To find general information and to submit and track your application, log on to France-visas, the official website for visa applications to France.
Student visas
If you want to study in France for more than 90 days, you may need to apply for a visa.
Follow the visa wizard to find out if you need a visa for France.
If you need a long-stay visa (more than 90 days), the process is the following (it is necessary to follow it in the right order):
- Complete the Etudes en France process
- Start your visa application on France-Visas
- Submit your visa application in person at a VFS Global centre in Canada
- Receive your visa and passport back.
The 'Etudes en France' process
Students who need to obtain a long-stay visa to study in France must first register on the Etudes en France platform before applying for a visa.
Create your account, upload your supporting documents and submit your application. A processing fee of CAD$150 (non-refundable) will be charged once your application has been reviewed.
Depending on your situation:
- If you have been accepted to a program in a French higher education institution on your own (for more than 90 days), you will be asked to do an online interview to finalise your file and to help you with the processes.
- If you are studying in France (more than 90 days) as part of a student exchange agreement between your home institution and a partner institution in France, you do not need to do any online interview.
The Etudes en France process is entirely paperless in Canada, the whole process is to be completed online.
The Espace Campus France in your district will validate your file and you will be able to move on to the next step.
For more information on Etudes en France, please visit “How to obtain a visa if you have been accepted into a French higher education program?”.
The visa application
The Etudes en France procedure must be completed before applying for a visa in person. No visa application will be processed without a finalised Etudes en France procedure. Students are responsible for ensuring that their application is complete and that it is followed up.
All visa applications to France are made on France-Visas. Create your account, fill in the online form and prepare your supporting documents.
Once your Etudes en France file has been validated, you can book an appointment to submit your visa application in person at the nearest VFS Global office (Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, or Vancouver). VFS Global is the only service provider authorized to receive visa applications for France in Canada: you do not have to make any appointment with a Consulate.
Please note that VFS and the visas department will keep your passport during visa instruction (you can track your application online). Once you receive your visa and passport back, you can go study in France.
No visa obligation for European students
If you are a citizen of a European Economic Area country (European Union country (EU), Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) or Switzerland, you do not need a student visa to study or carry out an internship in France. You may freely enter French territory regardless of the length of your stay or your studies.
On the other hand, you must have a health and maternity insurance and sufficient financial resources to meet your needs during your stay.
Short-stay visas
If you wish to study in France less than 90 days:
- Depending on your citizenship, you may be required to apply for a short-stay visa (check with the visa wizard). If this is the case, you do not have to go through the Etudes en France process, you can directly start your visa application on France-Visas.
- If you hold a Canadian citizenship, you do not need a visa to stay less than 90 days in the Schengen Area (of which France is a member).
Minor students
If you are planning to study in France for more than 90 days and you will still be under 18 on the day of your departure to France, you have to apply for a long stay visa - "school-going minor" category. You do not have to go through the Etudes en France process.
