France student visa — step by step
Everything you need to apply, and how Vibedu files it with you — free.
Long-stay student visa
What the authority publishes
VLS-TS "étudiant" — the long-stay visa that doubles as a residence permit (visa long séjour valant titre de séjour) for courses longer than 90 days. It is not a Schengen visa and it is not a separate permit: for your first year the visa itself IS your residence permit, provided you validate it online within three months of arriving. A VLS-TS for study is valid for a maximum of one year; staying longer means applying to your prefecture for a residence permit, between four and two months before it expires.
€50
consular fee; Campus France charges separately
What the authority publishes
The consular long-stay visa fee is €50. It is not the only charge, and the others are easy to miss when budgeting. Campus France charges its own Études en France (EEF) processing fee, which you pay after your file is validated and then declare on the portal — the amount is set by Campus France India, not by the consulate. TLScontact, which runs the visa centres, charges a service fee on top, though Campus France notes that recipients of a qualifying scholarship, and students going for a licence, master or doctorat, receive an exemption letter for it once the EEF application is processed. Confirm each amount at the point of payment rather than from a guide: three different organisations set three different charges here.
Set by the EEF calendar
Campus France first, consulate after
What the authority publishes
There is no single published figure, because the clock is not one clock. The sequence is Études en France first — building the file, correcting the anomalies Campus France flags, the pre-consular interview, then validation — and only then a consulate appointment through TLScontact. The EEF calendar is what governs whether you make an intake, not the consular stage, so a student who starts EEF late cannot be rescued by an early visa appointment. Work backwards from the intake and treat the Campus France deadlines as the binding ones.
€877.50 a month
raised from €615 on 1 August 2026
What the authority publishes
€877.50 a month. This changed recently and it is the single most common out-of-date figure on the French route: Campus France India states that "effective 1 August 2026, the minimum proof of financial resources required for a French student visa will be revised to 877,5€/month", replacing the previous €615. Guides and older PDFs still carrying €615 are describing a threshold that no longer applies. The requirement can be met by personal savings, by a guarantor, or by a scholarship, and it is assessed against your situation rather than as a flat bank balance.
A VLS-TS "étudiant" holder may work 964 hours per year — Campus France describes this as the equivalent of 20 hours per week. It is an annual total rather than a weekly cap, so the hours can be distributed unevenly across the year, which matters around vacation periods.
Full official detail
A VLS-TS "étudiant" holder may work 964 hours per year — Campus France describes this as the equivalent of 20 hours per week. It is an annual total rather than a weekly cap, so the hours can be distributed unevenly across the year, which matters around vacation periods. The right comes with the student residence status itself; no separate work authorisation is needed for it.
France's decisive conversation happens before the visa stage, not at it. The Études en France procedure includes a pre-consular interview and evaluation run by Campus France, and that assessment is what the consulate reads.
Full official detail
France's decisive conversation happens before the visa stage, not at it. The Études en France procedure includes a pre-consular interview and evaluation run by Campus France, and that assessment is what the consulate reads. By the time you reach TLScontact the appointment is largely biometric and documentary — fingerprints, facial image and originals. Prepare for the Campus France interview as the substantive one: course choice, academic fit, funding and plans after the degree.
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Create and build your Études en France file
Campus France India runs the EEF portal and everything else follows it. Build the file, then correct the anomalies Campus France flags — this iteration is normal and is where time goes.
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Sit the Campus France interview and get the file validated
The pre-consular interview and evaluation are the substantive assessment on this route. On validation, pay the Campus France processing fee and declare the payment on the portal.
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Book the consular appointment through TLScontact
With a validated EEF file you book the visa appointment. Check whether you qualify for the TLS service-fee exemption: Campus France issues an exemption letter once the EEF application is processed for scholarship holders and for students going for a licence, master or doctorat.
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Attend for biometrics and submit originals
Fingerprints, facial image and the document set. The consular stage is checking the file rather than re-running the assessment Campus France already made.
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Validate the VLS-TS within three months of arriving
This is the step that is skipped and should not be. Within the first three months after arrival you register and validate the visa at administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr. Until you do, you are not a legal resident — the visa only becomes your residence permit once validated.
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Renew at the prefecture if you are staying past the first year
A study VLS-TS lasts a maximum of one year. To stay longer, apply for a residence permit at the prefecture of your place of residence between four and two months before the visa expires — not after.
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If you take an internship longer than three months, check the route
An internship of more than 90 days is a different visa (Internship VLS-TS), and the host company must have the internship agreement validated online by the administration at least two months before it starts.
Documents for the France visa
10 documents
Can you pay for a faster France decision?
No paid service is published by the authority
Campus France publishes no paid priority service for student visas. The Etudes en France step comes first regardless, and nothing you pay at the centre moves it.
If anyone offers to sell you “priority processing” for a France student visa, ask them to show you the official page that sells it. We looked on 10 November 2026 and could not find one.
Campus France India www.inde.campusfrance.orgChecked against that page on 10 November 2026. Fees and services change — confirm before you pay anything.
Where to apply, and current timings
Straight to France’s own pages — we do not hold appointment slot counts, and nor does anyone else
Where you hand in your France application
18 places in India to submit a France application
Remember the order: Etudes en France first, then France-Visas, and only then an appointment at one of these centres.
Visa Application Centres
14- Ahmedabad
- Bengaluru
- Chandigarh
- Chennai
- Cochin
- Goa
- Hyderabad
- Jaipur
- Jalandhar
- Kolkata
- Mumbai
- New Delhi
- Puducherry
- Pune
Temporary service points
4Marked temporary by the operator — open for limited periods only. Confirm one is running before you book travel to it.
- Coimbatore
- Guwahati
- Mangalore
- Vishakhapatnam
The same network also serves applicants in Kathmandu and Thimphu.
Operated by VFS Global, collecting applications for France-Visas in India.
Addresses, opening hours and appointments visa.vfsglobal.comRead off the operator’s own page on 10 November 2026. Centres open, close and relocate at short notice — confirm yours on the link above before you travel to it.
Indicative — visa rules change. Vibedu confirms your exact, current requirements and files the application with you, free.
France student visa — FAQs
7 questions
€877.50 per month. Campus France India states that effective 1 August 2026 the minimum proof of financial resources was revised to 877,5€/month, replacing €615. If a guide, PDF or agent is quoting €615, it is describing the rule before that date. The amount can be met by personal savings, a guarantor or a scholarship.
Not in practice. The route runs through Campus France's Études en France procedure first: you build the file, clear the anomalies Campus France raises, sit the pre-consular interview and have the file validated. Only then do you book the consular appointment. The EEF calendar, not the consulate, decides whether you make an intake.
Both, in sequence. For your first year the long-stay visa itself acts as your residence permit — but only once you validate it online within three months of arriving, at administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr. Skip the validation and you are not a legal resident, whatever the visa sticker says.
A study VLS-TS is valid for a maximum of one year. If you are staying beyond it, you apply for a residence permit at your local prefecture between four and two months before the visa expires. Leaving it until after expiry is not a renewal, it is a new problem.
964 hours per year, which Campus France describes as the equivalent of 20 hours a week. Because it is an annual total rather than a weekly ceiling, the hours can be spread unevenly — heavier in vacations, lighter in term.
Three organisations charge separately. The consular long-stay visa fee is €50. Campus France charges its own Études en France processing fee, payable on validation and declared on the portal. TLScontact charges a service fee at the visa centre — though Campus France issues an exemption letter for that one to scholarship holders and to students going for a licence, master or doctorat. Budget all three.
If it runs longer than three months, yes — it is an Internship VLS-TS rather than the student one. The host company must also have the internship agreement validated online by the administration at least two months before the internship begins.
Official sources: www.inde.campusfrance.org · www.campusfrance.org · france-visas.gouv.fr · administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr
Checked against those sources on 10 Nov 2026. Fees and rules change between checks — confirm at the official page before you pay.
Get your France visa document checklist
A counsellor calls you back during office hours — 9am to 8pm IST, Mon to Sat. We are closed right now, so your request is first in line when we reopen.
Enquiry about France · Long-stay student visa (VLS-TS)
This is an enquiry to Vibedu for document and process guidance. It is not a France visa application, and no one but the immigration authority decides a visa.