Complete guide to France visa policy, types, steps on how to apply and FAQs
evoked, you can appeal against the decision at the Prefecture and/or at the Ministry of the Interior, who may re-evaluate the decision for refusal.
Can I Work on a French Visa?
Naturally, French short-stay visas are not meant for getting a paid job. Foreigners wishing to get a long-term visa for getting a paid job in the French territory, they need to first find a sponsoring employer who will provide for them an approved (stamped) work contract by the DIRECCTE, as this document is required for visa application.
Foreigners wishing to get a long-term visa to get a paid job as either artist or a sportsperson in championships, they must have a work permit taken by an employer/hosting institution stamped by the necessary French authority, as this document is required for visa application.
France Temporary Work Permit
A France Temporary Permit is a must for people coming to France to engage in paid activity under a French Schengen visa.
Only those coming to work in France under the following purposes are exempt from this requirement:
- sporting, cultural, artistic and scientific events.
- colloquia, seminars, and trade shows.
- cinematographic, audiovisual, entertainment and phonographic production and dissemination, as an artist or technical staff.
- modeling and artistic pose.
- services to the person (domestic worker) during the stay in France of a particular employer.
- auditing and expertise missions in IT, management, finance, insurance, architecture, and engineering as a contracted employee.
- teaching as a visiting professor.
If you are coming under a short-stay professional visa to France for any other purpose then you will have to get a temporary work permit. The work permit has to be obtained by the employer at the DIRECCTE (French Ministry of Labor). The processing of the work permit takes 10 to 15 days. Usually, the employer receives the forms stamped by mail, after this period.
The form then has to be sent back to the applicant, since he/she will be asked to present this document at the France port of entry.
What If I Have to Stay In France for Longer Than 90 Days?
If you want to travel to France for purposes that require you to stay for longer than 90 days you can apply for a French Long Stay Visa. You can apply for a French long-stay visa if the purpose of your trip is one of the following:
You will have to apply only to the France embassy or consulate in your home country.
Quick facts about France
There are boundless travelers who consider French territories as their primary choice of destination to visit each year, and many others see it as their future home where they plan to build a new life.
France is a land of 41 protected historical spots, 8,000 museums, 500 festivals, countless theatrical and dance shows, limitless concerts and art exhibitions. The country uses liberty, equality, fraternity, and secularism inclusion as its key principles of life.
A country that hosts many scientific events, where education is considered one of the most essential elements of economic, social and environmental development of the country, with a very hospitable integration process for foreign persons who seek to live there permanently, everybody can swiftly incorporate their lives into the country’s rights and responsibilities.