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One or two years in France on a Working Holiday Visa 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, 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. This is not an exhaustive list of all possible visas.
1. Visa-exempt tourist
At the end of your Working Holiday Visa, you may be able to stay another 90 days as a tourist (assuming your citizenship is visa-exempt). You will, however, 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 days on the territory. Remember that visa-exempt tourists can only stay in the Schengen Area for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period.
As the name suggests, it is not possible to work under this status.
2. Long-stay visitor visa
This permit allows you to stay in France for up to one year. It is not possible to work for a French employer while on this permit. Among other things, you will be asked to show proof of sufficient funds to support yourself, as well as adequate private medical insurance. Learn more.
3. Jeune Professionnel
In addition to the Working Holiday Visa agreements, France also has agreements with 18 countries (including Canada, Argentina, and New Zealand) that allow French employers to hire young foreigner workers. If your country has an agreement with France and you meet the conditions, you can work in France for up to 18 or 24 months, depending on your nationality.
To be eligible, you must have a work contract with a French employer, be 18-35 years old, and be from one of the 18 partnering countries. Learn more.
4. Student visa
This visa is available to those who are 18 years of age and above. Once you’ve been accepted into your chosen program, you can apply for a student visa. Applicants from most countries will go through the online EEF procedure. Learn more.
Note that you may only work part time as a student. Your program should also be degree-granting, not a language class, for example.
5. Visa salarié/travailleur temporaire
This is a closed visa intended for those who have an offer from a French employer.
- If the offer is a CDD, then the relevant visa is the visa travailleur temporaire.
- If it is a CDI, then it is a visa salarié.
There are several steps and conditions for you and your employer to follow, but broadly your employer needs to first obtain an autorisation de travail on your behalf.
Once that is approved, you can apply for a visa salarié/travailleur temporaire on france-visas.gouv.fr from your home country, and you will be asked to provide the aforementioned autorisation de travail as a supporting document.
6. Carte de séjour vie privée/familiale
If your partner is a French national, you may be eligible for a Carte de séjour vie privée/familiale. This route is possible if you are legally wedded or Pacs’d (French civil partnership). This permit grants you work authorization.
According to the official website,
- If you are married, you should apply online via ANEF. Your prefecture will process your application. If you are a Canadian with an autorisation provisoire de séjour, you can use the foreigner number on your document to login to ANEF. All other working holiday makers likely do not have a foreigner number to access ANEF with. In that case, contact your prefecture for alternative instructions.
- If you are Pacs’d, you should book an appointment at the prefecture to submit your application.
Note that the requirements differ for married and Pacs’d couples, so read the website carefully.
7. Carte talent
The carte talent is designed to attract high-potential individuals with in-demand skills. There are several types of cartes talent.
Two popular categories of the carte talent are Salarié qualifié and Carte bleue européenne.
- Salarié qualifié: this is for if you have a job offer from a French company. Additionally, you must hold a masters degree from a French university and the gross annual salary of your offer must be at least €39,582 (figure subject to change). Learn more.
- Carte bleue européenne: this is also for if you have a job offer from a French company. However, you must have at least 3 years of post-secondary education or 5 years of equivalent work experience. The gross annual salary of your offer must be at least €59,373 (figure subject to change). Learn more.
If you live in France and already have access to ANEF thanks to a foreigner number (the case for Canadians who hold an autorisation provisoire de séjour in year 2 of their working holiday), you can apply online. Otherwise, you must apply through the French consular authorities in your home country.
8. Carte de séjour entrepreneur/profession libérale
This option is geared towards individuals who want to freelance or be business owners.
There are several steps involved, but broadly you need to first open your business on INPI, followed by registration on Urssaf.
You’ll also need to prepare a business plan proving that your project is financially viable; there are minimum earning requirements.
Once your dossier is ready, you can make an appointment to submit your application at your prefecture. Certain prefectures might allow you to apply online via démarches simplifiées – check whether this is the case for your prefecture.
Read more on this visa.
(8) Comments
I would like to start by saying that pvtistes was my main point of reference throughout my entire visa application process during my stay in France, so I wanted to give something back here as it has been such a valuable resource.
I am a Canadian from Ontario and started this process in 2024 at 28 years old.
I first applied for the Working Holiday Visa, which is how I discovered pvtistes, and I used it as my primary reference for all the steps required to obtain the visa. After arriving in France, I lived in Paris for a year and then reapplied locally for an APS at the prefecture in paris before my visa expired, again using pvtistes as essentially the only clear guide I could find (https://pvtistes.net/en/extend-working-holiday-france/). This part of the process was very smooth and straightforward.
The more complicated part came during my second year, when I secured a CDI in the tech industry while still living in Paris. About five months before my visa expired (Jan 2026), I began exploring my options to stay. At the prefecture, I was told the salarié route would likely be my best option, but it was not clearly explained that my employer needed to apply for a work authorization. By the time I realized this, time was already tight, but I managed to get my company to apply. However, it remained unclear whether I could actually change status from within France, especially in Paris. I then consulted an immigration lawyer who suggested that the EU Blue Card (Carte Bleue) would be my best option. Initially, I didn’t think I qualified because I had not attended university and my base salary was below the required threshold. I was able to convince my employer to increase my salary and used references from my previous role in Canada to demonstrate that I had more than five years of relevant professional experience in sales. I applied with exactly two months remaining on my visa, which is the minimum timeframe allowed through the ANEF portal. This part was stressful, but pvtistes was absolutely correct—I was able to apply for the Carte Bleue directly from within France on the ANEF website. The entire process, from application to approval, took just over one month. It is also worth noting that location matters, and the Paris prefecture may process applications faster than smaller towns.
Key takeaways: pvtistes clearly outlined this entire three-year pathway for me, the information regarding the Carte Bleue for Canadians changing status in Paris is accurate however still not easy, my experience in a different industry was still accepted as relevant, and if you are organized and have a supportive employer, you likely do not need an immigration lawyer, which can cost thousands of euros.
I wish to whoever reading this article the best of luck because all of these processes are not easy and not clear, however it is achievable. If you are Canadian you are at a significant advantage.
Pvtistes, to your writers and contributors, thank you for providing this clear and truthful info. I would not have been able to manage this process otherwise and would have been forced to pay thousands of euros to lawyers or possibly lose my status/job here in France.
List of what I applied for carte Bleue visa on the ANEF website
**Proof of address
-my girlfriend who’s is french and I live together so I used her as my proof of address
-front and back copy of her french ID
-short signed and writen letter explaining that I live with her
-electric bill with her name on it
**Passport+all stamped pages+ visa
**APS
** completed doc by my current french employer https://administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr/particuliers/assets/docs/attestation-employeur-PT.pdf
** Short letter from my past employer saying what my role was on the company letter head that was signed my the CEO/HR
**short letter from my current French employer, signed and stamped
** My CV clearly showing my experience and how it related to my role
**e-photo taken at a french photo booth that are in basically every metro station
**Signed copy of the commitment to respect the principles of the Republic
this is a you can follow the process here: https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F16922
I applied with exactly two months left before my APS expired
Thank you so much Chase for this!! I am the pvtistes writer in charge of destination France. Would you be interested in being featured in a written interview about your time in France, as many other WHVers have already been? If so, free feel to send me a DM and I can give you more details.
Hi Jackson, would be happy to pay it forward and be interviewed!
Hi/Bonjour,
I understand you need to exit the Schengen Area if you want to stay in France and switch from WHV to a Schengen visa, is that correct?
If so, can I re-enter France one day before the end of my WHV (it’s more convenient on traveling days)?
Example:
Leaving France: May 22nd
Re-entering France : May 25th => start of Schengen visa
End of WHV: May 26th
Thanks for your help!
Hi. In general, it is not advisable to “overlap” your re-entry between two different statuses. It could lead to confusion. The safest thing to do is to re-enter France after your WHV is expired.
Hi Meghan and team at pvtistes, I’m a Canadian currently living in France on the APS visa after having enjoyed 1 year of working holiday visa (the APS visa was attained thanks to your info!). I’d like to apply for the entrepreneur residence card next and I prefer to apply from France instead of Canada. Is that possible?
Hi Nadya. You can check the ANEF website for your prefecture to see if entrepreneur is listed among the online procedures. It might be possible to do it from France.
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