French visa resources
After you arrive in France
A long-stay visa acting as a residence permit (VLS-TS) must be validated online within three months of arrival, and other holders apply for a residence card.
Important
Many long-stay visas are issued as a VLS-TS (visa de long sejour valant titre de sejour), a long-stay visa that acts as a residence permit for up to one year. If you hold one, you must validate it online within three months of arriving in France; failing to do so means you are no longer lawfully present and cannot re-enter the Schengen area.
Validation is completed on the Interior Ministry's platform, where you enter your visa details, your date of entry and your address in France, and pay the applicable residence-permit tax by card. The OFII may also call you in for formalities such as a medical check or to sign the republican integration contract. Holders of other long-stay visas apply for the corresponding residence card, generally online through ANEF.
Validate a VLS-TS
- Validate online within 3 months of arrival
- Provide your visa information, date of entry and French address
- Pay the residence-permit tax (fiscal stamp) by card
- Do it via administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr
OFII formalities
After validation, the OFII may summon you for a medical examination and/or to sign the contrat d'integration republicaine (integration contract).
Residence card and renewal
Long-stay visas that do not act as a residence permit require a residence card, and permits must be renewed before expiry; most procedures run through the ANEF online platform, with the prefecture competent for issuing cards.
Next steps
Official sources
For the most accurate and up-to-date information, always refer to the official government sources.
Verified against official sources · last reviewed 2026-08-21. Information only — not legal advice.