French Visa Q&A
Disclaimer
Indian Community Toulouse (ICT), had organised an online ‘Q&A Session on Visa’ on 28th May 2020 along with Sanjay KAMATH. Following this session, we have summarised all your questions and their answers in this document.
1.1 Long stay visa - expiring between 16th March and 15th June, 2020:
Visa automatically extended for 6 months from their expiration date. You don't have to do anything for the extension.You can either use the 6 months period & renew the visa before the expiry of extension period or renew the visa now whenever you can get an appointment at your prefecture. Visas concerned by this extension:
○ Long stay visa (Type "D")
○ Resident cards of all types
○ APS - Autorisation provisoire de séjour
○ Récépissés of above
Your current situation is:
I am in France - You are authorised to legally stay in France and continue to enjoy the same benefits of your current visa. Avoid going to India with this extension. Renew your visa before leaving FranceI am in India - You can return to France using this visa extension. Take a direct commercial flight and avoid transit via other countries. Meanwhile, take an appointment online for visa renewal by visiting the website of prefecture in your cityI am in another country - Kindly return to France immediately for your visa renewal before expiry or to India for a fresh visa. If you are not able to travel, please contact the French embassy in your city/country
Visa extension is valid only in France. Process to be followed and documents required for travelling to France areavailable mobile.interieur.gouv.fr and in.ambafrance.org. The French govt rule that allows this is capture at www.legifrance.gouv.fr
Attestation from prefecture about visa extension: Attestation Prolongation
1.2 Short stay visa:
They are not extended automatically but they can be renewed at the prefecture in your city (France) by submitting the relevant documents. Extensions are provided incase of border closures or no flights to your home country. For the Haute-Garonne region (including Toulouse), appointments for extension can be taken from www.demarches-simplifiees.fr
2.1 Long stay visa - expiring after 15th June, 2020:
I am in France - You can do the visa renewals as usual by taking an appointment with the prefecture (whenever available). Nothing has changed. For residents in Haute-Garonne region (including Toulouse), appointments can be taken from 2nd June according to the visa type from www.haute-garonne.gouv.fr/Titres-de-sejour-et-documents-de-voyageI am in India and want to return to France.I am in another country - Please return to France for visa renewal before its expiry. If travel is not feasible, kindly contact the French Embassy in your city or country.
Applications by post are also accepted. So, please check with your respective prefectures. For residents of Haute-Garonne region (including Toulouse) - You can send your complete file (photocopies only) by post to the following address:
Prefecture of Haute-Garonne
DMI - BASE - SB LR
1 Place Saint Etienne
31038 Toulouse Cedex 9
You must attach the application form and supporting documents corresponding to your situation. Both are available at www.haute-garonne.gouv.fr. Applications transmitted by post will not lead to a récépissé if the previous residence permit is extended. You will be contacted if required to complete the process. Do not travel to the prefecture before receiving an email or SMS. Visa renewals or extensions cannot be done outside France. The process can be started 2 months before the expiry of current visa.
○ Valid visa/récépissé - Travel as usual. No issues.
○ With récépissé expired - Apply for a ‘Visa de retour’ at VFS in India.
○ Without récépissé - Apply for a fresh visa at VFS in India. For student visas, Campus France process is not required again. This exemption applies only for this situation and not for a regular student visa application.
3.1 Renewal of an expiring student visa or Validation of a new student visa:
I am in France Please check Demande-de-titre-de-sejour-etudiant for the Haute-Garonne region (including Toulouse). For other cities, please check with your respective prefectures.
3.2 Application for a new student visa:
I am in India Please check the Campus France website for the detailed process. Step-by-step procedure and list of documents is explained in campusfrance.org
4.1 Visa extension for completing internships:
If your student visa expires before your internship contract or you are not able to apply for visa renewal, you can apply for a récépissé at the prefecture. Récépissé is normally given for 3-6 months depending on your situation and it should be applied before the expiry of current visa. For residents of Haute-Garonne region (including Toulouse):
Similar process are available for other city prefectures.
5.1. Applying for APS:
When you have your Diploma or Course completion certificate (attestation de reussite), you can apply for APS before your student visa/récépissé expires. Normally, Indians will receive it for 1 year (paper version) which can be renewed for one more year. This was the result of a bilateral agreement which was signed during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to France in 2015. Countries which don't have an agreement with France will receive a different visa (card version) called Carte de séjour - Recherche d'emploi/création d'entreprise for one year only and it cannot be renewed. Application process is the same for both in France
Campus France article regarding APS. Kindly check with your respective prefectures regarding process for applying APS.
For residents of Haute-Garonne region (including Toulouse):
“Contact your local prefecture for any details about your visa”