Student
Date of update
You are coming to France as a student
Unless your nationality means you are exempt, you must obtain a short or long-stay visa. Please see the ‘Visas, staying, working?’ page for further details.
Contact your university’s international mobility team and visit the website of the French agency for the promotion of higher education, Campus-France, for further information on what steps to take.
| Helpful tip:
The post-Brexit transition period expired on December 31, 2020. The situation of British citizens will depend on their date of arrival in France. For more information, do not hesitate to read our dedicated sheet “Fact sheet: British nationals and their family members” |
France-visas is the official site containing all the information necessary to guide you in your approach and assist you at each stage of your request (preparation of the file, entry, filing and follow-up of your application). You will find all the information necessary for your stay as a student on the dedicated page:
https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en_US/web/france-visas/student
Working while studying
Foreign students are authorised, as long as their “Student” card is valid, to engage in ancillary salaried work, not exceeding 60% of annual working time, i.e. 964 hours.
The employer must declare such workers by name to the prefecture of their place of residence, 48 working hours before the date of hiring.
If the 964-hour quota is exceeded, then a Temporary Work Permit is required. By way of exception, students of Algerian nationality must hold a Temporary Work Permi as soon as they wish to work. This work permit is to be requested from the DIRECCTE’s Foreign Labour Department.
In some parts of France, the relevant application can be filed online via the website Workinfrance. “Work In France” is a digital public service developed by the Ministry of Social Affairs, enabling foreign employers or students to apply for temporary work permits online.
The user, i.e. the student or their employer, fills out a form on the platform demarches-simplifiees.fr. This form is sent straight to the DIRECCTE’s Foreign Labour Department; this is the local directorate in charge of work-related matters.
Working while studying!
Source : Campus France - 2017
After graduation
Foreign students resident in France under a ‘Student’ residence permit and who have recently graduated with a master’s degree or equivalent may wish to stay in France to find their first job or start-up a business.
Job seeking
Students looking for work can obtain a provisional residence permit marked “Recherche d’emploi ou Création d’entreprise” authorizing them to reside in France for up to 12 months, on a non-renewable basis.. This card must be applied for via the Prefecture of your place of residence. Specific provisions may exist in bilateral agreements.
Such a residence permit allows them to undertake a first professional experience and look for an employed position related to their academic backgrounds.
A ‘change of status’ must be applied for at the Préfecture of the foreign national’s place of residence in France two months before this residence permit expires pursuant to their situation and corresponding to the reason for their stay in France.
The foreign student, who would have left France right after obtaining his master’s degree or equivalent, can benefit from this residence permit within a maximum of 4 years from the time of its issuance.. If the graduate resides abroad, the application for a long-stay visa must be initiated on the official website France-visas.gouv.fr
Planning to start up a business
Students wanting to set up a business in France can obtain a temporary residence permit marked “Recherche d’emploi ou Création d’entreprise” authorizing them to reside in France for up to 12 months, on a non-renewable basis. Specific provisions may exist in bilateral agreements.
The application for this card is to be made to the Prefecture.
Such a residence permit allows them to develop their business project in relation to their academic backgrounds.
A ‘change of status’ must be applied for at the Préfecture of the foreign national’s place of residence in France two months before this residence permit expires pursuant to their situation and corresponding to the reason for their stay in France.
The foreign student, who would have left France right after obtaining his master’s degree or equivalent, can benefit from this residence permit within a maximum of 4 years from the time of its issuance.If the foreign student resides abroad, the request for a long-stay visa must be initiated on the official website France-visas.gouv.fr.