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Summary
The first step of your visa application is creating your account on France-Visas, the official website for visa applications to France. Click on “Start your visa application”.
The website will guide you through filling out the different sections of the application. Once completed, you’ll be able to print it out and include it as a part of your physical application.
Note that you cannot use special characters such as á ñ í ø ü in your application. For instance, if your name is “Sebastían,” type “Sebastian.” If you live in “Montréal,” type “Montreal.”
“Your plans” Section
“Your stay” Section
In theory, you must be living in Canada to apply for a Working Holiday Visa to France. You can make an appointment with one of the four following VFS Global centres in Canada:
- Toronto
- Montréal
- Vancouver
- Ottawa
Most applicants will want to pick the nearest centre using the drop-down menu in “Place of submission of application.”
In visa type requested, you must choose Long stay (>90 days)
Note that the initial Working Holiday Visa allows Canadians to live in France for up to a year, but there are options to stay longer if you wish, for instance a second visa or a visa extension application once in France. That will be discussed more in the final chapter.
Pick your “Main destination of stay” in the drop-down menu. You can choose to stay in France or in one of the French-administered territories outside the European continent:
- France (including Corsica)
- Guadeloupe (Caribbean)
- Martinique (Caribbean)
- French Guiana (South America)
- Reunion (western Indian Ocean)
- Mayotte (western Indian Ocean)
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon (south of Newfoundland)
Working Holiday Visa holders are not eligible to live and work in the following French-administered territories: French Polynesia, Saint Barthelemy, New Caledonia, Saint Martin, Wallis and Futuna, and French Southern and Antarctic Lands.
“Your travel document” Section
The issuing country should be “Canada.” In “Travel document,” choose “regular passport.”
The “travel document number” is in the top right corner of the ID page, under “Passport No/No de passeport.” A Canadian passport number starts with two letters followed by six digits, e.g. AB123456. Make sure you don’t mix up “1” and “I,” “0” and “O.” If you’re typing the first two characters, you must enter letters, if you’re entering the six characters that follow, you must enter numbers.
Enter your passport’s date of issue and expiry.
“Your plans” Section
Working Holiday Visa applicants must select “Other” from the “Your plans” drop-down menu, then “Working Holiday” from the “Main purpose of stay” drop-down menu.
Click “Verify” at the bottom of the page. The page will reload with your information saved and a message will confirm that your situation indeed necessitates a visa. Click “Next”. A message will appear asking you to confirm your passport number. Once you’ve confirmed, you will move on to the next section, “Your information.”
“Your information” Section
“Your identity” Section
Enter your information exactly as it appears on your passport, without using special characters. If you have a middle name on your passport, enter it as well, even if you don’t usually use it.
Canadian citizens don’t have a “National identity no”; this field is optional and it doesn’t apply to you. Don’t enter your SIN.
“Your personal information” Section
This section is straightforward, simply enter your residential address. Provide a phone number and email address in case you need to be contacted.
“Details of your identity” Section
Answer “Yes” if you do not currently live in Canada, “No” if you live in Canada.
“Your family” Section
You must answer two yes-no questions:
- Are any of your relatives French nationals? If “yes,” you must provide details, including your relationship with this person. If this person has a French carte d’identité (one of the official identity documents in France), you can enter their “national identity number,” or you can provide the person’s passport number.
- Do you have any family members who live in France? If “yes,” fill out the required fields. If you have several relatives in France, you may click “Add another person”.
“Your job” Section
Select your current occupation from the drop-down menu:
- If you’re a student, choose “Student, trainee.”
- If you’re not currently working, choose “Unemployed.”
- If you’re working, look for the title that best matches your current job. If you can’t find it, select “Other” and provide details.
Remember that your current job (or lack thereof) doesn’t affect your Working Holiday Visa application—there’s no specific work experience requirement.
Once you’re done, click “Save” and “Next” to move on to the next section.
“Your last visa” Section
If you have never spent more than three consecutive months in France, mark “No” and click “Next”.
If you did spend more than three months in a row in France and held a visa, answer “Yes.” A new series of questions will ask for further details about the visa you had.
Provide the required information, including dates and purpose of your stay, as well as address in France (e.g. where you used to live).
If you took multiple three-month (or longer) trips to France, click “Add a stay.” When you’re done, click “Next.”
“Your stay” Section
“Details of your stay” Section
Provide your planned arrival date in France. Note that it can be an estimated date, you are not obligated to fly to France on this exact date. However, the planned arrival date will be used by the Consulate General as the start date for your visa, valid for up to 12 months. It is therefore in your interest to set a realistic departure date, because your 12 months countdown timer begins when your visa says so, not when you actually land in France.
Use the drop-down menu to specify how many months you’re planning to stay in France. You don’t have to select “12,” you can pick any number between 3 and 12. If you state you’re not planning to stay in France for a year, the length of the Working Holiday Visa issued may reflect this. Remember that you must have insurance coverage for the entire length of your stay and that initially, you can stay up to 12 months. If you wish to stay longer, there are options to extend, but your first Working Holiday Visa will be issued for a maximum of 12 months.
“The purpose of your stay” Section
The first statement is just a reminder that you’re applying for a Working Holiday Visa. If it doesn’t say “Working holiday,” you’re not applying for the right visa.
The second question is about possible family members travelling with you. Family members must submit their own WHV application and satisfy requirements. Applications will be processed separately.
Once you’re done, click “Next.”
“Your contacts” Section
“Host person or organization” Section
You must provide a contact in France, for instance:
- A person (relative, friend, acquaintance)
- A company, organization or establishment
- A hotel or any other accommodation
You’re not required to have personal contacts or a long-term address in France. If you don’t know anyone in France yet, the best option is to provide the name of the place where you will stay first, for instance a hotel or a hostel. If you’re planning on staying with a host (e.g. Couchsurfing or Airbnb), ask if you can submit their contact info in your Working Holiday Visa application. They don’t have to vouch for you but they should be prepared in the unlikely event that they are contacted by the French government during a routine check on your application.
“Funding of travel costs” Section
In this section, you must give details on your travel budget, starting with who will cover the costs, i.e. yourself or a guarantor.
Either way, you have to specify how you will pay for various aspects of your trip:
- “Accommodation prepaid” means that you’ve already booked a place and paid for it.
- “Transportation prepaid” means you’ve already paid for your plane ticket.
- “Travellers’ cheques” is a way to carry funds with you.
- “Credit card” is way to pay for your expenses.
- “Cash” means that you will arrive in France with enough cash for all your expenses.
For instance, if you’re staying with a relative and relying on your savings for daily expenses, you can answer:
- “Myself,” then “Credit card”
- “By another guarantor” and “Accommodation provided”
“Your supporting documents” Section
This is a list of all the documents you will need to provide.
You will also find the list of documents to attach to your application listed in a PDF document following the completion of this application form. Note that the France-Canada agreement does NOT “provide for” the following documents:
- Medical certificate
- Proof of a clean criminal record
As a result, you can SKIP THESE in your application.
Canadian applicants are exempt from the application fee charged by the French Consulate (separate from the ~CA$45 appointment fee that VFS charges). Applicants from other countries may be required to pay an application fee in euros or the equivalent in local currency.
Click “Continue”. You will be asked to confirm that all your information is correct and complete by checking the box on the left. By clicking “Continue” again, you will then see your finalized application to be printed and brought to your VFS appointment, which you can schedule now.
(55) Comments
Hi Jackson! When renewing my WHV do I need the criminal record check and medical certification? My appointment is in Vancouver this week and I cannot remember if I had those in my application the first time. Kind regards!
Hey it wasn’t required the first time, so it shouldn’t be the second time. Good luck 🙂
Hello would it be possible to apply for 24 months long stay visa upfront on arrival to France? also do you offer one on one consultancy on whv in France, i need tips on settling in , opening bank accounts etc
Hi Tosin.
1) You can only get a WHV for 12 months. But Canadians can extend their stay for another 12 months at the end.
2) See chapter 7 for tips on settling, housing, bank account, phone number etc
3) If you still have questions, you can sign up for one of our free online Q&A workshops https://pvtistes.net/en/bonsplans/workshops/
Hi Jackson! Thanks for your website, it is very helpful! From your personal experience or from what you are noticing currently, do you happen to have a delay estimation from the time the application is sent to the consulate by vfs to when vfs advises that the passeport and visa are ready for pick up? My flight is in a couple of days and I am stressing really hard because I have no clue what I will Do if I do not receive it on time (either delay or cancel my trip). I applied for à long term visa because I will be in France for 11 months. I Wonder if there is any way to aplply for the visa from Europe within the 90 day time limit. Do you happen to know ? Thank you so much. You are my last hope at obtaining some sort of useful info now..
Hello Li, you’re very welcome. I have applied for two different France visas through VFS and in both cases, my passport was mailed back to me within 7-8 days of my appointment. It’s hard to say if that is standard for most people or not. And generally it is not possible to apply for a France visa as a visitor on French soil (certainly not the first WHV). What type of visa are you applying for?
Thank you so much for your Quick response, that gives me some hope 🙂 i am applying for a long term visa (tourist). And actually I was wonderijg whether it was also possible to do it abroad (for exemple in the French Embassy in England which is outside the Schengen zone). Thank you so much Jackson 🙂
I am not sure about that, it is best to confirm with the embassy directly. My understanding is that in general, you should be at least a resident of the country in which you are submitting an application (if not your country of citizenship). Though there could be exceptions.
I’m not sure if this is applicable to you, but Canadians who have gotten a WHV to France can apply for a 12 month extension via the APS. And this can fully be done on French soil. https://pvtistes.net/en/extend-working-holiday-france/
Thanks again for all tha precious info :)!!
Hi Jackson,
I hope you’re well! I am about to finalize a renting lease agreement and the landlord is asking for “Assurance Habitation” (home insurance). This would amount to a monthly fee that I’d get from a company of my choice. However, I already have the ACS insurance purchased as part of my Working Holiday Visa application, and from what I see in the certificate, there is also a “Civil Liability” section which includes damage to property. Doesn’t this count as the Assurance Habitation?
Thank you as always for your help!
All the best,
Niloo
Congrats on finding housing! These are separate protections. I am certainly not a lawyer, but civil liability protects you from legal recourse when you cause injury or damages to another individual. Housing insurance is to protect yourself as resident and the landlord, from potential damages. For example if your apartment gets robbed and you lose valuables, that would not be a claim to bring to your medical insurer nor your landlord. Rather it would be the housing insurance. Hope that helps
Hello,
Is anyone familiar with the medical insurance (repatriation) for residents of Quebec as well as the attestation de séjour de la RAMQ? With the letter from RAMQ is it still necessary to purchase medical insurance?
On a side note, is it possible to work in Monaco on this visa?
Hi there. To respond to your questions:
1) Yes, private medical insurance is still required for the WHV application, even for residents of Quebec.
2) No. Monaco has its own WHV program, and at the moment it is only available to citizens of the UK.
This article is available in French too, in case your are francophone https://pvtistes.net/dossiers/demande-du-pvt-france-pour-canadiens/
Hi Jackson,
I’ve landed in Marseille and it’s so beautiful! However, I tried opening a simple everyday chequing account at a bank, and was told that I would not be able to do so until I have a job/salary. I have money that I need to pour into an account and I thought the WHV allowed its holders to open a bank account even without a job (I do plan on finding a job, but that’s not the point). I spoke with a few people and am getting contradictory info regarding this, some say I need to try out other banks or perhaps the person I spoke with doesn’t know what WHV is. Could you please give me some information on how to proceed?
Thank you!
Niloo
Hello Niloo. It’s true that the information you get will vary from bank to bank, branch to branch, and even employee to employee (just because the WHV is not very common). But the bottom line is that as a WHV holder, yes it is possible to open a checking account in France, even without a job. I was able to do so at Credit Agricole without problem. All I had to provide was my passport, visa, and local address. I used my Wise account to fund it with some euros (though I don’t think they required me to). If you’re having trouble, try a few different banks and eventually you will find someone that can help. And if you need a Wise account, pvtistes has a special deal https://pvtistes.net/en/bonsplans/wise-free-transfer/
A thousand thanks, Jackson! I went to LCL Banque this morning (Credit Agricole is affiliated to it), and they gave me an appointment next week to open up an account. 🙂 Thank goodness. I appreciate all of your help, as well as the promptness of your responses!
what bank stated you had to have a job before they can open an account for you ?
Hi Jackson,
I am confused as to whether Canadians need to provide a Medical Certificate of ¨good health¨. After filling out the online application on the france-visa.gouv.fr a supporting documents page shows up and states that we do… but on different blogs I have read that we don’t. Can anyone please clearify ?
Thanks !
Giselle
Hello. As stated in chapter 4, Canadians are exempt from providing a medical certificate and background check.
Hi Jackson,
Thanks for your answer, do you have any official source of information that can confirm this? What I can see stated on official document checklists is ¨Medical certificate (if bilateral agreement provides for this)¨ however I cannot find any official information regarding the specifics of the France- Canada bilateral agreement that excepts medical certificates other than word of mouth. How do I know this hasn’t changed since you applied?
Also, in case of no return ticket, must we write a ¨letter of commitment¨ that is seperate from the letter of motivation/cover letter? even if funds on bank statement meet the requirements?
Thanks for the help, it is greatly appreaciated !
1. You can contact the French embassy or consulate to ask if you’d like. We don’t have any other source to provide.
2. You don’t need a separate letter. Just make your commitment clear in your letter of motivation.
Hi again romar. To add to my first answer, at the time of writing you won’t find any official sources that explicitly tell you that a medical certificate and background check are not necessary. The reason the official checklist says “if the bilateral agreement provides for this” is because some other nationalities are required to provide these documents and it is specified in their respective bilateral agreements with France. If you look up and read in full the Franco-Canadian bilateral agreement, you won’t see any mention of a medical certificate or background check. It is by omission of these mentions that we are meant to understand they are not needed. Indeed, I and other recent applicants have never been asked to provide these. Hope that helps.
Hi again Jackson, hope you’re doing well.
Regarding the VFS Global Centre in Toronto, I absolutely cannot seem to find an appointment for the “Long Stay – Working Holiday” Visa category. I managed to get a slot fairly quickly by clicking on “Long Stay – Any other visa category.” I’m hesitating to move forward with this, though. Would they accept my appointment if I went ahead and booked it with this category, if they do in other cities like Montreal?
Many thanks!
Niloo
Hi again Jackson, I just got an appointment! Nevermind regarding my previous question. 🙂 Thanks again for this helpful and reassuring blog!
Niloo
Glad to hear that. How did you end up getting the appointment? It may be helpful info for other readers. Feel free to read our other resources about the WHV in France. https://pvtistes.net/en/useful-tips-and-advice/?filter-type=any&filter-country=france-en&filter-cat=any
Thanks for the additional info/link, Jackson!
Sure, I just had my appointment today and it went very well! For anyone wondering if they can simply opt for “Long Stay – Any Other Visa Category” in the VFS Global Centre website, please rest assured that it DOES work as a substitute for the more specific “Long Stay – Working Holiday Visa.” You will find an open slot a lot more quickly/easily, too. I tried the “Working Holiday” one multiple times a day for a few days with no luck, but I got an opening on my first try with “Any Other Visa Category.” I had many slots, in fact, to choose from.
My reasoning when making this choice was that, if on the France Visa application form I have to choose “Other” under Visa type, and then specify as “Working Holiday,” then that means that “Long Stay – Any Other Visa Category” can effectively be used as an umbrella category including Working Holiday visas.
I had absolutely no problems today during my appointment, so I know it works. 🙂
I hope this clarifies things for anyone wondering.
Thank you again Jackson!
Niloo
Tried everyday, multiple times a day for over a month to get an appointment for ‘Long Stay – Working Holiday Visa’… I Decided to try my luck with booking a ‘Long Stay – Any Other Visa Category’ since there was availability in this category. Had my appointment today and I wasn’t even questioned about the category. Therefore, I second that the ’Any Other Visa’ category can effectively be used for ‘Working Holiday’.
Hello again! Just some questions on the health insurance certificate that needs to be submitted during the in-person appointment:
1. Does the insurance need to cover all EU countries or just France?
2. The online visa application just says the supporting document needs to show “proof of subscription or promise to subscribe to an insurance policy covering the medial costs”—are there more specific details on what this policy needs to include (ie. minimum EURO coverage amount, pregnancy, dental, 0 deductible, etc)?
It’s very vague in the online application so just want to make sure I’m meeting all the requirements!
Many thanks 🙂
(sorry meant to also add “civil liability”, as I’ve seen that mentioned in the youth mobility agreement but not sure it’s actually enforced?)
1. It needs to cover France. But many will cover all of Europe anyway.
2. It needs to cover all medical expenses, plus hospitalization and repatriation. There’s no specific guidance on deductible amount, that depends on each person’s budget and risk tolerance.
I personally got Globe WHV for my working holiday in France. I didn’t know it at the time, but they cover civil liability as well. But it’s not a requirement. https://pvtistes.net/en/whv-insurance/
Hi Jackson,
First of all, thank you so much for this helpful blog!
I have a question regarding the (non)-availability of VFS Global Centre appointment slots. I started my Visa application today and need to make an appointment at the VFS Global Centre – Toronto. No slots available for now, but my departure is in mid-May (although I need to get my Visa stuff in order by April 30 at the latest). Do I just need to keep refreshing/checking for slot-openings? I’ve looked up information online and have read posts from people who were stressed with this part of the process, but it seems like there is some “method to the madness” because they eventually got an appointment after a couple of weeks of trying. Does the VFS Global Centre provide slots in batches, say at the beginning of every week and month? Do I just keep trying, and will I get an appointment on time? Or should I take other measures?
Any reassurance or advice on this matter would be much appreciated.
Thank you!
Hello there. We don’t have visibility into VFS release schedules, so I recommend checking in the morning over the next few days. If you still see no new appointments, consider contacting VFS directly to ask them. Their contact information can be found on their website (click the Toronto link in chapter 5 of this guide). You still have lots of time so don’t worry too much. Best of luck!
Whew, glad to know I have time. Alright, will do! Thanks again for the help!
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