Need a VISA OR CARTE DE SÉJOUR
Visas / Cartes de Séjour
Your Visas / Cartes de Séjour
Visas
If you are a passport holder from a country other than those in the EU (Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain or Sweden) you will need to apply for a visa at the French Embassy, French consulate or their approved representatives in your country of residence.
Each visa request is a time-consuming task and you will need to provide a list of documents to accompany your demand (proof of funds, full medical insurance, proof of addresses etc.). Those documents will have to be shown at your visa face-to-face appointment.Wherever you are in the world, The European Concierge Hand-Holding service can do those visa applications on your behalf. The only thing you will have to do is present yourself with your documents at the agreed date/time to your face-to-face appointment in your country or residence.
Visas registration
Within 3 months of your arrival in France, you will need to register your visa. This procedure is done online and requires the payment of a 200€/person (in 2023) French State stamp duty (Timbre Fiscal). Once registered, you will be allocated a unique 10-digit number that will be your personal identification reference for all your communications with the French migration department. From this moment on, you will no longer deal/communicate with the visa department of your Embassy/Consulate but with the “Bureau des étrangers, de la migration et de l’intégration” of your local Préfecture.
Cartes de Séjour
The Carte de Séjour is your ” Right to remain” year 2 visa (with the exception of a couple of specific visas which are valid for a period of 4 years). Your Carte de Séjour application is an online procedure using the above mentioned 10-digit number as ID recognition (hence the importance of keeping this reference number safe).
Your CdS applications will require proof of your first year stay in France. Apart from standard household bills, the most important document to prove your presence on French soil for the previous year is your French tax declaration (to be filed every year in April/May).
Briefly, if you are paying taxes in your country of origin, your French tax declaration must still be filed. Due to the many “Tax Reciprocal Agreements” that exist between France and many countries, you will NOT be taxed twice for the same income.
Once you have up-loaded all your documents into the system, you will (eventually) receive an invitation from your local Prefecture to collect your Carte de Séjour (Right to Remain card).
Your CdS will be valid for 12 months and will need to be renewed for 4 consecutive years as explained above. After 5 years presence in France, you will be able to avail of your 5-year CdS. After 10 years continuous presence in France, you can apply for French Nationality.
F.A.Q.
Frequently Asked Questions
When can we start applying for my visa(s) ?
We can start your application up to 3 months before your requested move date.
When do I need to start applying for my first Carte de sejour ?
We can start applying for your first CdS in month 9 of your visa. Some prefectures can be extremely busy at certain times of the year and might issue you with a visa extension if they haven’t had time to treat your request. If you don’t receive a visa extension, rest assured that colleagues at the prefecture are working as fast as possible. If you are concerned because you haven’t received your Carte de sejour or extension, please get in touch.
How long does the visa application take ?
A well prepared visa application can have your visa back with your passport in as little time as 2 weeks. At times of high demand (spring and summer), it can take longer as many foreign students studying in the UK also want to visit Paris.
I have family living in France, will this positively influence my visa application ?
Unfortunately, family and friends in France will not increase your chance of getting the visa. Good preparation and documentation will !
What are the most important criteria to ensure I get my visa ?
We can start applying for your first CdS in month 9 of your visa. Some prefectures can be extremely busy at certain times of the year and might issue you with a visa extension if they haven’t had time to treat your request. If you don’t receive a visa extension, rest assured that colleagues at the prefecture are working as fast as possible. If you are concerned because you haven’t received your Carte de sejour or extension, please get in touch.