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The Consular Administration has full authority to appreciate and request more documents than those listed on this page, please visit the website of the neareast Consulate to verify the requirements and obtain the amount of the visa fee before sending or bringing in your application.

You DO NOT need visa (only a valid passport), except for

• Holders of diplomatic or official passports on mission
• Crew members
• Journalists on assignment

The applicants above must submit 1 application form for a short stay visa, a valid passport + 1 photocopy, a cover letter from the appropriate U.S. agency, embassy or from their company + 1 passport size photograph.
Diplomatic or official passport holders must apply at the Consulate General of France in Washington DC, New York, Los Angeles or San Francisco depending on their juridiction.

• Artists, researchers and anyone having a paid activity in France (please refer to the section on work visas)
• students (please refer to the section on student visas)

If you are a U.S. citizen and would like to travel to an Overseas Territory, an Overseas Territorial Unit, or New Caledonia for a short stay (up to one month)

NO visa is required  (only a valid passport)

If you are a U.S. citizen and would like to travel to an Overseas Territory, an Overseas Territorial Unit, or New Caledonia for a short stay (between one month and three months)

You DO need a visa.
Please submit:
- 1 application form for a short stay visa
- a valid passport + 1 photocopy
- round trip airline tickets with confirmed reservations + 1 copy
- a proof of travel health/accident insurance with worldwide coverage + 1 copy
- according to the purpose of the trip, one of the documents listed below: 

• For tourism : Hotel reservation, proof of registration with an organized tour, attestation of accommodation, etc.+ 1 copy
• For business : official business invitation letter from a company in France + 1 copy
• For private visit (family or friends) : Attestation of accommodation + 1 copy Your host in France can obtain this document free of charge at the City Hall, the police station or the gendarmerie squad office, by showing a proof of identity and 2 proofs of lodging (rental contract, and phone bill or power bill...)

- proof of sufficient funds to cover the cost of your stay : 2 last bank statements + 1 copy, travellers checks if visiting the United States, 100 dollars per day are suggested
- for business trip, a letter from the employer guaranteeing the travel expenses +1 copy
- for a minor, if travelling alone, a notarized parental authorization signed by both parents or guardian. If the minor travels with 1 parent, an authorization signed by the 2nd parent is required + 1 copy
- visa fee

If you are a U.S. citizen and would like to travel to France, Monaco, an Overseas Department (DOM) or Territory or New Caledonia for a long stay (over 90 days)

You DO need a visa. 

Please submit:

• a passport signed and valid 3 months after the last day of stay + 3 photocopies (The consulate will not keep the passport, only the copies)
• 4 long stay visa application forms signed and legibly filled out. 
• 5 recent passport-size photographs .
• Financial guarantee such as:
  - a formal letter of reference from the applicant's bank showing account numbers and balances or recent bank, savings or brokerage account statements + 3 copies
  - for people wishing to retire in France, proof of sufficient income: pension, dividends, savings, band and brokerage account statements + 3 copies
  
• Proof of medical insurance with coverage valid in France + 3 copies
• Police clearance: document obtained from the Police Department of the place of residence in the United States stating that the applicant has no criminal record + 3 copies
• Letter from applicant certifying that he/she will not have any paid activity in France
• Visa fee

Specific requirements for Monaco:

• 5 application forms instead of 4 and 5 photographs instead of 4 
• A notarized letter stating that you have never been convicted of any offense or crime in the US or in any other country and that you have never filed for bankruptcy + 3 copies
• A work contract certified by the Labor Department of Monaco (if applicable) + 3 copies
• Authorization to manage a company or set up a business (if applicable) + 3 copies
• A medical exam report filled by a doctor accredited by the French Consulate 
• A lease or lease agreement, a certificate of lodging, a deed, or a written commitment to show such a document within three months after your arrival in Monaco + 3 copies

NB : the processing time is a little longer for Monaco.

Before applying for your visa, please register with CampusFrance.

There are two kinds of long-stay student visa available, depending upon the length of studies in France as indicated in the letter of enrollment.

1 - temporary long stay visa: from 3 to 6 months, multiple entries, no "carte de séjour" (residency card) is requested but there is no possibility to extend the stay.

2 - One-year visa (for stay over 6 months): the visa is valid during a specific three-month period. After arriving in France and preferably within a week, the students must request their "carte de séjour" (residency card) at the "Préfecture de Police". At this point, the students will have to undergo a medical check-up by a doctor from the Office des Migrations Internationales.

Requirements (for students over 18):

• Passport signed and valid for a period of three months beyond the applicant's last day of stay in France + 1 photocopy
• 2 long stay visa application forms legibly filled out and signed
• 2 passport-size photographs,
• A letter of admission (pre-enrollment) from the school which the applicant plans to attend to in France + 1 copy
• A letter from your school/university stating that you are currently registered as a student
• Financial guarantee such as a notarized statement certifying that the applicant will be provided with a monthly allowance of $600 for the duration of the stay in France, or a proof of personal income along with a letter from the school stating that room, board and tuition are fully prepaid + 1 copy
• Visa fee

Medical insurance:

• stay over 3 months: after their arrival in France, the students under 28 years old and enrolled in a French school affiliated to the French Social Security, must join this social security for the length of their studies. This is verified by the Préfecture when the students apply for the residency card. The reimbursement of the medical expenses amounts to 70%. For the 30% remaining, these students have the choice to join a French student insurance OR make use of their own insurance with worldwide coverage (letter from the insurance company). However, the students over 28 years old, or enrolled in a French school not affiliated to the French Social Security, cannot enroll in the French Social Security and must show a proof of insurance with coverage valid in France when they apply for the visa and for the residency card.

NB : IF UNDER 18 at the date of arrival in France, the processing times is 4 to 6 weeks. Please contact the Consulate and ask for the special visa application packet for minors.

NB : RECIPIENTS OF FRENCH GOVERNMENT, FOREIGN GOVERNMENT OR INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SCHOLARSHIPS:
A scholarship recipient only needs to present the first three items on the above list, plus the letter awarding the scholarship and the length of stay in France + 1 copy. 

SHORT STAY STUDENT VISA

For stays up to 3 months, the student should fill out a short stay visa application form but present the same documents required for a long-stay student visa (report to the "long stay student visa" section above). 

Applicants must be between 17 and 30 years of age

Requirements:

• Passport signed and valid for a period of 3 months after the last day ot stay + 1 photocopy
• 2 long stay visa application forms completely and legibly filled out and signed
• 2 passport-size photographs, one glued on each form
• Au pair contract from the host family in France approved by the local Labor Department in France ( DDTEFP or Direction Départementale du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Formation Professionnelle) + 1 copy
• Proof of studies in the US + 1 copy
• Letter of enrollment in a French language school + 1 copy
• Visa fee

You must have been selected for a position of teacher assistant or teacher in a French high school or in a French university.

Requirements:

• Passport valid for a period of 3 months after the last day of stay + 1 copy

• 2 long stay visa application forms completely and legibly filled out in French and signed
• 2 passport-size photographs glued on the form
• letter of appointment from the Rectorat + 1 copy
• A future teacher in a university can also present a protocole d'accueil issued by a French university and countersigned by the Prefecture. In this case, refer to the section: "visa for professors and researchers holders of a "protocole d'accueil" issued by an authorized French institution"
• Visa fee except for an assistant in a French high school.

Foreigners must obtain a work contract approved by the Direction Départementale du Travail, de l'Emploi et de la Formation Professionnelle (local division of the Labor Department in France) and a special long-stay visa issued by the Consulate before leaving for France. This rule applies also to transfers to subsidiaries of foreign companies in France.

Employees of diplomatic or consular missions, members of international organizations, heads of French subsidiaries, scientists, artists, sailors working on a ship stationed at a French seaport follow other procedures, please contact the Consulate near you.

Application Process

• The foreign worker must secure a job offer from an employer in France or be proposed for a transfer to France by his American employer.
• The employer in France applies for the work permit at the Office des Migrations Internationales ( O.M.I ), 44 rue Bargue, 75732 Paris Cedex 15
• When the hiring or transfer of the foreign worker is approved, the Office des Migrations Internationales ( O.M.I ) sends the file to the French Consulate and a letter to the applicant to inform him/her the file had been transfered.
• The applicant contacts the Consulate to obtain the visa. Please submit:

- a passport valid for a period of three months beyond the applicant's last day of stay
- 2 long stay visa application forms 
- 2 passport size photographs glued on the form
- visa fee

• After arriving in France and preferably within one week, the applicant must request a "carte de séjour" at the local "Préfecture". There will be a medical exam in France.

The employer does not need to contact the OMI, but should provide the worker with a contract which has been approved by a DDTEFP (Direction Départementale du travail, de l'Emploi et de la Formation Professionnelle). The applicant should fill out a short stay visa application form, provide 1 photograph glued on the form, a valid passport, a proof of health insurance with worldwide coverage + 1 copy, the contract countersigned by DDTEFP + 1 copy, and the visa fee.

Requirements

• Passport valid for a period of 3 months after the last day of stay + 1 copy
• 1 short stay or 2 long stay visa application forms depending on the length of stay completely and legibly filled out
• 1 or 2 passport-size photographs glued on the form.
• A note indicating your date of departure for France if you apply by mail
• Original of the "protocole d'accueil" + 2 copies
• Visa fee