In 2022, almost 40,000 French nationals moved abroad with a Working Holiday Visa. Conversely, 4,508 young adults from other countries chose France as their WHV destination.

Who is eligible for a WHV in France?

At the time of writing, France has signed agreements with 15 governments. Eligible are young adults:

  • Between 18-30 years old (inclusive) from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, South Korea, Taiwan, and Uruguay.
  • Between 18-35 years old (inclusive) from Argentina, Australia, and Canada.

Take advantage of a Working Holiday Visa in France

Which visa to apply for?

You will want to apply specifically for the Working Holiday Visa. It is considered to be one type of long-stay visa. The official translations for the Working Holiday Visa are available in 5 languages on the French government’s website:

The website France-visas.gouv.fr centralizes all information regarding visa applications of all kinds.

Click on “Tourism / Private stay”.

tourism private stay

Then click on “long-stay national visa”.

long stay national visa

Click on “working holiday”.

click working holiday

Finally you will arrive at the Young traveller (working holiday) page. It presents an overview of the program for participating countries, and other information.

whv landing page

Other helpful resources?

You can find information that is specific to your nationality by visiting the website of the French embassy to your country or region:

Where do I apply?

You must apply at the authorized visa centre(s) of your country or region. It is not possible to apply for a Working Holiday Visa on French soil. However, nationals of Australia, Canada, and Colombia who live abroad are permitted to submit their application to the French consular services of their country of residence.

Do I need to activate or validate my visa once in France?

No, it is no longer necessary to activate or validate the Working Holiday Visa once you arrive in France. The start date of your visa will be set to the intended arrival date you indicated in your application.

And if I have other questions?

Pvtistes.net has been around since 2005, and every year we help thousands of working holidayers find answers to all their questions. We’re more than happy to help you as well!

Check out our discussion forum, the section called PVT – WORKING HOLIDAY IN FRANCE. Feel free to post in English, French, or your language of preference. We will do our best to translate our responses.

pvt france forum

Julie

Cofondatrice de pvtistes.net, j'ai fait 2 PVT, au Canada et en Australie. Deux expériences incroyables ! Je vous retrouve régulièrement sur nos comptes Insta et Tiktok @pvtistes avec plein d'infos utiles !
Cofounder of pvtistes.net. I went to Canada and Australia on Working Holiday aventures. It was amazing!

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(5) Comments

Zoha I |

I am Australian and currently in the Eu on a tourist visa. I like to apply for France WHV but I can not book an appointment in Germany or Switzerland to apply for this visa. Where are the places anyone knows that I can apply for France WHV in the EU? Thank you!

Jackson I |

You must apply from your country of residence, which is presumably Australia. Applying from a third country where you are a tourist is not possible.

mb3njamin I |

Hi, I am Canadian who is turning 36 on Jan 21, 2021. I just got my PvT visa approved from embassy and the visa duration is Jan 19, 2021 – Jan 18, 2022. Due to Covid19, I would like to enter and activate my visa as late as possible. Would you know when I can enter France latest? Would it be Apr 19 2021? Would it be still okay if I have turned 36 already? Thanks!!

ChristineY I |

Hey! Any chance you could share your experience applying for the PvT visa in Canada? I’m from canada as well…I applied in the Toronto VFS office a couple weeks ago and I see that my application is still “under process”. I just wanted to get an idea of other people’s timelines for approval. Thanks!!

Jackson I |

Hello. Yes, you can enter France even if you turn 36. The age requirement is only relevant at the moment of submission of application. Once you get the visa, you can enter France any time you wish (during it’s period of validity).