1. Check with the French Embassy for your country whether you need a visa to stay in France.

2. Ask for the visa that corresponds to the length of your stay at the Alliance Française Paris Ile-de-France.

   The short-stay Schengen visa for a stay of less than 3 months.

   This visa will enable you to travel freely in the 26 countries of the Schengen area for a stay of up to 90 days.

   The long-stay visa for a stay of 90 days to one year.

   This visa will allow you to stay in France and to move freely in the Schengen area without applying for a specific residence permit. The visa is valid as a residence permit for the period requested.

   Upon your arrival in France, this visa must be validated by the French Office of Immigration and Integration (OFII). To do this, you must send the form "long-stay Visa - application for OFII certificate" to the OFII, who will summon you so they can attach the validation label in your visa.

   Long-stay visas for a stay of more than 90 days.

   The long-stay visa allows you to stay in France and to move freely in the Schengen area. You must apply for a specific residence permit with the French Office of Immigration and Integration (OFII) upon your arrival in France.

   For more information, please visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website: http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/venir-en-france/

3. Once you have registered with the Alliance Française, you will receive a pre-registration or registration certificate that you will need to submit with your visa application.

If you are between the ages of 18 and 28 and you are enrolled with the Alliance Française for more than 3 months, registration with Student Social Security (Sécurité Sociale Étudiante) is compulsory with one of these two organisations:

• The SMEREP, the French Social Security Office www.smerep.fr

• The LMDE, the French National Union of Students www.lmde.com

The Alliance Française can register you for this at the same time as your course enrolment.

You are exempt if:

• You are already affiliated with Social Security through enrolment at another higher education institution.

• You are a citizen of the European Union holding an E106, E109 or E121 form and/or a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

• You are an employee, declared to Social Security by your employer.

• You already have equivalent private insurance.

• You are the recipient of a scholarship/grant from the French government

These organisations are also providing you with individual private insurance.