Student residence permit in France: from visa to multi-year card
Your first year runs on a long-stay visa that doubles as a permit; the student card only comes afterwards, with its own conditions.
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Resources to show for your studies
Minimum resources for the period
€10,530
| Per month | €877.50 |
| VLS-TS validation | €100 |
| Student card afterwards | €150 |
A non-EU student arrives in France on a long-stay visa that serves as a residence permit (VLS-TS) marked "étudiant", valid for 4 months to 1 year, which must be validated online within 3 months of arrival, paying a €100 tax. After the first year, the student applies for a student card (carte de séjour étudiant), either for one year or multi-year for the rest of the degree, between 4 and 2 months before the visa ends. At every step, you must show resources of at least €877.50 a month, €10,530 over a year, and enrolment in a higher-education institution. The card costs €150 at the reduced rate and each renewal €100; filing late adds €180. A two-year master's therefore costs €250 in tax stamps, a three-year bachelor's €350. The student permit allows 964 hours of paid work a year without a work authorisation, provided the employer declares the hire to the prefecture.
Year one: the long-stay visa works as your permit
The route starts at the consulate, not the prefecture. A student enrolled or pre-enrolled in a public or private higher-education institution, or a higher vocational training body, applies for a student VLS-TS. Nationals of 72 countries go through the Études en France platform when they pre-enrol; everyone else applies on France-Visas. Two groups skip the long-stay visa: a student who entered lawfully on a short-stay "student-entrance exam" visa and passed the exam, and someone who has been at school in France since at least age 16 and goes on to higher education. Both apply for their permit directly at the prefecture.
Once you land, the clock starts: the VLS-TS must be validated online within 3 months, with a €100 tax. Without validation your stay is not lawful and the visa no longer lets you re-enter the Schengen area after a trip. Arriving on 5 September 2026, you must validate before 5 December 2026. The official student permit page covers this step.
Resources: €877.50 a month, every step of the way
The resources condition applies to the visa and to every card: at least €877.50 a month, assessed against your situation. It does not apply if you passed the entrance exam of an institution that has an agreement with the State. Over a ten-month academic year that is €8,775; over twelve months, €10,530. Accepted proof includes a scholarship certificate, your last three payslips, scheduled transfers from a sponsor, or a bank statement showing a sufficient balance. With several sources, each must be documented.
| Length of stay | Minimum resources |
|---|---|
| 4 months | €3,510 |
| 9 months | €7,898 |
| 12 months | €10,530 |
| 24 months | €21,060 |
After a year: one-year or multi-year card
When the VLS-TS is about to end, you apply for the card on ANEF, the online portal for foreign nationals, no earlier than 4 months and no later than 2 months before the visa expires. For a visa ending on 4 September 2027, the window runs from 4 May 2027 to 4 July 2027. A digital filing certificate is issued straight away.
After a year in France on a VLS-TS or temporary card, the prefecture may issue a multi-year student card covering the years left in your degree: someone who has completed the first year of a bachelor's receives a two-year card. You must then show that your studies are genuine and serious: attendance, results, degrees obtained, and an explanation if you changed course. Repeating one year per cycle does not, on its own, count against you. Sections L422-1 to L422-3 of the CESEDA immigration code and section R422-2 set out this permit.
What a full degree costs
Students pay the reduced rate, roughly half the standard one: €150 for a first card instead of €350, €100 for a renewal instead of €250, and €100 to validate the visa against €300 for an employee. Filed late, a renewal rises to €280.
| Degree | Stamps over the period |
|---|---|
| Master’s (2 years) | €250 |
| Bachelor’s (3 years) | €350 |
| Bachelor’s then master’s (5 years) | €550 |
These totals assume a renewal every year. With a multi-year card covering the end of the degree, you buy fewer stamps. The consulate visa fee, which depends on the country, is not included.
Mobility programmes have their own card
A student on an EU mobility programme or an inter-university agreement receives a "student – mobility programme" card. It costs €150, lasts one year if the programme is shorter than two years and the length of the programme beyond that. It requires the same monthly resources and also allows 964 hours of work a year. The official mobility-programme page lists the documents.
Working while you study
The student permit allows 964 hours of salaried work a year, 60% of the legal annual working time, with no work authorisation. The count starts when the card is issued or the VLS-TS validated: a card issued on 1 September 2025 allows 964 hours until 31 August 2026. The employer must send a named declaration to the prefecture at least 2 working days before you start. An apprenticeship contract approved by the skills operator (OPCO) lets you go beyond the cap; it normally requires a year in France, except for master's students. The official page on student work and article L5221-9 of the Labour Code set these rules. Algerian students fall under a different regime, set by the Franco-Algerian agreement, and should check their own official page before taking a job.
After graduating
With a master's or equivalent, three routes open: the job-search or business-creation card, to request before your student card ends; the employee card with a work authorisation; or the talent card if the salary meets the threshold. The status-change calculator compares your salary with the thresholds. This guide is information; it does not replace the prefecture's review of your file.