A long-stay visa for France was on my radar for quite some time before I applied. I have always wanted to stay in France for longer than the 90-day period allowed for a Canadian in the Schengen countries.
I am a Canadian gal with French Canadian blood who just keeps being called back to France (and writing about it) so I decided to tackle the bureaucratic hoopla and apply for a long-stay visa in France.
What’s written below is my experience of obtaining a long-stay visa for France.
France Visa: Timing Is Everything
You can’t apply for a long-stay visa for France more than three months before your arrival date. Therefore, you need to do some mental gymnastics to figure out your arrival date and the timing of the interview which is not to be more than a month prior to entry.
I purchased an airline ticket and decided I was going to France regardless. I would either stay for 90 days or 365 days if my France visa was approved.
Long-Stay Visa France: The Application
In order to apply for a long-stay France visa, you need to make two accounts. One with France Visas-The Official Visa Site for France and a second with VFS Global, an official partner of the Embassy of France. VFS Global has four Canadian locations: Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal.
On the Official Visa Site for France, fill out the application which requires
- personal information
- the address of your accommodation
- the intended date of entry
- the purpose of the visit
- your means of support for the duration of the stay
Once you have completed the long-stay visa for France application, you receive a checklist with a barcode displaying your application number.
Phew – step one. All done. Next, it’s time to gather all the paperwork.
Timing is Everything (Once Again)
You can’t print off your application from the Official Visa Site for France until you have booked an appointment with VFS Global. On the VFS Global site, you can’t see the calendar ahead. It shows you the earliest booking possible but until you have paid for an appointment, you can’t see the full calendar. As I was coming from out of town, I found this very frustrating.
Nail biter…what if your passport is not returned in time for your departure?
Documents Required For A Long-Stay Visa In France
Here’s what you need for a long-stay visa in France:
Appointment Confirmation Letter: Bring TWO COPIES of this form dated and signed. You are asked for this upon arrival at the appointment before you enter the interview room.
Receipt of France-Visa Application: This has the France-Visas Checklist, listing the required documents. You are asked for this as soon as you arrive before you enter the interview room.
Visa Application Form: The application form, completed on the Official Visa Site for France, needs to be printed, signed and dated.
Valid Passport: A passport issued within the previous 10 years ago, valid for three months after the intended departure date from France (or the Schengen area), containing at least two blank pages and without any physical damage. Bring a photocopy of all the pages of your passport.
Canadian Citizen: If you are not a Canadian citizen, please bring proof of your legal residency in Canada: residence permit, study or work permit with a valid visa or a visitor’s visa with proof of 3 months residence.
ID Photographs: Bring TWO recent photographs meeting the visa requirements. Check here for the size and requirements. Do not glue it to the visa application.
Legal Letter: Two copies of a letter under oath stating that you will not engage in any work while on your long-stay France visa. Write the letter, take it to a Notary Public and swear under oath. Although the checklist asks for two copies, the appointment officer only took the original.
This is what I wrote:
“To Whom It May Concern,
I, your name, promise not to seek employment or engage in paid professional activity while living in France on a long-stay visa. “
Proof of Socio-Economic Situation: I brought pension statements (regular monthly income) and bank account statements (see below).
Proof of Funds to Meet Needs in France: Bring printed copies of your chequing and savings accounts. Be sure to print off the last three months and the statements must show your name and current address. They are not interested in your investments. You may add additional documents if you choose. I chose to add one extra financial statement.
But how much is enough? It is tricky to get a straight answer here. In one place only I was able to find a guideline. On the official France Visas website under “Upon Your Arrival,” it lays out the resources you should be able to justify.
Travel Health Insurance: You must purchase health insurance that is valid in all the Schengen countries for the entire duration of the stay. The health insurance must cover repatriation, deportation, death, all medical expenses and €30 000. This is an expensive venture. I used the broker Insubuy.
Proof of Accommodation: Bring printed proof of your accommodation for one year.
Questions While Preparing
I had a lot of questions to ask such as
- Is it all right to have only the first month of accommodation booked?
- Does it matter if it is a hotel or Airbnb?
- What are the health insurance criteria?
- What are the criteria for proof of funds?
- Do I need to have an exit ticket?
- What is the exact size of the visa photographs?
I called VFS Global several times. Except for the question about health insurance, they were unable to answer any of my questions regarding the long-stay visa France application. I called one morning with ten questions and they answered one.
France Visa: The First Appointment
I had heard that most people need more than one appointment for the long-stay visa for France. I was hoping that I had prepared everything and would nail it on the first try. Unfortunately, I needed a second appointment.
I flew to Vancouver from Kelowna on the morning of my appointment (flights had been delayed and cancelled the previous two days due to typical Canadian winter weather). I intentionally left the two days following my interview wide open in case I needed a second appointment.
- Arrive early (but not too early) with all your papers ready
- Show your TWO appointment letters and the checklist to the front desk
- Have a body scan and a bag check
- Put your cellphone in aeroplane mode
- Enter the appointment room
- Wait to be called to the desk
There is no privacy, so you can hear the other appointments ahead of you. Questions like “Do you have your itinerary?” “Do you have your exit ticket?” My heart sunk as I did not have either. Luckily for me, this man was applying for a different French visa. He left shuffling all his papers in a pile, knowing he too would have to make a return visit.
I waited to be called to the desk, with my “dossier” full of papers and photocopies.
What I Was Missing
- I had not noticed that my passport needed to be photocopied. It is one of the few things they will do for you on the spot.
- Proof of accommodation for one month was not ample. I needed proof for the entire year.
The Panic
I had to make another appointment for while I was in Vancouver and luckily for me in the next two days there was one appointment left.
I finished booking accommodation for the year. A huge stress. Where will I be all year?
The following morning, I was downtown early to print off my confirmations for my accommodations at a copying shop. There was a long lineup. My thumb drive didn’t work. And neither did the printer attached to the computer.
Sometimes being nomadic is stressful.
Just in the nick of time I got everything printed off and ran to my appointment.
France Visa: The Second Appointment
The officer checked that all my accommodation dates lined up.
I signed a form saying everything was authentic.
All my papers were slipped into a green envelope ready to be couriered to the Consulate General of France in Montreal.
Biometrics Needed For The French Visa
You are then called into another room where your photo and fingerprints are taken.
The Wait For My Long-Stay France Visa
A few days later, the first text message is received: ” Your visa application (ref #) is under process at the Consulate General of France in Montreal.”
Two days later, another two messages are sent: “Your visa application (ref #) has been processed at the Consulate General of France in Montreal.” This is followed by a message saying exactly when your application will be dispatched by courier.
When the envelope finally arrives, you have no idea if your application for a long-stay visa in France has been successful or not.
Honestly, opening the envelope is a little like being at the Oscars.
Inside I found a “Welcome to France” letter and my passport where an EU visa was attached to page 20.
Once in France, you have three months in which to register and validate your long-stay visa.
It was a quick eight-day turnaround from the time I handed my passport and all my documents in until I received my passport back. They do not guarantee the timeline but in my case, I was suitably impressed.
The Cost To Obtain A Long-Stay France Visa
On-Line: When you make your appointment on the VFS site, you pay for the appointment which is $37.23 Do not pay for the courier here ($35.00) as if you have to return for a second appointment as I did, the original courier fee is lost. I had to pay for two appointments: $74.46
Courier Fee: $35 ( I paid this twice) = $70
Photocopy Fee at VFS Global: I did not see that I needed a photocopy of every page of my passport. They will do this in the office. $9.00
Visa Fees to Apply: Once your papers have been approved: $144.55
Notary Public for letter under oath: $44.80
Printing at Staples: $12
Total for my long-stay France visa application: $354.81
Plus the cost of the Travel Health Care which was over $2000 Canadian. Ouf…
Canadian Provincial Health Care
If you are Canadian, you need to check in with your provincial health care as you want to be in good standing with your provincial health care when you are travelling long term.
This is what I found out for my home province of British Columbia:
British Columbia Health Care:
Eligible Absence: For an absence of 6 to 24 months, you have to have been in Canada for 6 months of the 12 month period preceding departure. Phew. I almost went away in November 2019. This would have negated all my efforts to apply for a long-stay France visa at this time.
You can’t have already had an extended absence for 4 years before nor can you apply for one 4 years after your return.
Can I return to BC for visits? The longest I can stay in BC is 30 days without jeopardizing the eligible absence. I can stay in other parts of Canada longer.
Inform your provincial health care of your date of departure.
Hey, Paris
Here I come! I can’t wait to write even more about your glorious secrets. With my long-stay visa for France in hand, I am ready for what treasures will unfold in this, the next chapter of my life.
When you arrive in France with your France visa, you have 3 months to validate it. Here is how to validate your France visa.
If you decide to stay in France, applying for a Titre de Séjour is your next step. Here is how to apply for a Titre de Séjour.
If the next available date at La Préfecture de la Police for your Titre de Séjour is after your current visa ends, here is how to get a récépissé-intercalaire .
Very interesting read! I always wondered how people got long stay visas – and it was as stressful as I thought it might be! Congrats on your visa by the way 🙂
Thanks, Gabby! Yes, it is a stressful process but worth all the trouble!
I didn’t realise how many hoops you had to jump through to stay in France for a year when you are not European. Have an amazing year!
Hey Larch! Yes, multiple hoops but I am quite sure every one of them will be well worth it!
Congratulations Alison!!! This is so exciting!! I wish you all the best in this new chapter of your life! XO
Thank you Pam! I couldn’t be more thrilled to spend the time in my favourite city.
I heartily impressed by your blog and learn more from your article. Thank you so much for sharing with us. Here is the best solution. If you want to look please visit here. Visitor Visa Extension Canada Processing Time Here another informative post.
Wish I had come across your page before yesterday. I’ve been going through all the same hassles as you as I’ve been working remotely this summer and won’t be back until the end of July for my appointment (I bought by flight for Aug 21 😬). I’ve been away from my partner since the pandemic hit March of last year and needless to say this trip has been in the works. Hope you’re loving Paris!
Hi Eddie, It’s so tricky but so, so worth all the hassle. I get your emoji… how to book a flight and hope like anything that your passport is back in your hands with a visa glued in it !! Wishing you the best of luck. Let me know how it goes. And yes, I always love Paris – pandemic and all!!!
Hi Allison,
Great article, so helpful!
We have our visa appointment in 2 weeks, and I am a bit concerned about our accommodation. Did you use Airbnb (which is our plan), or did you get hotel reservation for a year, or something else altogether?
Keep on writing, and I’m going to keep on reading!
Cinthia
Sorry for the delay. Yes. Airbnb.
Hi Alison, I am currently in the process of acquiring everything for our visas. My VFS appointment is at the end of July. I have booked that first month of lodging hoping that would work. Apparently not. Though every rental agency I have inquired of said they don’t look for tenants that far out. Any suggestions? I would be so very appreciative!
For me, it is the trickiest part. At my first appointment when I had the first month of accommodation booked, the woman behind the desk did say that I could chance it because it depends on the person checking your file in Montreal. The fact that she mentioned this led me to believe ( definitely an assumption) that perhaps sometimes having one month’s accommodation in place is sufficient. I didn’t want to chance it and booked all my accommodation for the year.
Thanks for this. Very helpful. Did you end up needing to photocopy all the Stamped pages of your passport?
Oh – glad you find it helpful. Yes. Every stamped page needs to be photocopied.
Thanks When you were able to see the calendar do you happen to remember how long it was for? I’ve heard you could see 2 weeks? Your thoughts?
Hi Janet, I honestly can’t remember except that it was a narrow window. 2 weeks sounds about right. I would have liked more options, I do remember that!
Hi, I’m finding this article very helpful at the moment as I am also a Canadian female who is going through this same process! I was wondering if this was for a “Working Holiday” visa? Thanks for all your great information!
These steps are not for a “Working Holiday” visa but a tourist visa. The process may be similar for a “Working Holiday” visa but I did not apply for that visa. Hope that helps.
Very informative, thanks!
I am too also from the Okanagan, we anticipated the wildfires to be horrid this year in advance and came down to Puerto Vallarta. I have been living in Spain for roughly the past 3 years and am trying to figure out how to get back to the EU, specifically France. I don’t want to go back to Canada to apply for the visa, do you know of any workaround. I’ve read somewhere in the past that it’s possible to apply for certain visas outside of your home country, but I can’t find anything about it now. Any help or info would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
Hi Riley,
I tried hard to find a workaround a few years back when my daughter was in a similar situation. We concluded at the time that she had to return to Canada because she had to send in her passport with the application… I’m really not sure if a workaround exists. Good luck!
I’m a Canadian who applied for the same visa in July 2021, and this blog helped my immensely, thank you!! I received it exactly a week after applying and I have been travelling in France (and other EU countries) since. We’ve been having an amazing sabbatical year of travel.
Just a few things I wanted to mention to help others applying for the same visa.
One, be aware that your travel insurance policy for the year has to have zero deductible. I spent a lot of time shopping for insurance and I ended up buying the same as the author, from Insubuy. However, mine was a lot cheaper (I’m 28 years old, mind you). It was about $600 USD for the year. I opted for $1mill USD of coverage. I went for this American company for two reasons. First, it was one of the few willing to fully cover everything related to COVID. Two, all of the Canadian insurance providers require you (in the fine print of course) to maintain your Canadian healthcare coverage for the entire duration. However, if you leave Canada for more than 6 months, you become ineligible for your provincial healthcare coverage! So basically the likes of RBC would sell you an expensive policy that you aren’t actually eligible for. The American providers are better because, the US being the US, they assume you have zero government-funded care options.
You do NOT need to go to a notary public and pay for your oaths, contrary to what this article says. That is one cost you can save yourself.
Like the author, I emailed some questions of clarification to the French consulate in Montréal and couldn’t get any clear answers. The first time, they did respond but their response was still unclear and it wasn’t even a complete sentence; there was literally no verb in the entire email! So I responded to ask for clarification and to this date, 9 months later, they never responded to me. If you call, they tell you to email. You are on your own.
Regarding the sufficient funds criterion, I found online the minimum amount of money that you have to have in order for the French state to consider you wealthy enough to travel without working. I did not at all have that amount of money, but I still was successful in getting the visa. Here is what I did:
– I provided bank statements from the previous three months for all of my bank accounts
– an oath (signed and dated, with the city where I signed) swearing that I have enough money for my year-long trip because I’m travelling with my partner (so my accommodation costs are halved compared to a single person) and that since my girlfriend’s parents live in France, I can always go stay with them as a fallback plan. I also added that I would set aside enough money for my return ticket to Canada. You can find templates for a French “déclaration sur l’honneur” online.
– I included a 1-page letter describing our trip, why I am able to not work for a year, how we know lots of people in France that we will stay with (further reducing costs). I also mentioned my previous salary.
– My credit card statement showing my credit limit
– a déclaration sur l’honneur from my girlfriend (accompanied by a photocopy of her passport) confirming that we will be travelling together and splitting all costs, and confirming that we can stay with her parents at any time
Regarding accommodation, I can confirm that you have to pre-book your accommodation for the entire year! This is what I provided:
– an “attestation d’accueil” from my girlfriends’ parents in France. It is an official, standardised document that they had to go to their city hall to get, and pay 30-some euro for. It is a document stating that they promise to host me for free and that they have enough space to host me. The maximum period that this document can cover is 3 months. You have to bring the original document to your visa appointment, so they have to courrier it to me in Canada.
– for the remaining 9 months, I booked 9 different places in France on booking.com for 30-days each, all with free cancellation. I printed out all nine confirmation letters and brought them to my visa appointment. Once I got to France, I cancelled them all and have been travelling freely (and staying with friends and family) since.
It was a very confusing and somewhat stressful experience to get this visa. It is also very expensive for what it is (a visa that doesn’t even allow you to work), once you factor in the 200+ euro validation fee that you have to pay once you get to France. Even though I am an Ontario resident, I did my visa appointment in Montreal as it was more convenient for me. In the end it all worked out and it was all worth it.
Note as well that if you have a one-year French visa, you are also entitled to spend up to 90 days in each 180-day period in other Schengen-zone countries. You don’t have to spend the whole year in France, but you can’t get a French visa and spend the whole year in Germany, either.
Good luck, and enjoy! I repeat: it is overly complicated, but I am so glad I persevered and got it. This has been a great year off.
Thanks, Alex! It’s great to hear what you experienced. It sure is a process to get the visa but so worth it!
Hello Alison, I would start saying is amazing that you share the content and your experience, for that Thanks. Following I would like to ask you how did you book your medical mcertificate , I mean did you go to a walk in clinic ? or did you go with a family doctor ? what needs to be checked in the examen? I live in Montreal and I have no idea.Ive been here for just 2 years .
Also since I live here my ID for the health care is call Maladie in French , covers some stuff in france for a deal they have between schengen but I have to get a letter from the RAMQ and I have no idea what to do ? any suggestion I called already but the offices are closed. Thanks a lot
The only appointment for your visa that is critical is through OFII… keep contacting them until you get an appointment.
The medical appointment is scheduled once you have arrived in France. This was my experience.
Great info. I have almost everything covered however no where can I find that you need to have the “promise to work letter” notarized. Was this necessary?
I got mine notarized, I must have researched and read somewhere that it was necessary. But, someone has written in the comments that it was not necessary. Good luck!
Exciting! Thanks for the info – hopefully we’re right behind you (also from YVR!).
Good luck! It’s super exciting when it all works out!