Student visa requirements and procedures are constantly changing. We are doing our best to keep our information up to date, but students are asked to confirm all information when registering and submitting their online application to obtain a student visa from France. 

In accordance with French law students studying in France for 91 days or more are required to obtain a student visa. Those with French/EU citizenship are exempted. It is not necessary for US students studying for 90 days or less to obtain a visa. Non-US nationals should consult their local Consulate for details on student visa requirements.

Students must appear in person at one of the French VFS Visa Processing Centers located in Washington DC, New Orleans, Houston, Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, and New York within 90 days of the program start. This may necessitate air travel so please plan and budget accordingly.

If you need to apply for a new passport or renew a passport set to expire within 3 months of your program end date, please plan accordingly. Currently, US passport processing can take up to 4-6 months according to the US Passport Agency. SAI highly encourages expedited passport processing to ensure your new passport is received 3 months prior to your program start date if your program requires a student visa. If your program does not require a visa please ensure you receive your passport at least 1 month prior to your program start.

Our Student Visa Office is available to assist all students in getting ready for their appointment, and we provide simple step-by-step instructions for the application process to students after they are accepted.

For visa-related questions please contact our Student Visa Director at visas@saiprograms.com.