France long-stay visa (VLS-TS) — 2026 documents and threshold
The Visa de Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour (VLS-TS) is the French national long-stay visa for stays over 90 days. It doubles as a residence permit for the first year and must be validated online with the ANEF within 3 months of arrival. The most common self-funded sub-type is the VLS-TS visiteur.
What is the France long-stay visa?
The VLS-TS is issued under the CESEDA (Code de l'entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d'asile). It exists in several sub-categories: visiteur (self-funded, non-working), salarié (employee), étudiant (student), passeport talent (skilled worker / founder), profession libérale (freelancer), and family reunification.
The visiteur sub-type is the route most often chosen by retirees, remote workers wanting full residency, and self-funded applicants. It explicitly excludes paid activity in France — applicants must sign an attestation sur l'honneur committing not to work.
On arrival in France, the VLS-TS holder validates the visa via the ANEF portal within 3 months, pays the €200 OFII tax stamp, and may register with French social security after a 3-month qualifying period. The first-year visa converts to a renewable carte de séjour at the préfecture before its expiry.
Financial requirements — 2026
The visiteur threshold is consulate-discretionary, not a legal cutoff. The SMIC net rose mid-year — €1,443.11/month on 1 January 2026, then €1,477.93/month on 1 June 2026. Some sources still cite the older Jan 2026 figure. Successful visiteur files typically show 1.5–2× SMIC with healthy reserves rather than the bare minimum.
| Requirement | 2026 figure |
|---|---|
| VLS-TS visiteur — reference benchmark Reference, not fixed minimum | SMIC net €1,477.93/month (effective 1 June 2026) — NOT a fixed legal minimum Source: INSEE / décret du 30 mai 2026 — discretionary reference |
| Recommended target Reference, not fixed minimum | 1.5–2× SMIC equivalent (≈ €2,217–€2,956/month) plus 12 months of savings Source: Consulate practice — observed refusal pattern at bare-SMIC files |
| VLS-TS étudiant | ~€615/month (fixed via Campus France guidance) Source: Campus France — études en France |
| Passeport talent | Salary ≥ 1.5× SMIC for employees, ≥ 2× SMIC for chercheur status Source: CESEDA — Articles L421-9 et seq. |
Required documents
- France-Visas application form (filled online, printed, signed)
- Passport valid ≥ 3 months beyond visa expiry, with 2 blank pages
- Two ICAO-compliant photos (35 × 45 mm, recent)
- Proof of accommodation in France — lease (≥ 12 months), attestation d'accueil (CERFA 10798), property deed, or hotel reservation
- Financial proof covering the entire requested stay — bank statements, pension certificate, dividend proof, sponsor commitment
- Travel/health insurance covering the period before social-security registration (≥ €30,000 medical, repatriation)
- Visiteur attestation sur l'honneur — signed commitment not to work in France
- Criminal record certificate where requested by the consulate (UK, US, India typically requested)
- Visa fee — €99 long-stay (paid at VFS / TLScontact)
- Motivation letter addressed to the French consul
The motivation / cover letter
The French consul reads the motivation letter alongside the application form to confirm intent and feasibility. The letter must name the visa sub-type (VLS-T visiteur), state the source and amount of income, describe the accommodation, and commit to the post-arrival ANEF validation. Files without a structured letter face higher refusal rates regardless of income strength.
"À l'attention du Consul Général de France : J'ai l'honneur de solliciter un visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour, sous-catégorie « visiteur », au titre du CESEDA. Je dispose de ressources mensuelles passives de €2,860 provenant d'une pension privée de [Organisme] et de revenus locatifs documentés sur les 24 derniers mois, soit l'équivalent d'environ 1,9 fois le SMIC net français. J'ai signé un contrat de bail de douze mois au [Adresse, France] et souscrit une assurance santé internationale [Compagnie — police Nº…] couvrant les soins médicaux et le rapatriement avant mon affiliation à la sécurité sociale. Je m'engage à ne pas exercer d'activité professionnelle en France, à valider mon VLS-TS sur le portail ANEF dans les trois mois suivant mon arrivée, et à régler le droit de timbre OFII de €200."
SchengenDoc generates the full letter — sub-type, legal references, financial framing, accommodation paragraph and compliance commitment — from a 4-step form. See a full sample kit before you build yours.
Step-by-step application
- 1Pre-register on France-Visas
All long-stay applications start at france-visas.gouv.fr. You complete the OFII Form (formulaire OFII), pre-fill the visa form, and identify your sub-category before booking biometrics.
- 2Book biometrics at VFS or TLScontact
France delegates visa collection to VFS Global, TLScontact or Capago depending on country. Appointment lead times vary from 2 to 8 weeks; book early.
- 3Compile financial proof exceeding 1.5× SMIC
12 months of bank statements, pension certificate, dividend evidence. Target ≥ €2,217/month equivalent rather than the bare €1,477.93 SMIC reference — refusal rates fall significantly above 1.5× SMIC.
- 4Sign the visiteur attestation sur l'honneur
The visiteur category requires a signed commitment not to work in France. This is a hard prerequisite — files without the signed attestation are returned.
- 5Submit at the biometrics appointment
Bring originals + 1 copy of every document. The consulate keeps the file; the VFS centre returns your passport with the visa typically within 15 working days.
- 6Enter France and validate the VLS-TS within 3 months
Within 3 months of entry, log in to the ANEF portal (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr) and validate your VLS-TS. Pay the €200 OFII droit de timbre via timbres.impots.gouv.fr.
- 7Prepare for renewal at the préfecture
2 months before visa expiry, book an appointment at the local préfecture to renew as a carte de séjour visiteur. Renewal requires continued accommodation proof, financial means, and proof of effective residence.
What does the France long-stay kit cost?
Most France relocation consultants charge €900–€1,500 for a long-stay file. Lawyers in France typically charge more for the same paperwork stage. SchengenDoc generates the same document set — motivation letter, monthly stay plan, financial-means statement and country-specific checklist — for a flat fee.
🔒 Secure checkout · PDF delivered by email · Not happy? Contact us and we'll regenerate it.
France long-stay visa — FAQ
- What income do I need for the French visiteur long-stay visa?
- There is no statutory minimum — the threshold is consulate-discretionary. Consulates reference the SMIC net, currently €1,477.93/month as of 1 June 2026 (up from €1,443.11 on 1 January 2026). Successful files typically show 1.5–2× SMIC (€2,217–€2,956/month equivalent) with healthy reserves. Showing exactly the SMIC bare minimum often draws refusal for insufficient resources.
- Why is there no fixed income figure for the visiteur visa?
- Unlike Portugal's D7 (codified at minimum wage) or Spain's NLV (codified at 400% IPREM), the French visiteur threshold is not fixed in law for this specific category. Consular instruction references the SMIC net as the benchmark consulates assess against, but each consulate applies discretion based on dependants, accommodation cost in the destination region, and overall file strength.
- Can I work on a VLS-TS visiteur?
- No. The visiteur sub-category explicitly excludes paid activity in France and requires a signed attestation sur l'honneur to that effect. If you intend to work, choose the salarié visa (employee), passeport talent (skilled worker / founder), profession libérale (freelancer), or the appropriate work-authorising sub-type.
- Do I have to validate the VLS-TS after arrival?
- Yes — and this step is the single most common error. Within 3 months of entering France you must validate the VLS-TS via the ANEF portal and pay the €200 OFII droit de timbre. Failure to validate makes the visa invalid as a residence permit; you become irregularly resident at month 4.
- How long does VLS-TS processing take?
- Counted from biometrics: typically 15 working days for visiteur and étudiant files; 2–3 months for salarié and family categories that require pre-approval from DREETS or OFII; 4–8 weeks for passeport talent. Add 2–8 weeks lead time for the biometrics appointment itself.
- Can my non-EU spouse and children come on the same VLS-TS file?
- Visiteur visa applications are individual — each family member files their own form. Family reunification at the visiteur stage is permitted when the household financial proof covers all members. For sponsors already in France, the OFII-managed family reunification procedure is the standard route.
- Does VLS-TS time count toward French citizenship?
- Yes. After 5 years of continuous legal residence (3 in some cases — marriage, French education) the VLS-TS holder may apply for French naturalisation, subject to B1-level French, integration evidence, and tax compliance. Visiteur years count, including the validated first-year VLS-TS.
- What's the difference between VLS-T and VLS-TS?
- VLS-TS is a Visa de Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour — it is itself a residence permit for the first year. VLS-T is a temporary long-stay visa (3 to 12 months) that does NOT serve as a residence permit and cannot be renewed in France. Most self-funded applicants want the VLS-TS, not the VLS-T.
Compare other long-stay visas
- PortugalPortugal D7 VisaRead guide
- SpainSpain Non-Lucrative Visa (NLV)Read guide
- GermanyGermany residence permit (Aufenthaltserlaubnis)Read guide
Looking for a broader overview of all France long-stay sub-types? See the full France hub