Entry and residency formalities
All international students are required to secure a residency permit, with the exception of European Union nationals. Students intending to come to study in France are required to secure a D visa from their French Embassy.
The C visa (for tourism) can under no circumstances be converted to a residency permit. The D visa (valid for a duration of 3 months for Algerian nationals, and between 4 and 12 months for other foreign nationals) must be obtained. It entitles the holder to remain in France for the duration of their studies provided it is properly renewed.
Get your roadmap and the steps to follow for a first application or renewal of your residence permit.
Obtaining a student residence permit ? DEMATERIALISATION
As of Tuesday 15 September 2020, the Prefecture of Lille asks you to use the new national procedure for submitting applications for student residence permits (except for "minor-scholar" visas, please refer to the first application). This is a dematerialised procedure, ANEF procedure.
The Maison Internationale and all its staff are at your disposal if you wish to carry out this procedure with assistance, if you wish to have your documents checked or simply to scan them, you can contact us by e-mail.
The time taken to deliver residence permits generally varies between 7 and 8 weeks minimum from the date of issue of the favourable opinion or the receipt. The delivery of residence permits is again done by appointment at the prefecture (you must be patient to receive the convocation by SMS).
Due to the current health situation, the time required to obtain a residence permit has been considerably extended compared to previous years.
IMPORTANT: the suspension of penalties for late applications for residence permits is now over. As a reminder, all applications for residence permits must be made between the 3rd and 2nd month before the expiry of the residence permit. Otherwise penalties are automatically charged by the ANEF software (two months before expiry until 6 months after expiry). Do not wait until your residence permit has expired to start your procedures.
After 6 months of expiry, the files are automatically refused by the Anef platform and will no longer be accepted by the Prefecture. A new legal entry must be presented. You will then have to go back to your country of origin to apply for a new visa.
Finally, for incomplete applications received via Anef, students receive a notification on their ANEF account specifying the missing document(s). If the student does not provide these documents in return within a maximum of 1 month (from the notification), the application is automatically closed by the ANEF software. A new complete submission via ANEF is then necessary.
Reframing campaign 2021/2022
REMINDER : applications for the reframing or renewal of a residence permit must be made between the 3rd and 2nd month before the expiry of your permit.
As every year, some students find themselves in a special situation following the expiry of their residence permit or VLS-TS during the summer period. Here is the procedure for requesting an ADP (extension certificate) via the ANEF portal:
- At the time of submitting your application, you do not yet have an attestation or an authorisation to enrol for the year 2021-2022:
You must make your reframing request on the ANEF, specifying in your comments that it is indeed a request for an extension certificate.
Once your application has been processed, you will receive an Attestation De Prolongation (ADP) which will allow you to be in a legal situation for 3 months. This ADP will allow you to travel, so you can leave for your holidays.
Once your ADP has been issued, your file will remain pending until mid-September, when the prefecture will contact you directly via your ANEF personal space so that you can provide your registration certificate for the year 2021/2022, in the form of a "request for additional file". The ADP can also be extended if necessary.
To submit your reframing application, you must provide:
- passport (valid - (the page with your photo)).
- visa + confirmation of visa/residence permit validation
- proof of residence less than 6 months old
- certificate of registration 2020/2021
- results for the current year (first semester and second semester if possible)
- At the time of submitting your application, you already have an attestation or authorisation to enrol for the year 2021-2022:
You can submit a renewal request directly via the ANEF portal. You will have to follow the classic procedure.
Attention: For the creation of the personal space to be valid, be careful when recording the date of entry into France, in fact, it must be a valid date in the form DD/MM/YYYY. If the date indicated is not valid, the portal will not accept it. Furthermore, after not logging in to your personal space for 80 days or more, you will have to reset your password to log in again.
As a reminder, while your file is on hold, it is not necessary to contact the prefecture.
NB: In both cases, the ADP can be extended if necessary.
Three different residency permits
You were a minor when you applied for your visa at the Embassy: your visa bears the mention "minor-scholar". You will have to start the procedures to obtain a residence permit before you reach the age of majority. The Prefecture of Lille asks you to use the paper version. You will find the list of documents in the file to be completed.
Students who have a "Minor in education" visa must contact the Maison Internationale by sending an email to: titredesejouruniv-lillfr ; this is to anticipate your first application for a residence permit.
You have just arrived in France and a D (student) visa has been placed inside your passport. This is known as a long-stay visa, or “Visa Long Séjour” (VLS). You do not yet have a residency permit, but only a D visa that entitles you to study in France.
- your D visa contains the words “Visa Long Séjour Temporaire”: this means you have no procedure to complete when you arrive. This visa is issued by French Embassies as part of exchange programmes. You are lawfully allowed to stay until it expires.
- your D visa is for 3 months: you must start the formalities for obtaining a residence permit within 2 months of your arrival in France. The Préfecture du Nord asks you to apply by post if you live in the Lille district. People living outside the Lille area should contact their local prefecture to find out how to proceed. You will find a list of the documents you need to enclose in the online procedure. You will be issued with a one-year residence permit.
- your D visa is for a period of 3 months and is marked "étudiant prog.mobility": you must start the formalities to obtain a residence permit within 2 months of your arrival in France. Please contact titredesejour@univ-lille.fr to find out how to proceed.
- you are a minor at the time of submitting your visa request at the Embassy: your visa contains the words “mineur-scolarisé”. You must begin the procedure to obtain a residency permit 2 months before reaching the age of 18 via the on-site service available at the University of Lille.
Students in possession of a "Mineur scolarisé visa must notify the Maison Internationale by sending an e-mail to: titredesejour@univ-lille.fr; this is to anticipate your first application for a residence permit.
If you have already been in France for a few months:
- you have a D visa in your passport or you are a residency permit holder: you must apply to renew your residency permit. Your request must be submitted with a valid residency permit (between the 3rd and 2nd month before your current visa or residence permit expires).
The Prefecture of Lille asks you to use the dematerialised procedure, ANEF procedure. Here you will find the list of documents required to renew your residency permit.
You have entered France with a Long Stay Visa valid for 4 to 12 months, allowing you to stay in France, welcome!
In order for this visa to be validated and transformed into a residence permit for the indicated duration, you will have to complete the following procedure online within 3 months of your arrival in France:
- Go to the following website: administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr
- Click on "I validate my VLS-TS".
- Follow the instructions indicated
IMPORTANT :
To complete the online form, you will need the following:
- A valid e-mail address,
- The information on the visa for entry into France,
- The stamp of entry into France with the visa,
- The address of residence in France,
- A payment card to pay the fee for the issuance of a residence permit online (other payment methods are available online on the portal)
ATTENTION: If you have not done this within 3 months of your arrival in France, you will no longer be legally resident in France. Consequently, you will no longer be able to cross the border into the Schengen area and you will have to apply for legal entry again. No regularisation on French territory will be possible by the prefecture.
For any questions, please contact
0806 001 620
dgef-support@interieur.gouv.fr
- The new ANEF teleprocedure requires e-photos, which will be taken in the Photomaton machines or at a photographer's.
A tax stamp certifies the payment of a tax to a French administration. They can be purchased online from the timbres.impots.gouv.fr website.
The purchase of these stamps is compulsory.
Further useful information
The temporary residence permit (Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour) has changed its name and format. This 12-month permit is issued to foreign students wishing to complete their training with initial work experience or who can prove that they are planning to set up a business in a field corresponding to their training. This particular permit is non-renewable and allows for a switch to an "employee" or "temporary worker" residence permit.
We invite you to consult this link for more details on the issuance and application procedure.
Lost/stolen residency permits
If you have lost or had your residence permit stolen, please click on this link.
You will have to apply online.
If you change your address, please make this declaration on this site.
The procedures are to be carried out online.