To come to France as a researcher, you must sign a hosting agreement with an accredited higher research or education institution.
You must also obtain a “passport talent” long stay visa equivalent to a residence permit (VLS-TS) if the duration of your research work is less than 12 months or a “passeport talent – researcher” long stay visa if the duration of your research work is more than 12 months.It allows holders of a higher education diploma equivalent at least to Masters level to come to France and pursue research or teaching at university level.
You must come to France to conduct research or teach at university level, and provide your hosting agreement with the receiving institution, and a diploma at least equivalent to a Master’s degree.
Where and how to apply | You must first sign a hosting agreement with an accredited higher research or educational institution. The agreement will confirm your status as a researcher and specify the duration of your research work. It must be approved by the Préfecture. You must then apply for a long-stay visa at the French Embassy or Consulate in your country of origin. |
| Duration of validity of permits | If you meet the requirements, the embassy or the consulate will grant you a “passport talent” long stay visa equivalent to a residence permit (VLS-TS) if the duration of your research work is less than 12 months. Valid for one year, this visa serves as residence permit and work permit. You will then not be required to obtain a residence permit during the first 12 months in France. Within the first 3 months of your arrival in France, you must validate your VLS-TS online on the official dedicated website. You will be issued a “passport talent – researcher” long stay visa if the duration of your research work is more than 12 months. You will then have to go to the prefecture as soon as you arrive to apply for a “passport talent” residence permit. A “researcher” multiyear residence permit may then be issued for maximum duration of 4 years, depending on the length of research work to be conducted as provided under the hosting agreement. It can be renewed at the préfecture at your place of residence and must be applied for two months before your visa expires. The prefect will inform you of the decision in writing as soon as possible and no later than 60 days from the date of the application being made. If there is no decision, the application is approved. |
Documents required | To obtain the “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “researcher”, you must provide:
The applicable fee is 269 EUR. |
Further requirements | The long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit, must be validated online on the official dedicated website within the first 3 months of your arrival in France. |
Appeals | Refusals may be subject to an internal appeal to the Prefect, a hierarchical appeal before the Minister of the Interior or an administrative appeal before the competent administrative court within two months of the date of notification. More on administrative and hierarchical appeals. You may appeal a decision to refuse a visa before the Commission for Appeals Against French Entry Visa Applications within two months of notification of the decision. If the Commission rejects the appeal, or if despite the Commission's positive opinion the ministers confirm the refusal of the visa, you may, within two months, appeal before the Administrative Court of Nantes, which is the first instance for visa refusal litigation. A hierarchical appeal may also be brought before the Minister of Foreign Affairs. |
| Further information | More on coming to France as a researcher |
"EU long-term resident” residence permit | An EU long-term residence permit may be granted if the applicant has legally and continuously resided on French territory for at least five years (Article L. 314-8 of the Code on Entry and Residence of Foreigners and Right of Asylum (Code de l'entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d'asile, CESEDA) contains the list of persons who may have access to the long-term residence status). Requirements:
The applicable fee is 269 EUR. Your integration to French society will be assessed in terms of your commitment to respect the principles governing the French Republic and your sufficient proficiency of the French language. The EU long-term residence permit is valid for ten years, and is renewable. It gives access to employment and vocational training and allows its holder to apply for the right to reside in another EU country under the facilitated procedure of Directive 2003/109/EC. The permit will be refused for non-compliance with issuance conditions. It will also be refused for the following reasons:
Applications must be filed with the préfecture or sous-préfecture of your place of residence or at the Police headquarters if you live in Paris. Your integration to French society will be assessed in terms of your commitment to respect the principles governing the French Republic and your sufficient proficiency of the French language. |
Residence permits for family members | If they are over 18 years old, your spouse and children who entered France as minors fully benefit of the "family passport talent" residence permit, having the same duration of validity as your “passport talent” residence permit and giving direct access to work. The same applies for children who have reached the age of majority, once they can prove five years of continuous residence. They then have the full right to work. Your children under 18 are admitted onto the territory without a residence permit. |
"EU long-term resident” residence permit for your family members | Your spouse and children can also apply for an EU long-term residence permit if they can prove five years of uninterrupted residence in France under a "family passport talent" residence permit. |
Other rights | If you hold a “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “researcher” in France and you plan to go to another Member State to conduct research, your hosting agreements must specify your enrolment in a mobility programme. In that case, you can apply for a “passport talent” residence permit with the mention “mobility programme”. |
If the duration of your stay in France is shorter than 180 days in a 360-day period, you are subject to short-term mobility rules. If the duration of your stay in France is longer than 180 days, you are subject to the rules governing long-term mobility.
Short-term/Long-term Mobility | Conditions To come to France to conduct research after having been issued a permit/visa for research in another EU country, the research institution in France which will host you must fill in a form notifying your project of research to the Ministry of the Interior in charge of immigration issues. You must provide the hosting agreement concluded with the research institution from the Member States that issued your residence permit/visa, and proof of sufficient resources to support yourself during the mobility period. The granting of a period of mobility in France allows you to pursue research and teaching at university level. If you are covered by an EU or multilateral programme or an agreement between universities, you may apply for a multiannual residence permit “talent passport” with the mention “research – mobility programme”, valid for 4 years. This permit allows holders of a diploma equivalent at least to a Masters level to pursue research and teaching in France. You must provide a hosting agreement concluded with an accredited public or private research or higher education institution in France. Short-term mobility period lasts up to 180 days within a 360-day period; long-term mobility period lasts up to 12 months. Procedure The procedure is the same for long-term and short-term mobility periods. The hosting higher research or education institution in France is responsible for notifying your mobility project in France to the Ministry of the Interior. This notification may be submitted either when you apply for a residence permit/visa in the first Member State (if you are already planning to carry out research in the hosting institution in France), or after your admission in the first Member State, once your project to come to France is drawn up. The hosting institution has to fill in a form notifying the mobility of a researcher allowed to stay in another EU Member State in France (see here). This form gathers your personal information and the estimated dates of your period of mobility in France. The hosting institution submits it electronically to the following address: pointdecontact-sejour-dgef Upon the reception of your application, the Ministry has a period of 30 days to object to it. After this period if there is no objection, you are granted the right to stay in France with the residence permit/visa issued by the first Member State. You need to notify your stay to the prefecture of your place of residence upon your arrival. Documents required To notify your mobility project, you need to provide the hosting institution in France with:
Applicable fee There is no applicable fee. Allowed number of teaching hours/days The legal work duration is 1607 hours per year. Family members Your spouse and children are admitted for residence under the same conditions and procedure, with direct access to work in case of a long-term mobility. Their authorisation to reside in France expires at the end of your mobility period. The hosting higher research or educational institution in France must join to the form notifying your mobility another form gathering the information of the family members joining you. They must provide:
Your children under 18 are admitted onto the territory without a residence permit. Other information The Ministry of the Interior can refuse the application for the mobility to France or withdraw your authorisation to stay if:
If you come to France to conduct research under the mobility procedure detailed above, whether for a short or a long period, you will not be able to apply for a change of status and apply for another residence permit. If you wish to work in France after finishing your research, you will need to apply for a visa/residence permit under the usual procedure. Links More on coming to France as a researcher |
- Ministry of the Interior
- Ministry of European and Foreign Affairs
- Ministry of Labour
- Pôle Emploi
- The "Préfectures"
- Ministry of Solidarities and Health
- Regional Health Agency
- Diplomatic missions abroad
- French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII)
- Conseil d'État
- Official website of the French Administration