Visa Information

Addresses of Consulates

* For the following counties in California: Imperial, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura: CONTACT LOS ANGELES.

For all other counties in California: CONTACT SAN FRANCISCO.

** Also for the Bahamas, U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands, Anguilla, etc.

*** Also for Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Palau, Guam, North Marianne and American Samoas.

**** For the following counties in Nevada: Churchill, Fallon, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lyon, Pershing, Storey, Washoe, White Pine, Carson City: CONTACT SAN FRANCISCO.

***** Also for British Bermuda.

Student Visa for France

In order to remain longer than 90 days, anyone planning to study in France must have a long-term visa. To apply for it, you should write to, or visit, the French Consulate of the region where you reside asking for the proper application forms and the amount you should remit for the fee. You may not apply for your visa until you have your passport and you have received Items 4, 5 and 6 listed in this section from us. These will be sent to you as soon as we have secured proof of admission from the Paris universities. You should not apply for the visa more than three months before your departure (although you may ask for the forms and the requirements earlier). Therefore, if you travel with the Junior Year in France group, and if you are an American citizen, do NOT send your application before June 1 (Oct. 15 for spring semester students).

Junior Year in France cannot be responsible for problems that arise if you enter France without a visa or with the wrong visa. It is impossible to secure a student visa once you have entered France.

Students may apply to the consulate that serves the state of their permenant home address or the consulate that serves the state where their college/university is based. To determine where you have to apply for a student visa, please see the table at left. You can access their websites here.

Address your inquiry to: Consulat Général de France à [name of the city], Service des visas.

You will be asked to complete the application in French. Click on the sample application below:

Each consulate has slightly different requirements. Please read through your consulates requirements and list of requirements on their website. Some of the Consulates will require that you appear in person to apply for your visa.  Fees for convering the Visa cost may also vary and must be paid via money order or certified check.

IMPORTANT: KEEP COPIES OF ALL DOCUMENTS THAT YOU SEND TO OBTAIN A VISA.

AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE YOUR VISA, PLEASE SEND A PHOTOCOPY TO THE VIRGINIA OFFICE OF THE JUNIOR YEAR IN FRANCE. Keep another copy at home and take a third one to France. You should also take with you the documents you submitted to receive your visa and which were returned to you. You will notice that your visa may contain a statement to the effect that "the Consul Général of France wishes to remind you that this visa does not in itself grant you the right to enter French territory. It is necessary that you carry the documents used to obtain the visa with you at all times. Border authorities may request that you show these documents upon entry to France. Inability to produce them may prevent you from entering the country."

Bearers of Non-American Passports

Bearers of non-American passports should call the French Consulate for special requirements. Because of eventual delays they should begin their visa application early (the French Consulate recommends that they do so at least three months before the departure date i.e., June 1, or Oct. 15 for spring semester students) and check with their own consulates with regard to visas for France and travel in Europe outside of France. Students who will travel on passports issued by France, another European Union country, or Switzerland, Andorra, the Holy See, San Marin and Liechtenstein, do not need visas to study in France; if they have dual nationality, they must secure two passports, one from the European country (to enter France), the other from the United States (to return to the U.S.).

Non-American students who need to apply for their visa at a French consulate in the U.S. should fill out question 19 of the application form and indicate the details of their Green Card, their U.S. visa, or their refugee document.