence permit, or you may need to apply for a residence card after arrival.
- Study plan
- People accepted into qualifying study or training
- Requirements
- Admission, funds, housing, and insurance
- Funds required
- At least €877.50 per month from 1 August 2026, with later index adjustments
Summary
France’s student residence route lets an admitted student live there for a qualifying course. The application combines institutional admission records with evidence of funds, housing, and insurance. Ordinary student time is not a simple five-year route to France's long-term EU resident card. A later switch to qualifying work or family residence has its own rules.
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Confirm the program and admission Check the institution, course, tuition, dates, and attendance requirements.
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Complete the applicable study and visa process Follow Études en France where required and prepare the France-Visas funding and document file.
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Follow the issued visa’s residence instructions Its wording determines validation or the required residence-card application after arrival.
Admission does not guarantee a visa. Student work rights remain subject to the relevant limits.
Eligibility
EEA means the EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway.
The usual requirements include:
- Admission or enrollment. The applicant needs proof from a recognized French higher-education institution or another qualifying educational or training program. The exact route differs for higher education, competitive entrance examinations, minors, internships, and some vocational courses.
- A real study purpose. The course should make sense in light of the applicant's education, language ability, career plan, and explanation for choosing France and the institution.
- The correct Campus France process. Residents of a country covered by Études en France generally complete that process before or alongside the visa application. The official country page controls.
- Enough money. For applications filed from 1 August 2026, the published minimum is €877.50 for each month. Evidence may include the applicant's funds, a scholarship, or acceptable support, but the France-Visas checklist determines what proof is needed. Tuition, travel, and housing still need realistic funding; meeting only the minimum does not guarantee approval.
- Accommodation. The file normally explains where the student will live at least at the start of the stay.
- Health and other case-specific documents. Insurance or health-coverage evidence may be required depending on the visa and situation. The applicant also needs a valid passport and the family-status, photograph, and consent documents listed for the case.
- Language preparation. The applicant may need to show the language level required by the institution. There is no single immigration-language test for all student visas; the program and application process set the relevant standard.
EU/EEA and Swiss citizens generally use free-movement residence and do not need this visa. Algerian citizens and some other nationality groups can have separate bilateral rules. A student under 18 normally uses a different school-going-minor process rather than this adult higher-education pathway.
More about this route
Admission is essential but does not guarantee the visa. The applicant must also show a credible study plan, enough money, and the housing, identity, and other documents requested by France-Visas. Applicants in many countries first complete the Études en France process through Campus France before the visa appointment.
From 1 August 2026, France-Visas says student visa applicants must show at least €877.50 per month. The legal rule sets the minimum at 47% of the current full-time gross minimum wage and provides for regular updating, so applicants should check the live amount before filing.
What This Route Allows
A student VLS-TS allows the holder to live in France for the approved study. It must normally be validated online within three months of arrival. A student continuing beyond the visa's validity must apply to renew on time and show continued enrollment, resources, and genuine academic progress.
Current rules generally let a foreign student work up to 964 hours per year, about 60% of full-time annual hours, without a separate ordinary work authorization. This is a ceiling, not a promised amount of work. France-Visas warns that part-time work cannot cover all living costs, and employment must remain secondary to study. Different rules can apply to Algerian students and some apprenticeship or professional-training contracts.
After a qualifying French professional bachelor's degree or master's-level diploma, some graduates can apply for the separate one-year job-search or business-creation status. That status has its own diploma, timing, salary, and employment rules; it is not automatic for every graduate.
What This Route Is Not
This route is not:
- a general work visa or permission to work full time;
- available merely because someone is considering study without applying to a real program;
- proof that a private school or short course qualifies;
- a promise that a spouse or family member will receive an accompanying work status;
- automatic eligibility for the post-study route; or
- permanent residence or citizenship by itself.
Student residence should not be presented as a simple five-year permanent-residence clock. France's long-term EU resident card has its own list of qualifying statuses, and the current official list does not include the ordinary student permit. A student planning long-term settlement should check how a later change to a qualifying work or family status affects the residence calculation.
Next Steps
- Verify that the institution and exact program support a student visa and confirm admission, tuition, start date, teaching language, and attendance requirements.
- Check whether the applicant's country uses Études en France. Follow the Campus France timetable before booking a visa appointment.
- Prepare a simple study explanation connecting past education, the French program, funding, and future plans.
- Budget for at least the current monthly minimum plus tuition, travel, deposits, and realistic housing costs. Recheck the amount immediately before filing.
- Use the France-Visas assistant for the exact nationality, country of residence, program, and length of stay; follow the resulting checklist.
- After arrival, validate a student VLS-TS within three months and complete school and health-registration steps.
- Keep enrollment certificates, transcripts or proof of progress, bank evidence, housing records, and permitted work records for renewal.
- If planning to remain after graduation, check the job-search/business-creation or work route well before the student permission expires.
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Switzerland
Switzerland Student Residence
Switzerland's student residence route is for non-European applicants admitted to qualifying full-time higher education who can fund and insure their stay.
Norway
Norway Student Residence
Norway's student residence route is for non-European applicants admitted to qualifying full-time higher education who can fund and insure their stay.
Iceland
Iceland Student Residence Permit
Iceland's student residence permit is for non-EEA students enrolled full-time at an Icelandic school. It generally requires admission or enrollment, funds, insurance, and the…