France Guide
France separates visas into short-stay Schengen visas (up to 90 days) and long-stay national visas (over 90 days). Most students and workers from Pakistan and India need a long-stay visa that doubles as a residence permit, called the VLS-TS. Choosing the wrong type is one of the most common reasons applications fail, so match the visa to your real purpose before paying any fee.
A Schengen visa type C covers tourism, family visits, business meetings and short courses for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and it is valid across the Schengen area, not only France. You apply through France if France is your main destination or first point of entry. A Schengen visa never allows you to settle, work long term or convert into residence from inside France, so it is the wrong route if your real plan is study or work.
Stays over 90 days need a long-stay national visa type D. For most students, workers and spouses, this is issued as a VLS-TS (visa long sejour valant titre de sejour), which acts as your first residence permit. A VLS-TS must be validated online on the official ANEF portal within three months of arriving in France, with a tax payment, or you lose legal status even though the sticker in your passport looks valid. This validation step surprises many first-time arrivals, so treat it as part of the visa process, not an optional extra.
Students apply for a student long-stay visa after acceptance through the Etudes en France platform. Skilled employees usually come under a Talent residence permit (formerly passeport talent) or a standard employee work authorization arranged by the employer. Family members of French residents or citizens use family reunification or spouse visas, which have their own document and income conditions. If your purpose does not clearly match a route, check the France-Visas assistant on the official site before applying rather than sending a generic tourist application.
Common questions
A Schengen visa allows up to 90 days in the Schengen area within any 180-day period and cannot be converted into residence. A long-stay national visa is for stays over 90 days in France specifically, and for most categories it is issued as a VLS-TS that works as your first residence permit once validated online after arrival.
Generally no. France expects you to apply for the correct long-stay visa from your home country. Switching from a short-stay Schengen visa to a residence permit inside France is only possible in narrow situations, and applying with the wrong stated purpose can be treated as misrepresentation on future applications.
You can usually apply up to six months before travel for long-stay visas and three months for short-stay visas. Students should start the Campus France process four to five months before their intake, because the Etudes en France step comes before the visa appointment and has its own deadlines.
