How to apply for a long-stay student visa
Watch the video to go through each step of the visa process. Our dedicated team of programme consultants is ready to provide guidance on processing your visa and residence permits.
Visa and immigration information for Paris, France
Student visa procedure for Paris
If you are not a European Union national, complete the procedures to obtain your visa at least three months before your arrival in France. You can submit your request to the French Consulate or Embassy in your country of residence as soon as you receive proof of acceptance from your institute.
The Campus France procedure, which is an Academic verification of the application (review of academic file, the academic project in France and the students’ professional plans)
• If you are an international student, you must complete the Campus France procedure (EEF) before being able
to deposit a Visa application at the consulate.
• You need to create a personal profile on the EEF Platform (Etudes en France) Click here!
• You share their personal information and Campus France ID with BSBI so we can issue an Admission Letter for you
• The application must be made for the following qualifications:
• Titre “Responsable Marketing et Communication” (level 6)
BSc (Hons) Business and Management (International route)
BSc (Hons) Business and Management
• Titre “Manage du développement commercial et international” (level 7)
Global MBA
MA Tourism Hospitality and Event Management
• Payment of 50% fees of first year / full programme in the case of Global MBA students
• After steps above are complete, you will will receive the Admission Letter
• You need to complete your application on EEF Platform and upload the requested documents
• Passport, Cover Letter, CV, High School Diploma, High School Transcript of records, Transcript of records obtained after High School Graduation if any, Diplomas obtained after High School Graduation if any, any language certifications you might have.
• Once the EEF file is completed and the student has uploaded their Admission Letter, they finish the process
and will wait for feedback.
• PPA Business School will confirm your admission to Campus France.
• Campus France will contact you for an interview. This interview needs to be prepared thoroughly. Their aim is
to verify the actual intentions of your visit.
• They want to make sure that your Academic background matches their plans in France, that you have a solid a
coherent project and that you are clear about your future life in France.
You cannot contact the consulate and deposit your Student Visa application unless you have completed the Campus France procedure (EEF). You should not take an appointment at the Consulate before receiving the confirmation of Campus France.
While you are completing your Campus France Procedure, you must start preparing your Student Visa Application file.
• From this month, a new online portal is available for Long term student Visa applications. On this link students
will be able to deposit their Visa application fully online: Click here!
Before completing the online Visa application, they must read carefully all the guidelines here:
Format of Supporting documents
Visa Application Guidelines
You need to fill your personal information, and you will obtain the list of the exact requested documents depending on your situation.
You will need:
• A travel document, issued less than 10 years ago, containing at least two blank pages, with a period of validity at least 3 months longer than the date on which you intend to leave the Schengen Area or, in the case of a long stay, at least three months longer than the expiry date of the visa requested. Be sure to transmit (scan) ALL PAGES of your travel document containing visas, entry and exit stamps or any other inscription.
• ID photograph
• If you are not a national of your country of residence: proof that you are legally resident in that country (e.g. residence permit).
• Country following the EEF-Etudes en France procedure : Certificate of pre-registration generated by the EEF-Pastel application, stating the EEF ID number.
• Country outside of the EEF-Etudes en France procedure : Certificate of pre-registration (or registration) in an establishment of higher education or training.
• Last completed degree (countries out of procedure EEF-Etudes en France).
• Proof of accommodation for the first three months: hotel reservation or statement/undertaking from the host (establishment/institution or private individual) or explanatory letter from the student.
• Proof of a minimum monthly income of €615* for a period of 12 months: certificate of scholarship or bank statement showing a deposit in a bank account or an undertaking to accept financial liability from a guarantor who must provide proof of adequate, reliable, and regular income, as well as a copy of your ID document.
• Show second half of tuition fee
The Visa you need to apply to is a Long term Student Visa or « VLS TS étudiant ».
Contact the Local French Embassy or consult their Website to know about the process which must be followed, it may vary from one country to another.
• You need to make sure the Application is complete and take an appointment to deposit your Long term ( >90 days) Student Visa or VLS TS étudiant application.
• Wait for the feedback of the consulate. It could take up to a month.
• Inform BSBI that you have obtained your Student Visa.
• Pay remaining 50% of 1st year fees (or full programme for the Global MBA programme)
• The entry visa obtained is normally for a duration of 12 months from the date of issuance.
• Once you arrive in France, you need to validate online the Long Term Student Visa within 3 months
• The cost is 50 euros.
• As soon as you arrive in France, you must validate the entry visa. The process is entirely digital: everything can be done remotely, at home, on the computer. You must validate the visa within 3 months of arriving in France at the very latest.
• For the first 3 months after you arrive in France, you may freely leave France and come back, even without having validated your VLS-TS visa.
• After 3 months from first entering France, if you have not validated the VLS-TS visa, you will need to apply for a new visa to return to France.
• Why is it important to validate the VLS-TS Visa? You must validate your VLS-TS visa within 3 months of arriving in France. This entitles you to:
• Lawfully remain in France for your visa’s entire validity period.
• Leave France, beyond the 3 months following your arrival, without asking for a visa to come back.
• Working rights as a student (20 hours per week)
To do so, visit the website: What is needed:
• a valid email address
• information on your visa
• date of arrival in France
• home address in France
• a bank card to pay online the fee for issuing the residence permit.
Online validation steps:
• Log in on the website
• Enter the information on your visa: visa number, date of beginning and end of validity, date of issue, reason for stay
• Enter the additional information: family circumstances, telephone number, email address
• Indicate your date of arrival in France and your address in France
• Pay the stay tax of 50 euros
• Done! The entry visa is validated. You will receive an email confirming the information you entered online. You can download the email of confirmation of the validation of your VLS-TS visa.
Student visa transfer from France to Germany
If you already have French visa and later want to transfer from Paris to Berlin campus then following steps need to be followed. It is only applicable once you have French residency and you have entered the country.
Students with a residency permit or national Visa (type D) for studies in another EU country can travel to Berlin and apply for a residency permit for Germany.
As your French residency permit or national Visa (type D) for studies from another EU country needs to be valid for at least 30 days from the moment of your application for a resident permit in Berlin, you should travel to Germany at least 90 days before the expiry date of your French residency permit to settle in Berlin and prepare the application file.
BSBI will provide you here with full legal services offered by our immigration firm partner – SERS.
Students in France are arriving with an entry visa which is regularly issued for 12 months from the moment the visa is approved.
Students can continue their studies in Germany subject to receiving a residency permit from the Foreigners Office in Germany.
With a Long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit (VLS TS student), students can also apply for a visa at the German Embassy in Paris.
You are however required to apply for a residency permit after you move to Germany and there is no real advantage to applying locally for an entry visa to Germany.
As your French residency permit or national Visa (type D) for studies from another EU country needs to be valid for at least 30 days from the moment of your application for a resident permit in Berlin, you should travel to Germany at least 90 days before the expiry date of your French residency permit to settle in Berlin and prepare the application file.
BSBI will provide you here with full legal services offered by our immigration firm partner – SERS.
Students in France are arriving with an entry visa which is regularly issued for 12 months from the moment the visa is approved.
Students can continue their studies in Germany subject to receiving a residency permit from the Foreigners Office in Germany.
With a Long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit (VLS TS student), students can also apply for a visa at the German Embassy in Paris.
You are however required to apply for a residency permit after you move to Germany and there is no real advantage to applying locally for an entry visa to Germany.
BSBI has partnered with law firm, SERS Rechtsanwaltsgesellschaft mbH (SERS), to provide all our international students with tailored visa and immigration advice at no extra cost.
The collaboration with SERS will provide you with guidance and assistance from the moment you arrive in Berlin.
The service also includes a personal consultation on specific topics that are relevant to students, from special study plans, family reunification or the possibility of obtaining long-term residency in Germany.
You will be able to access these services completely free of charge, helping you to focus on your studying and having an excellent experience living abroad.
Upon your arrival in Berlin, you will be invited for a registration locally at the BSBI Berlin campus. As part of this procedure, you will be inducted on several aspects of your life in Berlin as well as the most important aspects of your settling in Germany.
The documents need to be prepared and uploaded on SERS online platform as soon as possible after your arrival in Germany:
• Your passport
• Biometric identity photo (1x)
• Valid French residence permit or French national Visa (type D) for studies
• Matriculation letter (from BSBI Berlin)
• Proof of financial resources: blocked account OR scholarship or official declaration of financial commitment
by a third party working in Germany (established by a German Foreigners office) OR notarized declaration of the parents (tbc)
• Health insurance certificate valid in Germany
• Financial letter from BSBI
If you take advantage of the SERS services, you will not be required to attend an interview at the foreigner’s office, however you will be requested to leave your fingerprints and you will be accompanied at this appointment by SERS.
The foreigner’s office in Berlin will take approximately 4 weeks to decide on your application.
The collaboration with SERS will provide you with guidance and assistance from the moment you arrive in Berlin.
The service also includes a personal consultation on specific topics that are relevant to students, from special study plans, family reunification or the possibility of obtaining long-term residency in Germany.
You will be able to access these services completely free of charge, helping you to focus on your studying and having an excellent experience living abroad.
Upon your arrival in Berlin, you will be invited for a registration locally at the BSBI Berlin campus. As part of this procedure, you will be inducted on several aspects of your life in Berlin as well as the most important aspects of your settling in Germany.
The documents need to be prepared and uploaded on SERS online platform as soon as possible after your arrival in Germany:
• Your passport
• Biometric identity photo (1x)
• Valid French residence permit or French national Visa (type D) for studies
• Matriculation letter (from BSBI Berlin)
• Proof of financial resources: blocked account OR scholarship or official declaration of financial commitment
by a third party working in Germany (established by a German Foreigners office) OR notarized declaration of the parents (tbc)
• Health insurance certificate valid in Germany
• Financial letter from BSBI
If you take advantage of the SERS services, you will not be required to attend an interview at the foreigner’s office, however you will be requested to leave your fingerprints and you will be accompanied at this appointment by SERS.
The foreigner’s office in Berlin will take approximately 4 weeks to decide on your application.