Types of Student Visa For France : Process and Work Permissions For Indian Students

France is making a real push for Indian students.

President Macron’s government has set a target of welcoming over 30,000 Indian students annually by 2030 – a significant increase from current numbers.

The French Embassy has backed this with a structured program combining French language training and academic support to help Indian students integrate into the French education system.

For Indian students researching France, the visa system is one of the first things to understand.

It’s structured differently from the UK or Australia, and the Campus France process that Indian students must go through before applying for a visa is something a lot of people don’t know about until they’re well into the research phase.

The Four Types of French Student Visas

France doesn’t offer a single “student visa.” The type you need depends entirely on how long your program runs.

Short Stay Student Visa (Visa de court séjour pour études)

For programs under three months – summer courses, short language programs, academic workshops. Maximum stay is 90 days. Cannot be renewed. Most Indian students pursuing degree programs will not need this one.

Temporary Long-Stay Student Visa (VLS-T)

For programs between three and six months. Not renewable. If your program runs longer than six months, this isn’t the right visa. Students who realize mid-way that they want to extend their stay cannot convert this into a longer visa.

Long-Stay Student Visa (VLS-TS)

This is the visa for anyone pursuing a bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral program in France – anything longer than six months. Initially valid for up to one year, it’s renewable annually for the duration of your course. This is what the vast majority of Indian students going to France for higher education will apply for.

Étudiant Concours Visa

A specialized visa for students who want to come to France specifically to sit an entrance exam at a French higher education institution. Valid for up to 90 days. If you pass the exam and secure admission, you can convert it to a student residence permit from inside France. If you fail, the visa expires and cannot be renewed – you must leave. This is a niche category with strict conditions.

The Researcher Talent Passport – Worth Knowing About

For Indian professionals and academics with a master’s degree or higher who want to come to France to conduct research or teach at a university, there’s a separate category called the Talent Passport – Researcher (passeport talent-chercheur) VLS-TS.

This isn’t a student visa. It’s a professional-academic visa, and it works very differently. Instead of a university admission notice, you need a hosting agreement (called a convention d’accueil) issued by your French host institution. This document specifies the nature of your research, how long it runs, your salary, and your accommodation arrangements.

The Talent Passport is valid for up to four years (matching your hosting agreement) and is renewable. The most notable benefit is that your spouse automatically receives a Talent-Family permit with immediate, unrestricted full-time work rights in France – a meaningful advantage for families considering a research posting.

If you’re a postdoctoral researcher or an academic on an exchange arrangement rather than a student, this is the relevant visa, not the standard student route.

The Campus France Process – The Step Everyone Misses

Here’s where Indian applicants often get caught off guard. All Indian students applying for a long-stay student visa in France must go through Campus France India before they can even apply for the visa itself.

There’s a common misconception that students applying to private or autonomous institutions can bypass Campus France and go directly to the French Consulate. They cannot. Every Indian national applying for a long-stay student visa must complete the Campus France academic screening, regardless of the type of university they’re applying to.

The process runs in two stages:

• Stage 1 – Campus France EEF (Études en France) Portal: You register on the official Études en France portal, build your academic profile, and submit your application files. Campus France India reviews your documents, validates your academic background, and conducts a mandatory academic interview. The Campus France processing fee for stays longer than 90 days is INR 18,000. There’s no fee for programs under 90 days.
• Stage 2 – France-Visas and VFS: Once Campus France validates your file and you have a university acceptance letter, you complete the visa application through the France-Visas online platform and book a physical appointment at a VFS Global center in India to submit your passport, biometrics, and physical documents.

This two-step process takes time. Don’t assume you can start this a few weeks before you need to travel.

Documents Required for a French Student Visa

When you get to the VFS stage, the standard document list for a French student visa includes:

Admission letter from the French institution. Completed visa application form. Valid passport. Two recent passport-size photographs. Academic transcripts. French language proficiency certificate (if required for the course). Language proficiency certificate for the medium of instruction. Proof of accommodation in France. Return airline ticket showing your departure date. Medical insurance with minimum €30,000 cover. Proof of funds. Civil status documents if applicable.

On proof of funds : You need to demonstrate at least €877.50 per month, which works out to approximately €10,530 for the first year of studies. This is for living expenses only and is on top of any remaining tuition fees. The funds must be clearly liquid – three to six months of consistent bank statements, a certified education loan sanction letter, or an official scholarship stipend certificate. Funds that can’t be easily verified or that appeared suddenly in the account shortly before application don’t meet the requirement.

Work Rights During Your Studies

The VLS-TS long-stay student visa permits part-time work up to 964 hours per year – roughly 60% of a full-time annual schedule. This is approximately 18 to 19 hours per week on average across the year, though the way the hours are distributed is flexible.

Students can work in any sector but cannot work more than the permitted hours without risking their visa status. Many students work directly at universities or higher education institutions, which often offer employment contracts structured around the academic calendar. All student workers are legally entitled to France’s national minimum wage (SMIC) regardless of their visa status.

The work restriction applies while you’re studying. After graduation, the rules change.

Post-Study Work Rights

After completing a Master’s or PhD in France, graduates can apply for the RECE permit – a temporary post-study residence permit previously known as the APS. The standard version is valid for 12 months.

For Indian graduates specifically, there’s a bilateral agreement between India and France that allows the RECE permit to be renewed once, giving Indian students a total stay-back period of two years. This is a meaningful advantage compared to most other nationalities who only get 12 months.

During the RECE period, the 964-hour cap on work is removed entirely. You can take up full-time employment in any professional sector while looking for a permanent position.

To transition from the RECE permit to a long-term work permit (Carte Salarié), you need a full-time job offer in your field of study paying at least 1.5 times the French national minimum wage. That currently works out to approximately €2,734.55 gross per month. Once you have that, you can apply for a proper work authorization that puts you on a longer-term professional track in France.

What French Visas Cover – Programs That Qualify

The French long-stay student visa applies to: full-time undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD programs; structured student exchange programs; long-term French language programs (over three months); Erasmus Mundus joint master’s degrees; and internships integrated into a university curriculum.

Standalone professional internships not attached to a degree program require a different category of visa.

Few Things Worth Knowing Before You Apply

French language isn’t always required for the visa, but it’s often required for the course. English-taught programs exist at French grandes écoles and many universities, but campus life, administrative processes, housing searches, and daily practical matters in France are predominantly in French.

Students who don’t have at least basic French find the experience considerably harder than those who made some effort before arriving.

The Campus France interview is in part an assessment of why you want to study in France specifically and how your academic profile connects to your chosen program. Going in without having thought through these questions carefully shows.

France’s cost of living is more manageable than the UK, particularly outside Paris. Average monthly costs for a student in Paris run higher than in cities like Lyon, Toulouse, or Bordeaux, where the same education quality comes at a lower lifestyle cost.