Forms and Documents for International Students in France

Forms and documents for application are generally available online. International students must complete necessary documentation for application and registration with the university that they have applied to.

Important Forms and Documents

International students residing in France for more than 6 months require an extended stay visa with residency permit Visa Long Sejour Valant Titre de Sejour  or VLS-TS. This is validated once you arrive in France by the OFII (French Office of Immigration and Integration). According to Campus France, all students must pay €55 as fees and submit the following documents:

• Form for the OFII certification to be received from the consular official granting the visa
• Copies of those pages of the passport that contain personal information and a stamp verifying the date or entrance into France/Schengen area.
  

Upon receiving this material, the OFII will contact the student holding the visa to appear for a medical exam and a follow-up visit. The documents have to be submitted to the welcome centre (Cellule d’Accueil) at the Cite Internationale Universitaire de Paris located at 17 boulevard Jourdan, 75014 Paris.  Some institutions including universities have entered into an agreement with the OFII so that their students must submit documents to the international student office of the institute. All students should send the documents to OFII by registered mail with return receipt requested.

After reaching France, the international students must send the following documents to the OFII by registered mail along with the confirmation of receipt:

• the stamped OFII certification form received from the official who granted the visa
• copy of the pages of their passport providing proof of their identity data and the stamp signifying entry into France/other country in the Schengen Area.
  

Following the receipt of the documents, the OFII will send a letter acknowledging the receipt of the form and summoning the student for a medical visit or orientation session. A fee of €58 is shared. The fee is collected in the form of a stamp bearing the initials OMI available at www.timbresofii.fr or at offices of the French tax authorities.

Students residing in Paris need to bring the documents to OFII. The office is located at the Cite Internationale Universitaire de Paris during September to November and at the OFII Paris headquarters on other months. Some institutions including French universities have international student offices where they can submit the documents provided the OFII is in agreement with the concerned host institute.

Application through PASTEL

You can go through the Campus France online process using a system called PASTEL which enables you to apply online to French educational institutions.

• You must complete your Campus France application by January 22nd. 
• You need to create the PASTEL account on the Campus France website. The creation of your account is then acknowledged and you are assigned an identification number following this.
  
• You need to pay through the money order when you make the application. You need to send a photocopy of the money order along with the application.
  
• You must also apply for French proficiency tests using PASTEL.
  
• You need to fill out a pre-admission information document that indicates your interest in applying to an institution.
  
• The Campus France representative then sends then contacts you and assists you with the application. You need to fill out the Campus France form using the PASTEL system. Each individual section of the form needs to be filled including the following sections

                  i)   Education,
                  ii)  Linguistic Skills,
                  iii) Goals

All required documents which are not in French such as transcripts, diplomas, internship contracts must be translated by a certified person into French before being uploaded into the Campus France form.

 Following the completion of the application, the assigned representative must be contacted who then reviews the application. After this, he/she validates the application and schedules an interview for the internationals student. Once the student is accepted into one of 3 universities he or she has applied for, he or she must then request a student visa. The consulate decide regarding whether an international student is to be given the student visa or not. The decision is irrevocable. A French university may also require additional documents along with that which is provided by Campus France. Make sure that all necessary documents are uploaded for the application. Refer to the section for international students on the university website so that you can get information regarding the required documents.