Going to France on a Working Holiday Visa can feel like a leap into the unknown. It’s normal to have tons of questions as you’re deciding on or preparing for the trip.
In this FAQ article, we’ll try to answer all of your most pressing questions.
1. Program description and rules
The Working Holiday Visa is a special visa category that allows young adults from certain countries to live, travel, and work in France for an extended duration. Unlike traditional work visas, no job offer is required for the application.
The Working Holiday Visa allows you to stay in France for up to 1 year. Only Canadians have the option of extending their stay by 12 months.
Yes, you can absolutely work in France as a Working Holiday Visa holder. You can even work as a freelancer (auto-entrepreneur, as they call it in France).
No. Even though the Working Holiday Visa grants work authorization, you are certainly not obligated to work. So there’s no need to have a job offer when applying for the Working Holiday Visa.
No. The France Working Holiday Visa authorizes you to live and work in France only. However, there are no rules against visiting other countries (in Europe or otherwise) as a tourist.
2. Eligibility
The following countries have Working Holiday agreements with France: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, South Korea, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Taiwan, Uruguay.
At the moment of application, you must be at least 18 years old. Canadians, Australians, and Argentinians can apply until the day before their 36th birthday. Everyone else must apply before their 31st birthday.
The France Working Holiday Visa does not have any formal language requirements. That said, knowing French will simplify your move and integration. To learn more, read Do I need to know French to live in France?.
3. The Working Holiday Visa application
You should apply no earlier than 3 months prior to your planned date of arrival in France.
If you are Australian or New Zealander, then the answer is no. For everyone else, there is an annual quota. For example, there are 7,000 spots for Canadians and 1,400 spots for Argentinians (other nationalities).
We explain it all in our application guide How to get a Working Holiday Visa to France (for all nationalities). Canadian applicants can also consult this detailed resource.
Don’t overthink this one. Just write that you want to discover a new culture and that a Working Holiday Visa would allow you to do so by financing your experiences with work on the side. Make sure to say that you commit to respecting the expiration date of your visa. We advise against providing a reason that could be interpreted as a desire to settle down long term or permanently in France, because the Working Holiday Visa is not intended to be an immigration visa. Read sample.
The answer is no if you are from Canada or Australia. Applicants of other nationalities may be required to provide these documents. The list of required documents will be shown in your online application portal once you’ve completed the application form.
Yes. Proof of medical insurance is required for the France Working Holiday Visa application. The insurance must cover medical expenses, hospitalization, and repatriation. We’ve been recommending Globe WHV since 2005. They have already insured thousands of working holiday makers, to France and elsewhere.
Also read France Working Holiday Visa: the Insurance Requirement Explained.
4. Arrival in France
No, the Working Holiday Visa does not need to be validated or activated. If you show your visa sticker to the immigration agent at the airport when you land, then you’ll have done all that you need to.
Yes. You have the right to start working on day 1 of your entry.
No. Even if your employer asks for one, know that it is not illegal to work without a social security number.
No, but you still have to contribute social security payments anyway. It will be automatically withheld from your salary.
5. Life in France
We explain this in How to open a French bank account (for France Working Holiday Visa holders).
We explain this in How to get a French phone number (for Working Holiday Visa holders).
We explain this in How to find housing during your working holiday in France.
We explain this in the Guide to finding a job and working in France.
Read stories and tips from other working holiday makers in How to make friends during a working holiday abroad.
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