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Passport
All students must have a valid passport to enter France.
Your student visa is physically put inside your passport, so you must
have your passport prior to applying for your visa.
If you already have a passport, make sure that it is valid for up to six months after your return.
Click here for information on how to apply for or renew your passport. It is now taking approximately 10 weeks to receive passports due to an increased volume of applications so apply as soon as possible.
CampusFrance
All students studying in France must complete registration and be approved with CampusFrance before they are able to receive their visa from the French Consulate. CampusFrance is a branch of the French Embassy in Washington, D.C., that has been created to monitor student application processes for study in France.
Begin the CampusFrance registration process as soon as you confirm your space on our program! The CampusFrance approval process takes several weeks and they will not begin reviewing your application until it is complete. Many students find that they do not always complete the CampusFrance application correctly and receive notice from CampusFrance after several weeks to correct their online application. This causes further delays.
The CampusFrance process has three parts:
1) You must complete an online registration. There are two important links on the left side of their English website: "Study Abroad Students" and “GUIDE to CampusFrance Registration.” Read these very carefully and follow the directions exactly. After each section and at the end of the application, click on “valider.” If you completed your application correctly, you will receive a message indicating that your web registration is complete and accepted. If you do not receive this message when you try to submit the web registration, then some aspect of your web registration is not correct, and you must read through the instructions again to correct your errors.
CampusFrance will not process incomplete applications and will not notify you of any errors. Follow all directions carefully and double check your work. Please note that you may not be able to access their website and instructions with the web browser, Firefox. If you are having difficulty accessing their web site or registration instructions, try a different browser, such as Safari.
2) When you start your online application, you will receive a registration number. Remember this number as you will need it for your Consulate appointment and to write on the materials you will need to send to CampusFrance.
3) In addition to the online registration, you will need to send a $60 money order and an official letter of enrollment directly to CampusFrance. The Learning Abroad Center will mail you the letter of enrollment to send to CampusFrance.
Send these materials together using a trackable mail service (FedEx, USPS, etc.) and be sure to write your CampusFrance registration number on your money order and letter of enrollment. Send these forms early because Campus France will NOT review your online application until they receive these two supplemental materials.
4) Once CampusFrance receives the $60 money order and official letter of enrollment, they will check your online application to see if it is complete. Their processing time is typically at least 2 weeks.
If everything is correct and complete, CampusFrance will post an approval message to your CampusFrance web registsration inbox. Check this inbox regularly to see if you have been approved.
Once you have received the approval message, you can proceed to your appointment at the Consulate. You cannot be seen at the Consulate if you have not been approved by CampusFrance. You will need your CampusFrance registration number and the approval message for your visit to the French consulate.
CampusFrance may also send students an e-mail with the approval or other notifications, but this message is often being read as a SPAM message by US email servers. Check your blocked email settings once you have submitted your materials to CampusFrance to see if you have a message from "campusfrance@ambafrance-us.org." If so, you will need to give permission to receive these messages and then contact CampusFrance to reissue the email.
If you do not receive acceptance from CampusFrance approximately 2 weeks after submitting your materials, contact them directly to see if there is a problem.
French Student Visa
Review these instructions and consult your Consulate’s website as soon as you are accepted to the Study Abroad in Montpellier program. You may need to make an appointment for an in-person visit, and it is important to plan ahead.
US citizens studying in Montpellier for a semester or year or US citizens staying in France for more than 90 days must obtain a student visa. US citizens participating in the Montpellier summer program do not need a visa. Non-US citizens should check with the French embassy for entry regulations to France.
The following information explains how to obtain a French student visa. Remember to read all information that you receive regarding student visas carefully. Requirements could change at any time and can vary from consulate to consulate. It is your responsibility to investigate the visa requirements.
The Learning Abroad Center
The Learning Abroad Center will provide you with the following documents required for the visa application:
- acceptance letter from Paul Valery University
- "proof of studies" enrollment verification letter from the University of Minnesota
- proof of financial coverage from the University of Minnesota
- proof of insurance coverage from the University of Minnesota
These documents will be provided by early November for students studying abroad in the spring and by early June for fall or academic year students. We cannot issue duplicate documents so make a copy for your own records.
If you need to make an appointment at your consulate to receive your visa, schedule the appointment even while you are waiting for CampusFrance approval. You want to be certain to have an appointment before the consulate schedule fills. Remember, you will also need the documentation from our office as part of your visa application.
Also, carefully review your consulate’s requirements to verify whether you will need further documentation from our office. The Chicago Consulate considers the documents listed above as sufficient, but the other consulates may have different requirements.
You must inform the Learning Abroad Center of your plans if you are departing the US earlier than August 1/December 25 for travels prior to your program start date. Note that we cannot guarantee to provide the above items prior to November/June but if we know you are leaving early we will do our best to facilitate your early consulate appointment.
Determining the appropriate French Consulate
You can either apply through the Chicago French Consulate or you can visit the French Embassy website to determine which jurisdiction serves your area. Each regional French consulate holds jurisdiction over the residents living in their area and students studying at universities in their area and has a right to set its own processing fees and procedures.
Since you will be a University of Minnesota student during your study abroad, the Chicago consulate will consider you part of their jurisdiction. If you decide to use the Chicago Consulate, keep in mind that you must make an appointment for an in-person visit to get your visa. They will not accept mailed applications.
To apply for your visa, review the Things to Remember section below and also read through the specific details for working with the Chicago French consulate or other consulates.
Things to Remember
- You cannot apply for your French visa once you are outside the US.
- Consulates will not issue visas on the same day. Please make sure that you apply at least four weeks before your scheduled date of departure.
- Your visa will be valid for up to 12 months. Once in France, you will have to register with the Immigration Service, complete a medical exam, pay a 55 euro tax, and submit the "residence form" that is part of your visa application process. You will receive more information about this on-site procedure upon arrival, and the on-site staff will facilitate this process.
- All semester and academic year students will need a "long stay visa." Students on our summer program do not need to apply for a visa in the US and will automatically be issued a tourist visa when they enter France.
- The visa application is complicated. Consulates offer little assistance, often do not have telephone access, and can require additional paperwork without advance notice. The Learning Abroad Center cannot advise on visa processes, as we do not know the many different requirements that each consulate may have. We will, however, try to assist you with any necessary documentation.
- When making your visa appointment at the Consulate, be certain to estimate the length of time that it will take you to receive approval from CampusFrance and receive the necessary documents from our office. We will send the documents by early November for spring students and and fall and academic year students will receive the documents by early June. You can always change an appointment, but it will be difficult to obtain a visa if all appointments are booked.
- Be certain to visit your consulate early enough to complete the visa processing requirements. Some consulates may require one trip to drop off the materials and a second trip to pick up the visa. If pick-up is not required, be sure you plan for the processing time stipulated on the Consulate's web site and submit the proper paperwork to have your passport and visa returned to you. The processing time is typically 3 weeks.
- The consulates require you to complete and submit a "residence form". This form will be authorized by the consulate and returned to you with your passport and your visa. You MUST bring this completed and stamped form with you to France and submit it to the Immigration authorities. You CANNOT study in France if you lose this form or forget to bring it with you.
- If you will be participating in a study abroad program or plan to leave the US three months or more prior to the start of the Montpellier program, you must inform the Learning Abroad Center of your plans. You will need materials from the French university, which we will need to request well in advance. In addition, check the French consulate guidelines; consulates will not issue a student visa more than 90 days prior to the program start date.
- If you are planning to participate in the teaching assistantships sponsored by the French Embassy, you need to complete the appropriate work visa, according to guidelines issued by the French Embassy or consulate. You will not enter on a student visa.
- If you plan on traveling to Eastern Europe or Africa, note that some countries require US citizens to have a visa in order to enter the country. Check with individual consulates before departing from the US.
- Citizens of countries other than the US: please note that visa requirements may be different for you. For non-US citizens, permission from US authorities to exit and re-enter the US may also be required. Refer to US immigration for assistance. Please note that refugees are typically not able to receive a student visa to study in France because their refugee paperwork will not be valid for the duration required by French authorities.
Any student on the Study Abroad in Montpellier program can use the Chicago Consulate. They will consider you a University of Minnesota student for the duration of your studies, and therefore you are eligible to use their services. You can go to the Consulate General of France in Chicago website to obtain the visa application and instructions. Read the instructions and make sure to gather everything specified.
Visa applications cannot be mailed to the Chicago consulate; in-person visits are required and you must make an appointment online.
Keep in mind that visas are not issued the same day. Please make sure that you apply at least four weeks before your scheduled date of departure. Your passport will be mailed back to you with the prepaid USPS Express Mail envelope that you must provide with your file.
Guidelines for the Chicago Consulate Visa Application (may be applicable to other consulate visa forms if they look similar):
- Carefully review the Things to Remember section above.
- Print the example of a completed visa application to assist you in completing the visa application.
- For line 17 (employeur): list the University of Minnesota as your home institution. Our address is: University of Minnesota, Learning Abroad Center, 230 Heller Hall, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
- For line 22 (French address): list the address of the program office: University of Minnesota Program in France, 6 Impasse Cité Gelly, 34000 Montpellier.
- For line 24 (course of studies): list the following address for the French university: Paul Valéry University, Route de Mende, 34199 Montpellier, France.
- For line 25 (internships): even if you are planning on doing an internship as part of this program, please indicate "no," as it relates to students who are traveling to France specifically for a teaching internship.
- For line 28 (sponsor): check "no" and leave the box blank.
Visa Application Requirements
Visa requirements change often and vary from consulate to consulate. As of August 2008, the following items are required to apply for a student visa through the Chicago Consulate. Please verify the latest requirements directly with the Chicago Consulate before submitting:
- Original passport valid for at least three months after you return to the US. Make sure there are blank pages to affix the visa.
- A copy of the passport photo page that shows your identity information.
- Processing fee (cash or credit card) for your in-person visit.
- Signed and completed application plus 1 copy (See an example of a completed application).
- Two passport photos (these are SEPARATE from the ones you submitted to the Learning Abroad Center with your confirmation materials).
- Completed "residence form"
- Travel itinerary
- Proof of studies, proof of admission, and Financial guarantee (provided by the Learning Abroad Center, see above for details)
New York Consulate
Students have reported many difficulties using the New York Consulate. If you have the option to obtain your visa through another consular office, we recommend that you do so. The New York Consulate has required that students provide notarized proof of funds for the duration of their study abroad program and this has proven challenging to many students.
The New York Consulate also requires an exact address for your stay. You can put Paul Valéry University's dormitory address:
Cité Universitaire Vertbois
192 rue de la chenaie
34096 Montpellier Cedex 5
If you decide to obtain your visa through the New York Consulate, you will need to consult the website for further directions.
We cannot advise on visa applications for other consulates, as we do not know what they require. As a result, please contact your consulate immediately so that you have time to request their assistance. Read your consulate’s instructions carefully, as well as the details in this section and the Things to Remember section above.
Last modified on September 29, 2009 |