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One or two years in France on a working holiday flies by. You’ve established a new routine and created new bonds, and these are not easy to leave behind. If you want to stay a bit longer, don’t worry; there are some other visa options that may allow you to extend your stay. Let’s look at them together, as well as their conditions.
Tourist visa/status
At the end of your WHV, you can stay another 90 days as a tourist. Some nationalities are visa-exempt while others require a tourist visa. Either way, you need to leave the Schengen Area for at least 24 hours (by going to the UK, for example). When you re-enter France, you will have 90 on the territory. As the name suggests, it is not possible to work with this type of status.
Once you leave France definitively after 90 days, you will not be able to re-enter the Schengen Area as a tourist again for the next 90 days. This is because tourists can only stay in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.
Visitor residence permit
This permit allows you to stay in France for up to one year (renewable). It is ideal for those in civil unions with fewer than one year of cohabitation. You will need to show proof of funds of at least €1232 per month. Note, however, that it is not possible to work while on this permit.
Young Professionals Visa
This visa, like the Working Holiday Visa, is available to young professionals, but it requires you to have a work contract with a French employer. France has signed accords with 18 countries (see full list, which includes Canada, Argentina, and New Zealand) and made this visa available to young professionals up to 35 years of age (exceptions for nationals of Benin, Russia, and Tunisia).
The first few steps of the application may be initiated in France (if you are already in France), but you will have to return to your home country to pick up your visa at the French consulate.
Documents required (source: 3A visa for Canadians):
- Completed visa application form
- 2 recent ID photos
- Completed application checklist (7 – Feuille de contrôle)
- Your passport and photocopies of the first six pages
- Proof of funds of €2100 (plus additional funds for an eventual return ticket)
- The OFII (Office Français de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration) form for requesting of proof of validation of long stay visa
- Your resumé
- Photocopies of your diplomas, proof of training, proof of professional qualifications or professional experience of at least 12 months in the last 3 years.
- 4 copies of your work contract (CERFA document)
Student visa
This visa is available to those who are 18 years of age and above. You must first choose your program(s) on Campus France. The application process depends on your nationality; check on the Études en France platform to see if candidates from your country can apply online. You must be accepted into at least one of your selected programs to become eligible for a student visa.
Required documents:
- ID photo
- Passport
- Attestation of pre-registration from the EEF-Pastel app containing your EEF candidate number
- Last 3 bank statements, scholarships, proof of other financial support
- Proof of housing (hotel, lease, written commitment from friend or family who will house the student, or other written explanation for how the student plans to be housed)
The visa fee is €50 for students of nationalities covered by the EEF procedure (this includes Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia, among others). For non-EEF nationalities, the fee is €99. Your visa application must be done on France-Visas.
Tuition fees differ from school to school. For non-Europeans studying at a public institution, tuition is €2770 at the undergraduate level and €3770 at the masters level. French and European students pay €170 at the undergraduate level and €243 at the graduate level. Students from Quebec can access the same tuition rates as local French students.
Residence card – temporary worker/employee
This type of temporary residency card is intended for those who wish to continue their professional activity as an employee with their employer.
First, the employer must provide proof that they already attempted to but were not able to find a suitable candidate on French soil (the job offer must have been posted on France Travail).
Subsequently, the employer must request a work permit for you. The application is the responsibility of the employer, not the worker.
Once you have the work permit, you can start applying for a residence card for temporary workers.
Required documents:
- Your current visa
- Your passport (ID pages and entry stamps)
- A copy of your birth certificate
- Proof of address dating from no more than 3 months ago
- 3 ID photos
- A medical certificate issued by OFII
- Signed OFII document demonstrating your commitment to adhering to French values and to integrating into French society
If you want to continue working for your current employer, you will also need to provide:
- Work authorization for your current position (CERFA n° 15187*01)
- An attestation of employment written by your employer or a copy of your last 3 paystubs
Documents required:
1. The completed demande d’attestation OFII
2. Copy of your passport and current visa
The OFII will invite you to an appointment. On the day, arrive 20 minutes early. By the end of the appointment, you will have received your medical certificate. You must present this document when you pick up your residence card at the prefecture. All of these procedures are totally free.
Residence card – private life and family
This type of residence card concerns those who have a spouse or civil partner who has French nationality. Some people have recounted that it is easier to obtain this card once legally wedded to their partner.
Documents required:
- Copy of birth certificate
- Copy of passport (ID pages and entry stamps)
- Proof of address from less than 6 months ago
- 3 recent ID photos
- Proof of payment of visa fee
- Declaration of non polygamy
- Copy of civil union (Pacs) document and attestation of non dissolution (i.e. there were no breaks in the union) dating from less than 3 months ago
- Copy of the passport or the national ID card of your French civil partner
- Documents evidencing close and continued relationship with your French partner
- Proof of sufficient continuous residence in France (e.g., electricity bills, tax documents)
Your French partner or husband/wife must be present during your appointment at the prefecture.
There is no simple answer to this question, as it depends on your prefecture. Based on some anecdotes, for some prefectures it is possible to go to the office directly to drop off your application two months before the expiration of your current visa. Contact your prefecture to ask for its exact steps (see prefectural contact info). The application form for some prefectures can also be found online by searching on Google.
Residence card – entrepreneur
This type of residence card is intended for freelancers or those who created their own business.
Documents required:
- Your current visa
- Your passport (ID pages and entry stamps)
- Copy of your complete birth certificate
- Proof of address from less than 3 months ago
- 3 recent ID photos
- A medical certificate issued by the OFII
- Signed OFII document demonstrating your commitment to adhering to French values and to integrating into French society
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- Some prefectures also ask for proof of A2 proficiency in the French language and the last 5 tax notices (3 in case of bilateral accord between your country and France). Contact your specific prefecture to confirm. Prefectural contact information can be found in
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To continue exercising commercial, industrial, or artisanal activities, you must present:
- Proof of company registration (status, extract K or Kbis) or affiliation to social security for self-employed
- Documents outlined by the French government (see all), required for the residence card for entrepreneurs
- Documents evidencing viability of the business and earnings equivalent to at least France’s full time minimum wage
To continue exercising freelance activities, you must present:
- Documents evidencing viability of the business and earnings equivalent to at least France full time minimum wage
- If practicing a regulated profession: authorization to practice, or registration with the association(s) concerned
Important:
– The application fee (le droit de timbre) is the same for all residence cards, at €225.
– Residence cards are issued for one year, and then are renewable by subsequently obtaining a pluriannual card (4 years).
Talent passport
This card is intended for skilled employees. They must hold a master’s degree or equivalent and earn a gross annual income of at least €42,406 (exact figure may change year to year). Contrary to the residence card for temporary workers/employees, your employer does not need to apply for a work permit.
Documents required:
- Your current visa
- Your passport (ID pages and entry stamps)
- Proof of address from less than 6 months ago
- 3 recent ID photos
- Employer attestation
- Your diploma(s)
- Your work contract
The application must be done on the Foreign nationals in France website. You will receive a proof of application for a residence card (this does not authorize you to work yet) once your application is submitted and received. The prefecture of your department will then contact you.
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