Starting your application on France-Visas

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.