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France Long Stay Visa Legal Services

France Long Stay Visa legal experts are committed to helping expats extend their stay in France.

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How can a lawyer help me with a France Long Stay Visa?

Deciding to extend your stay in France beyond the usual 90-day period can be exciting. However, the long-stay visa application process can be complicated when navigating French bureaucracy. Here’s how Lexidy France can help with applying for a France Long Stay visa:

Multilingual Support: Whether you speak English, French, Italian, Spanish, or Portuguese, Lexidy France has you covered.

Document Checklist: Remove the guesswork. Our partner firm will provide you with a list of all the necessary documents for your application.

Document Review: A lawyer will review your documents and ensure all your paperwork meets the strict requirements set by France’s Immigration officials.

Fast-track appointments: Hate waiting? Our legal partner in France can speed up the procedure to obtain an appointment for you

Customized Guidance: Immigration rules can vary. Lexidy France can contact the local Consulates and Immigration Offices in France to understand the unique requirements of your situation.

 

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Trust our proven track record of successful immigration cases in France to help you achieve your goals.

France Long Stay Visa Requirements

If you’re planning an extended stay in France, it’s important to know the requirements before you begin the application process for a French long-stay visa. The process involves more than simply filling out a few forms. 

Here are some key requirements to qualify for a France Long Stay visa:

  1. You must show evidence that you have sufficient economic and financial means to cover all the expenses during your planned stay in France.

  2. You must have comprehensive travel healthcare insurance with full coverage across France. It must cover you for the entire duration of your stay in France.

  3. You may also need to submit additional supporting documentation depending on your specific situation and the purpose of your stay.

A French Long Stay Visa is mandatory for either of the following:
  • Foreign spouses of French citizens
  • Foreign students studying in France
  • Overseas workers, trainees, and temporary workers
  • Visitors with sufficient financial means to support themselves
  • Foreign Entrepreneurs and Self-employed workers
  • Foreign Artists

Applying for a Long Stay Visa in France

Here are some helpful tips for when applying for a France long-stay Visa :

1. When and where to apply: Submit your application in person at the Visa application center in your country of residence. You should do this from three months to two weeks before your planned arrival date in France.

2. Financial requirements: Proof of financial stability is required. This means demonstrating that you can financially support your stay in France, and, if applicable, your family’s stay.

3. Additional documents: The specific purpose of your stay –be it tourism, business, education, or family reasons –will dictate what documents you need to submit to support your application.

4. Types of Long-Stay Visas:

 

  • Visitor Visa: A type of residence permit that allows you to live in France and travel throughout the European Schengen area for up to 12 months.
  • Entrepreneur Visa: A type of residence permit that allows foreign entrepreneurs to set up a company in France and live there. The validity period of this residence permit is 12 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

The processing time of each Long-Stay Visa application varies depending on the Visa Center where the application is submitted and on the specific situation of the applicant.

If you are currently in France and you wish to renew or extend your Visa, you would need to apply through the prefecture of your place of residence. If you are in your country of residence, you would need to apply through the French Consulate or Embassy or the competent service provider.

If the Visa you have been issued indicates the obligation to apply for a residence permit, then you need to submit your application for a residence permit within two months of your arrival date in France. 

If you have been issued a Long-Stay Visa equivalent to a residence permit (VLS-TS), then you only need to validate it within three months of your arrival date in France through an online application in order to become a legal resident in France.

The short answer is no. Like any visa, you must meet a certain list of requirements to be eligible for the Long Stay Visa. If you have any questions or doubts about your eligibility, our team of legal aces is here to help guide you.

An overstay, even if it’s only for 1 day is documented. If you overstay your visa in France, you risk receiving a fine, deportation or even an outright ban to the Schengen area for a certain period of time.

If you do accidentally overstay your long-stay visa in France, it’s important to immediately consult with an immigration lawyer. We can advise you on the best course of action to fix this mistake.

If your France long-stay visa is denied, you have the option to submit a request for a re-evaluation to the French embassy or consulate where you applied. Only do this if you have a compelling reason to dispute the rejection.

Remember, you must file the appeal within two months of receiving your refusal notice. The appeal and all supporting documents must be in French.

Find your Immigration Lawyer

Eleonore Tavares
Head of Lexidy France

Eléonore Tavares de Pinho

Lawyer | Avocate à la Cour

Lawyer | Avocate à la Cour

Nour
Legal Trainee

Nour Rachidy

Julio Vero
Legal Counsel

Julio Vero

Hector Valero
Lawyer

Hector Valero

Sophie
Immigration Lawyer

Sophia Lassegue

Pauline
Legal Trainee

Pauline Flaviano

Eva Novoa Andino
Lawyer

Eva Novoa Andino

Head of Lexidy France

Eléonore Tavares de Pinho

Born in Senegal to Belgian-Portuguese parents and having lived for several years in various countries, Eléonore quickly became passionate about Immigration legislation. She graduated from the University of la Sorbonne and the University of Florence and obtained a five-year dual degree in Italian and French Law. As an attorney, she chose to work in Immigration Law in order to have real action on the field and help people fulfill their projects.  Deeply convinced that digital technologies can make law and legal services simpler and impact people’s lives in a positive way, Eléonore will always be looking for the most efficient way to meet your needs.

Lawyer | Avocate à la Cour

Lawyer | Avocate à la Cour

Victoire is born and raised French, despite family from all around the world.
She graduated her Masters degree in international law and human rights law,
and believes she did not fall into Immigration law by accident. She is passionate
about helping others transform their dream to move to France into a project,
either professional or familial. She loves her crazy Paris city and the French
countryside, discovering new cultures, and showing off good old France.
Speaking: French and English.

Legal Trainee

Nour Rachidy

She was born and raised in France but is a dual national. From a young age she knew she wanted to become a lawyer. Nour studied private law in French university during my bachelor. Later she inroad in a Master Degree in which Nour studied International and European litigation law. She ended her master in Greece studying in an LLM of international Law. Growing up she was always facing various legal systems, procedure that immigrant go through in order to visit family, work, study. Nous is very comfortable talking and helping people legally or not in different language to make them feel helped efficiently. Speaking: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic.

Legal Counsel

Julio Vero

Born in Brazil, where I started my Law studies, changing to Law School in Portugal and got my degree from University of Porto in 2021. I got a Master’s  in European Law in Paris, at the University Paris 12. I have been having an enriching experience during my traineeship at Lexidy, where I get to complete with practical skills the knowledge I have acquired during these many years of  legal studies. What I like to do the most is reading and cooking. I am fluent in Portuguese, French and English, and I am currently learning German.

Lawyer

Hector Valero

Born in Valencia, Spain, he started a Double Degree in French and Spanish Law between the Universitat de Valencia and the Université Toulouse 1 Capitole. Along with this degree formation, he specialized in European and International Law in for two years, completing it with a Master Thesis about the Evolution of the concept of States Boarders in the light of Internet. During my Master’s degree, Hector was able to discover Immigration law through the lens of European and French Law. Throughout the internship at Legal Service at the European Parliament, he learned the practical side of European and Public International Law from the lens of creation and conclusion of International Agreements. Finally, his experience at M&B Avocats helped to develop the profile as a French and Spanish Law Jurist, knowing the insights and particular traits of both legal systems. Speaks: English, Spanish, French.

Immigration Lawyer

Sophia Lassegue

Sophia was born in Paris, France. She travelled the world, studied law and worked in three different countries: France, Argentina and Morocco. She passed the Paris Bar at the Faculty of Law of la Sorbonne. Sophia has experience in international, civil as well as immigration law, and joined Lexidy France in January 2024. She is fully dedicated to helping foreign clients establish themselves and their businesses in France, assisting them in either French, English or Spanish.

Legal Trainee

Pauline Flaviano

Pauline Flaviano is half-french half-hongkongese, and lived in both places. Her European law studies also allowed her to live in Spain for a year. Her European studies focus on the European asylum and immigration policies. Having lived in different countries and speaking multiple languages, she joined the Paris immigration team for her end-of-studies internship. Speaks: French, English, Cantonese.

Lawyer

Eva Novoa Andino

Eva is originally from El Salvador but has lived in France and Spain. She obtained a double degree in French and Spanish Law from the Université Toulouse Capitole I and Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona, with a specialisation in trade and international law. She is finishing her Master’s in Access to the Legal Profession to work as a lawyer. Eva has had the opportunity to grow in an international environment which developed her interest in international relations and immigration law. She speaks Spanish, French, English, and Portuguese and is currently learning Catalan.

French services are provided in the context of a collaboration with Lexidy France.

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