France visa — Madagascar passport

Good to know

Tourist visa

• Filing periodConditions and details

  A short-stay visa application must in principle be submitted at least 15 days before the visit and cannot be submitted more than 6 months before it begins. Processing times vary according to nationality, purpose and local conditions; it is up to the applicant to take the appointment system into account.
• France, sole or main destinationConditions and details

  The French authorities process the application when France is the sole destination of the trip, when it is the main destination in terms of duration or purpose, or, in the absence of a main destination, when the first entry into the Schengen area is through France.
• Photograph formatConditions and details

  The photograph must be recent and a true likeness, measure between 35 and 40 mm in width, with a face of 32 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull (excluding hair), and comply with the ICAO standard.
• Reuse of biometric dataConditions and details

  A person who has obtained a Schengen visa with biometric enrolment is exempt from a new enrolment if their data were collected less than 59 months ago and they present a photocopy of their previous visa. An identity photograph in ICAO format is still required in the application file.
• Resources to be justified at the borderConditions and details

  For France, the amount of resources to be justified is 65 euros per day with a hotel reservation and 120 euros per day without a reservation; in the case of a partial reservation, 65 euros for the period covered and 120 euros for the remainder. A person hosted by a private individual, holding a host certificate (attestation d'accueil), must justify at least 32.50 euros per day.
• Documents to present on arrivalConditions and details

  At the request of the border police, the traveller presents their passport, their visa, proof of accommodation covering the entire stay, namely a hotel reservation or a host certificate (attestation d'accueil) validated at the town hall (mairie), sufficient resources, their return ticket or the means to buy one, and an insurance certificate covering medical, hospital and death expenses, including repatriation for medical reasons.
• The visa does not confer a right of entryConditions and details

  Holding a visa does not give an automatic right of entry: at the border, the traveller must be able to present the same supporting documents as at the time of application (purpose of the stay, means of subsistence).
• Duration of stay and validity of the visaConditions and details

  The maximum duration of stay is the one shown on the visa sticker. You must leave the Schengen area no later than the day the visa expires and not exceed 90 days over a 180-day period. Compliance with these durations is checked at boarding or on entry.
• Frequent travellers: circulation visaConditions and details

  A person who makes several short stays in France each year may, under conditions, obtain a multiple-entry visa valid from 6 months to 5 years, within the limit of 90 cumulative days per 180-day period. The administration decides on its issuance and its duration.
• Overseas territories excludedConditions and details

  A Schengen visa does not allow access to the French overseas territories. A person whose nationality is subject to a visa there must apply for a specific visa; a stay that includes one of these territories and the European territory of France then requires two separate visas: a Schengen visa and a national visa valid for the territory or territories concerned.
• No visa on arrivalFrance does not issue a visa on arrival: a traveller subject to a visa must have obtained it before departure.
• Fees not refunded and exemptionsConditions and details

  Visa fees are not refunded, even in the event of a refusal or withdrawal of the application. A fee waiver or a partial exemption may apply to certain categories of applicants, for example spouses of French nationals.
• Service provider feesConditions and details

  When the collection of applications is entrusted to an external service provider, it collects a service fee, which varies from country to country but is capped at 45 euros per application. It may also offer paid optional services.
• Refusal and appealsConditions and details

  Refusals are reasoned. A short-stay visa refusal can be contested within 30 days by a reasoned prior appeal, drafted in French and signed, sent by post to the Deputy Director for Visas (BP 83609, 44036 Nantes Cedex 01); this appeal is mandatory before the administrative judge. Without a decision within two months of filing, the application is implicitly refused.
• Renewal or extensionConditions and details

  A person already in France who wishes to renew or extend their visa should contact the prefecture of their place of residence; from their country of residence, they contact the consular services or the competent service provider.
• Reception certificate: steps for the hostConditions and details

  A person hosting a non-European visitor in France for a tourist stay of less than 3 months applies for the reception certificate from their town hall and pays a fee of 30 euros in the form of a tax stamp. The certificate must be validated by the town hall before the visa application, then sent to the visitor before their departure. Some visitors are exempt, for example holders of a Schengen circulation visa.
• Entry/Exit System (EES)Conditions and details

  Nationals of non-EU countries who come for a short stay are registered in the Entry/Exit System each time they cross the external borders of the 29 countries that use it, whether or not they need a visa: travel document data, dates and places of entry and exit, facial image and/or fingerprints.
• Caution regarding fraudulent websitesFrance-Visas invites applicants to be cautious in all transactions with companies claiming to offer assistance in obtaining French visas.

Student visa

• Digital copies of all supporting documents, submitted online as soon as the application is entered (preferred approach)Conditions and details

  The France-Visas application offers students the possibility of submitting digital copies of all supporting documents as soon as they enter their application online. France-Visas recommends giving preference to this approach: it provides expedited passage at the external service provider, with access to a dedicated counter, if the latter is present in the country of residence. This feature is available only to student long-stay visa applicants residing in a country where the visa application is outsourced and available online. The legibility and correct integration of the documents must be checked; in the event of an incorrect or missing scan, the provider may step in during the appointment, as this service may be billed as an ancillary service fee.
• Submission in the country of residenceConditions and details

  The application is submitted in the country where the applicant legally resides, at the French consulate (or the embassy) or at the approved service provider, depending on the country. Submission in another country where the applicant is passing through may be considered if the applicant explains why the application could not be submitted at the consulate of his place of residence (an unforeseen event, for example).
• Visa duration and residence permitConditions and details

  Whatever the length of the planned stay, the long-stay visa has a limited duration of between 3 months and one year. The VLS-TS exempts its holder from applying for a residence card during its validity; to continue the stay beyond that, a residence permit must be requested at the prefecture. During its validity, the long-stay visa is equivalent to a Schengen visa: it allows travelling and staying in the Schengen area outside France for maximum periods of 90 days in any period of 180 days.
• Validation of the VLS-TS after arrivalConditions and details

  The holder of a VLS-TS must validate it within 3 months of arriving in France, on the portal of the Administration numérique des étrangers en France. Without validation, the holder is no longer in lawful residence and can no longer cross the border of the Schengen Area again. The information appearing on the visa, the date of entry into France, the address of residence in France and a payment card for the online fee must be available. The French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII) may summon the student for additional formalities, a medical examination or the signing of the republican integration contract.
• After the first year: student residence permitConditions and details

  After 1 year of residence, the student may apply for a temporary "student" residence permit (valid for 1 year) or a multi-year "student" residence permit (valid for 2 to 4 years), subject to resource requirements. The application is made online only, at the earliest 4 months and at the latest 2 months before the end of the VLS-TS validity. A dematerialized proof of filing is issued immediately, and the progress of the application can be checked online.
• Resources: cases where the condition does not applyConditions and details

  Service Public states that the student must be able to prove resources of at least 877.50 euros per month, but that this condition does not apply to the student who has passed the entrance examination for a higher education institution that has signed an agreement with the State.
• Social security affiliationConditions and details

  Affiliation to social security is free of charge and mandatory for all non-European students under 28 years of age; it is carried out on the health insurance website dedicated to foreign students. Students who are nationals of the European Economic Area are exempt from it if they hold, for the entire academic year, a European Health Insurance Card or a private insurance certificate covering all medical risks without any tariff restriction.
• Working while studyingConditions and details

  Foreign students are allowed to work 964 hours per year, i.e. 60% of the normal working time in France (50% for Algerian nationals). A part-time job does not make it possible to cover all expenses: it can only be a supplementary income.
• Cost of studiesConditions and details

  All higher education institutions charge registration fees, which vary widely from one institution to another: from a few hundred euros for universities to more than 10 000 euros per year in some private higher education schools, to which fees for specific services may be added.
• Entrance examinations and other study visasConditions and details

  To sit an entrance examination at a higher education institution in France, you must apply for a short-stay "student-entrance examination" visa (90 days maximum out of 180), even if the applicant is exempt from the short-stay visa; if successful, they can regularise their status at the prefecture without returning to their country. This visa is not open to Algerian nationals. Medical students (DFMS/DFMSA) and students on mobility in the European Union (visa bearing the mention "Student – mobility") have dedicated sections on the "Student" page. A course lasting less than 3 months results in a short-stay visa.
• Photograph formatConditions and details

  The photograph must be recent and a true likeness, measure between 35 and 40 mm in width, with a face of 32 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull (excluding hair), and comply with the ICAO standard.
• Fees not refunded and exemptionsConditions and details

  Visa fees are not refunded, even in the event of a refusal or the withdrawal of the application. A fee waiver or a partial exemption may apply to certain categories of applicants, for example students whose file was examined by a centre for studies in France.
• Service provider feesConditions and details

  When the collection of applications is entrusted to an external service provider, it collects a service fee, which varies from country to country but is capped at 45 euros per application. It may also offer paid optional services.
• Refusal and appealsConditions and details

  Refusals are reasoned. A refusal of a long-stay visa can be contested within 30 days by a reasoned prior appeal, written in French and signed, sent by post to the Commission de recours contre les décisions de refus de visa d'entrée en France (CRRV, BP 83609, 44036 Nantes Cedex 1); this appeal is mandatory before any appeal to the administrative judge. Without a decision within two months of filing, the application is implicitly refused.
• Caution regarding fraudulent websitesFrance-Visas invites applicants to be cautious in all transactions with companies claiming to offer assistance in obtaining French visas.

Work visa

• Visa endorsement: “salarié” (employee) or “travailleur temporaire” (temporary worker)Conditions and details

  For recruitment by an employer established in France, the visa issued is a long-stay visa valid as a residence permit for a maximum duration of 12 months, bearing the endorsement “salarié” (employee) for an indefinite-term contract and “travailleur temporaire” (temporary worker) for a fixed-term contract. It must be validated within the 3 months following arrival in France.
• Conditions the employer must meet for the work authorizationConditions and details

  The proposed job must appear on the list of shortage occupations or must have been advertised for 3 consecutive weeks within the 6 months preceding the application, with no valid application received. The employer must meet its social obligations, must not have been convicted or penalized for illegal work, aiding unlawful residence or offenses against persons, and must provide a certificate of social security contributions less than 6 months old. The pay may not be lower than the Smic (minimum wage) or the collective agreement wage if the latter is higher. For a regulated profession, the conditions for practicing the profession must be met. The authorization may be refused if the recruitment project is manifestly disproportionate to the employer's activity.
• Tax payable by the employerConditions and details

  An employer tax is due on the foreign employee's first admission to residence for a work authorization of more than 3 months. It is paid by the employer, not by the employee. Its amount depends on the duration of the contract, the pay and the type of contract; for a contract of more than 3 months and less than 12 months, it is 74 euros, 210 euros or 300 euros depending on the gross monthly salary. It is not due for certain jobs, for example an employee recruited by a private individual for work of a family or household nature.
• One work authorization per contractConditions and details

  The VLS-TS or the "salarié" or "travailleur temporaire" residence permit allows its holder to carry out only the paid activity for which a work authorization was obtained. A work authorization must be requested for each new employment contract.
• Visa duration and travel within the Schengen areaConditions and details

  Whatever the intended length of stay, the long-stay visa has a limited duration of between 3 months and one year. To continue the stay beyond its validity, a residence permit must be applied for at the prefecture. During its validity, the visa is equivalent to a Schengen visa: it allows travel and stay in the Schengen area outside France for maximum periods of 90 days in any 180-day period.
• Validation of the VLS-TS after arrivalConditions and details

  The holder of a VLS-TS must validate it within 3 months of arriving in France, on the portal of the Administration numérique des étrangers en France. In the absence of validation, the holder is no longer in lawful residence and can no longer cross the border of the Schengen area again. The holder must have the information appearing on the visa, the date of entry into France, the address of residence in France and a payment card for the online fee. The Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration (OFII) may summon the employee for additional formalities, a medical examination or the signing of the contrat d'intégration républicaine.
• Residence permit at the end of the VLS-TSConditions and details

  The «salarié» (employee) residence card is valid for 1 year and is renewable. It is applied for at the prefecture or sub-prefecture of the applicant's place of residence, no later than 2 months before the end of the VLS-TS validity period; a complete application file entitles the applicant to a receipt while awaiting the prefecture's response.
• Submission in the country of residenceConditions and details

  The application is submitted in the country where the applicant legally resides, at the French consulate (or the embassy) or at the approved service provider, depending on the country. Submission in another country where the applicant is passing through may be considered if the applicant explains why the application could not be submitted at the consulate of his place of residence (an unforeseen event, for example).
• Other paid-employment situations, with other visasConditions and details

  Some situations fall under other France-Visas sections, with their own visa and their own supporting documents: posting for a service provision, intra-group mobility (ICT), seasonal work (multi-year «seasonal worker» residence card), language assistant, reader or tutor of a foreign language, model, medical professions, paid internships.
• Fees not refunded and exemptionsConditions and details

  Visa fees are not refunded, even in the event of a refusal or withdrawal of the application. A fee waiver or a partial exemption may apply to certain categories of applicants, for example spouses of French nationals.
• Service provider feesConditions and details

  When the collection of applications is entrusted to an external service provider, it collects a service fee, which varies from country to country but is capped at 45 euros per application. It may also offer paid optional services.
• Refusal and appealsConditions and details

  Refusals are reasoned. A refusal of a long-stay visa can be contested within 30 days by a reasoned prior appeal, written in French and signed, sent by post to the Commission de recours contre les décisions de refus de visa d'entrée en France (CRRV, BP 83609, 44036 Nantes Cedex 1); this appeal is mandatory before any appeal to the administrative judge. Without a decision within two months of filing, the application is implicitly refused.
• Photograph formatConditions and details

  The photograph must be recent and a true likeness, measure between 35 and 40 mm in width, with a face of 32 to 36 mm from the bottom of the chin to the top of the skull (excluding hair), and comply with the ICAO standard.
• Caution regarding fraudulent websitesFrance-Visas invites applicants to be cautious in all transactions with companies claiming to offer assistance in obtaining French visas.