A long-term visa is a visa that allows you to stay in France for longer than 90 days. The criteria to receive it will depend on your nationality and the type of visa you currently have or have previously had.

The French “carte de séjour” is a long-term residence permit issued to immigrants who can demonstrate they have established their life in France and they have enough financial resources to live in France. This long-term visa can eventually lead to French citizenship, after fulfilling strict conditions (5 years of continuous residence in France, acquisition of a property or opening of a company.

How To Get A Long Term Visa For France

The United States provides the greatest degree of freedom in the world. But with that freedom comes a price: Expatriates often find themselves having to pay for the best health care, sending money overseas for family members, and giving up their U.S. passports to become citizens of their new countries due to a lack of retirement options and other benefits.

How I Got My Long Stay Visa for France

By Jennifer Dombrowski 106 Comments

In 2015, I decided I wanted to move to France. Tim’s job would be taking him on an assignment for a year and I couldn’t come along. I hadn’t lived in the United States in seven years at that point and didn’t have a “home” to return to. Italy had been my home, but I was just honestly ready for a change of scenery for a while. Since I love France and it’s a place Tim and I have tossed around the idea of moving to eventually, I started researching how to get a long stay visa for France.

As US citizens, we’re only allowed to stay in the EU for 90 days visa free. Then we have to leave for at least 90 days before returning again for up to another 90 days of visa free travel within the EU. Just as I needed a visa to live in Italy as a resident, I’d need to apply for one for France. And so the research began…

Getting a long stay visa for France isn’t a simple, nor easy process. I took to the internet reading every blog post from Americans that had been through the process before me that I could come across. We’re actually a fairly small bunch, at least that have written about the experience, and not a single other American was in my exact situation.

Oh là là (here’s my first lesson from France – we use oh là là incorrectly and mispronounce it. It’s not “ooh la la!” as in that’s fantastic; it can be compared to our expression “Oh my god”.) you are going to need heaps of patience and perseverance to get through this process. And maybe a few bottles of wine. Just don’t spill any on your dossier.

As I’ve now been living in France since 2016, this guide includes how to get a long stay visa for France, what to expect at the OFII appointment to validate your long stay French visa once you arrive in France and how to renew your long stay French visa should you decide to stay for longer than one year like I have.

Obtaining a Long Stay Visa for France | OFII Appointment | Renewing a Long Stay Visa for France

Why a Long Stay Visa for France?

There are a number of different types of visas that you can apply for depending on what you qualify for. Since I’m not a student or an au pair, don’t have a French employer sponsoring a work visa and am not a spouse of French national, that left me with the long stay visa for France.