France: a student visa, where it is applied for and what to check

What you need to do

France's main difference: for many countries a student's visa path starts with a procedure at the official operator for international students — an application, a fee and an interview — and only then goes to the consulate. This step cannot be skipped: the consulate is waiting for its outcome.

The visa needed is the long-stay one for study. A Schengen visa does not fit and does not turn into a study visa after arrival; this is the same mistake as elsewhere and it costs the same.

The third step is almost always forgotten: a long-stay visa is validated after arrival. Until that is done the stay is not regularised — and realising it six months later means dealing with a breach rather than a formality.

Where the official answers live

• Campus France — the official operator for international students: the procedure, its stages, and what each requires.
• The state services portal — rights and obligations in France: residence, visa validation, what comes next.
• The French Embassy in Moldova — appointments and requirements for people living in Moldova.

How to check that the requirement has not changed

Check, for your country of citizenship, whether the operator's procedure is compulsory for you: the list of countries changes, and the answer decides the whole order of steps.

Read the list of documents and the appointment procedure at the mission you are applying to, on the day you apply. France's single visa portal exists, but it is closed to automated checks, which is why there is no link to it here: we link only to what opens.

Timings, fees and amounts for France are in the facts on the country page, with a link and the date they were checked.