If you are an international student arriving in France with a long-stay student visa (VLS-TS), you must complete the visa validation process within 3 months of arrival. This step is essential to maintain your legal residency and access public services such as health insurance (CPAM), CAF housing aid, and work authorization. Additionally, some students must register with OFII (French Office for Immigration and Integration) for medical checks and further formalities. Eduxskills simplifies this entire process, helping students with OFII registration, visa validation, and legal compliance—ensuring a smooth transition into life in France.
📌 OFII Registration & Visa Validation: A Complete Guide
💡 Tip: Without visa validation, your stay in France becomes illegal, and you may face penalties or difficulties renewing your residence permit.
If required, you must register with OFII within three months of arrival by:
1. Completing the OFII certificate application form (available on the OFII website).
2. Mailing the form along with:
3. Awaiting an appointment for a medical check-up and final validation.
📍 If your university has an agreement with OFII and the Prefecture, you may not need to send your application to OFII. Instead:
Outside Paris: Submit your form to your university’s international office.
In Paris: Visit the International Students Welcome Service at Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris within two months of arrival.
The visa validation tax depends on the visa type. You can pay it online via timbresofii.fror with physical tax stamps.
The OFII registration may also have additional fees.
📌 How Can Eduxskills Help?
At Eduxskills, we assist international students with:
✅ Visa validation on ANEF
✅ OFII registration and document submission
✅ Assistance with tax stamp payments
✅ Understanding your rights & obligations in France
✅ Support in case of delays or missing documents
📩 Need help?
Eduxskills is here to help every step of the way! 📩 Contact us today!
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If you fail to validate your visa, you will be staying illegally in France and may face penalties or issues with renewal.
The process is instant once you pay the tax on ANEF, and you can download your confirmation immediately.
Not all students need an OFII medical check-up. Your university or OFII appointment letter will specify if you are required to undergo one.
You can pay online at timbresofii.fr or purchase physical tax stamps from tobacco shops (Tabac).
No, you must validate your visa first to legally work part-time in France
If you hold a long-stay student visa (VLS-TS) for France, you must validate it online within 3 months of arrival. This process is done through the ANEF website and is essential to maintain legal residency. Once validated, your visa acts as a residence permit, allowing you to stay in France for studies and benefit from public services.
Within three months of your arrival in France, you must validate your visa online. You will have to pay a tax stamp of €50. The whole visa-validation process must be completed through the website of the administration for foreigners in France (ANEF) : https://administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr/particulie…. You will then receive an email with a confirmation document attached as a PDF file. Please save it for future use. As a matter of fact, it contains a ten-digit foreign identification number that you will need when renewing your residence permit. Reminder! The email address you use when validating your visa must be the same as the one you will use when renewing your student residence permit. You must save this email address otherwise you will not be able to renew your student residence permit on the ANEF platform.
Yes, you must pay a stamp fee of € 75 for the renewal of a student residence permit. A € 180 fine may be added to this amount for any delays in filing your application.
From your ANEF account, you will be redirected to the dedicated website for an electronic stamp purchase (https://timbres.impots.gouv.fr/). You will need a credit card for that matter. You can also purchase the stamp tax at tobacco shops or other licensed institutions.
The e-photo can be taken at a “Photomaton” booth or at a licensed photographer’s shop. You can also take an e-photo from your smartphone via this link: https://www.smartphone-id.com/etudiants-titre-sejour-en-ligne/.
