VISA AND OTHER OFFICIAL DOCUMENTS TO STAY IN FRANCE For non-European students Please find below details on how to read and understand your VISA. Always have a copy of your passport, visa and these official documents with you as it is not a good idea to keep the originals with you all the time. We also advise you to keep a copy on a flash drive/memory stick (very useful in case you lose the originals).
ORGANIZATION > «VLS-TS visa» You cannot study in France if you do not have a STUDENT status on your visa. It must state «ÉTUDIANT» > VALID FOR / VALABLE POUR (WHERE) It gives the territorial validity of your VISA. > «France (sauf CTOM)»: means that it concerns French Nationals only, so VALID ONLY in France, except French Overseas Departments and Territories such as Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, French Polynesia, Mayotte, Saint-Pierre et-Miquelon, Wallis-et-Futuna, New Caledonia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands. > You can travel in all Schengen countries without extra administrative formalities. Please note that the UK is not part of the Schengen area! Check on the UK embassy website if you need a visa!
ZOOM ON… SCHENGEN AREA Schengen area countries ARE NOT European Union countries. > The Schengen countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany , Greece, Hungary, Iceland (not a European Union Member State), Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein (not a European Union Member State), Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway (not a European Union Member State), Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland (not a European Union Member State) > The European Union and EEA (European Economic Area) include: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.
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