Trinity-in-Paris
Long Stay Student Visa Information
Please read the following information in its entirety very carefully before beginning the application process; any errors will delay the visa application process.
In order to study in France, you must obtain a student visa. Semester and Full Year students will need to apply for a Long Stay Visa. If you are not a US citizen, please advise the OIP as soon as possible – some steps in this process will differ.
Passport:
· If you do not have a passport already, apply for one immediately – you will need to expedite your application.
· Check to see when your passport expires. It needs to be valid for at least six months following the last day of your stay in France.
· If you need to renew your passport, make a copy of it so you have the passport number, date of issue and expiration date BEFORE you send it off to get renewed. You will need this information to begin the visa application process.
· Once you get your new passport, you will need to send the updated information to Campus France.
· For more information on applying for a passport, see US Department of State’s website.(www.travel.state.gov)
Applying for a Long Stay Student Visa is a two-part process – 1. Apply to Campus France and then 2. Have your appointment at the French Consulate
Step 1. Campus France Registration
Campus France Agency is a public institution in charge of promoting higher education and managing the reception and international mobility of students, researchers, experts and guests in France.
Students must first complete an application with Campus France BEFORE being able to make an appointment with the consulate. Complete this step as soon as possible. Those students attending the visa meeting on campus in Hartford will do this first step at that time.
· Application and instructions are available at http://www.usa.campusfrance.org/en/page/study-abroad-or-exchange-students-0
· Read the CampusFrance Guide (under the “Before you Start section on the application instructions) before completing the online portion of the CampusFrance application. The guide should answer all of your questions. There is also a video.
· Be sure to write down your Campus France ID# and account/log in information for future reference.
· Once you have created your account, some supplementary documents must be sent to Campus France before this step is complete. Students attending the visa meeting on Trinity campus in Hartford should give me a money (see below) and I will submit the letters to Campus France on your behalf. Students not on campus or who are not Trinity students wil be sent the required letters listed below and will be responsible for sending everything in to Campus France per the directions below:
· Copies of the following letters –Housing, Health insurance, Program Acceptance from Trinity, Program Acceptance from CEI. You need the original for the consulate appointment. Note that the address listed in the housing letter is for the visa only and is not going to be your residence in Paris.
· $100 money order
o (NOT a personal check – money orders are available from banks, pharmacies and major post offices). It must be made out to Campus France- La Maison Francaise
o Payment amount is subject to change, so please confirm the payment amount to the CampusFrance website prior to obtaining the money order
o Be sure to include your name and CampusFRance ID number on your Money Order
· Send via FED EX or other traceable mail service to:
Campus France
4101 Reservoir Road NW
Washington, D.C. 20007
· Once your application has been processed and validated online by the CampusFrance team, you will receive an electronic message to your Campus France account (not your personal email) entitled « Confirmation Email » that starts with « Congratulations ! », which will indicate that your application has been processed and your file is complete.
· CampusFrance will also email a “Quittance de Paiment”/Receipt of Payment to your CampusFrance mailbox (not your email mailbox) approximately three weeks after they receive your money order and acceptance letter. You must print out your Quittance de Paiment and include it with your visa application.
· Helpful hints:
o Do not use Google Chrome or Mac Safari to register with CampusFrance. Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox work much better.
o Disable pop-up blockers on your computer FIRST so you can print things out and have access to a printer so you can print out your confirmation page
o WRITE DOWN your login, password and Campus France ID somewhere you won’t lose it. You will need these to regularly check your Campus France account for messages.
o Campus France will communicate with you through this account, not your email address so you must check this account regularly for updates, confirmations and information.
o When you get a message in your account confirming your payment, PRINT this out – you will need to bring it with you to your consulate appointment.
Step 2. Make an appointment at the French Consulate
Students are advised to complete this step immediately after registering through Campus France online. Appointments fill up quickly and you want to make the appointment for approximately 2 months before you will be leaving the U.S. Note, however, that the appointment calendars do not become available until 60 days prior.
You must go in person to the French Consulate that is either in your home town jurisdiction or, if you are a Trinity student, you can apply through the New York City consulate. You may also have to return to the consulate in person to pick your visa up so choose your appointment day carefully when you know you can do this.
For Spring 2014, you can try to make the appointment for the Thanksgiving break or early December.
To find the consulate closest to your home, go to http://www.ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article330
· Helpful hints:
o You must have access to a printer when you make the appointment because you must print out your appointment receipt to bring to the consulate.
o Before making the online appointment, be sure to make sure to turn off your pop-up clocker FIRST before making the appointment. This will allow the pop-up print window to be displayed so you can continue with the print command.
o Write down, print out, and remember the time of your appointment along with the print out of the confirmation number. Not having the confirmation number printed out could further delay the visa process. You may not be able to enter the consulate without the print out appointment receipt
o Each consulate has a slightly different application process and requires different forms so it is essential to read the requirements for the consulate you will be going to
o You should bring your college ID and a copy of the ID, even if the website does not ask for it (students have had trouble with this in the past).
o You must bring your actual passport to the French Consulate for your appointment and leave it there while your visa is being processed.
o All students should also complete an OFII Form, even if the consulate website does not ask for one, just to be safe. Complete only the top portion of the OFII form and bring it to your consulate appointment. Be sure to get the original O.F.I.I. form back from the consulate and bring it with you to Paris. It is imperative that you bring this document with you to France! Do not lose it! When you arrive in Paris, the Trinity-in-Paris staff will provide you with instructions for what to do with your OFFI form.
o We suggest you bring 3 copies of everything to your consulate appointment. It is better to bring more things that you may not need than to not have what you need.
o You must pay by cash, check or a credit/debit card in YOUR name (not your parents name)
o There is a sample visa application form on the OIP website on the Paris page.
o **Very Important** - at your consulate appointment, do not let them take your original letters of acceptance. They should take the copies you bring after verifying the originals. You need to bring the originals to Paris where they need to be submitted to officials there. The Trinity staff in Paris will help you.
o If asked where you are living in Paris, it is very important that you say “Program housing”.
o When you are logging into your Campus France account, make sure you are on the USA Campus France website and you want to look on the right side of the page and click on “Pastel login”
Finally, speak some French when you go to the consulate! Your effort will be greatly appreciated and will possibly help your visa process along J
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