When does three months departure on long-stay visa to France begin?
I'm applying for a long-stay visa to France from the U.S. I read you must depart 3 months after application, but also am told it can take 1-2 months for application to be accepted, then need to do the interview, and again wait an undetermined time.
Do the three months to exit begin at the time the application is filed, or after the interview and the visa is granted? Clarification needed.
Best Answer
Technically it is 90 days (not 3 months) that you're allowed to stay while waiting for the process to be done and your visa is processed - this is technically the Schengen short-term stay visa.
It makes no sense for the 90 days to exit the country count after the visa is issued, since you'll have a long-term stay visa and no need to exit the country.
Note that you may be ellegible for "switching" your standard Schengen short-term visa for another type of visa (etudiants, vacances travail...) depending on your circumstances - more information here
After clarification of which country OP needs to exit: if your visa requires a switch to a residence permit, 3 months is the time you have to report yourself to the prefecture and obtain your residence permit. If you only require validation, that's the time you have to validate your VTS-LS. You're going to see that your long stay visa has an expiration date, it counts after it is issued.
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Can you enter France before your visa starts?
To apply for a short-stay visa, the application must be submitted at least two weeks prior to your planned visit; however, it can not be submitted more than 6 months prior to your planned visit.Is France issuing long stay visas now?
For any stay in France exceeding 90 days, you are required to apply in advance for a long-stay vis. In this instance your nationality does not exempt you from requirements. Whatever the duration of your planned stay, the duration of your long-stay visa must be between three months and one year.Can I stay in France after my long stay visa expires?
If you're on a long stay visa or carte de s\xe9jour, however, and it expires, you can stay and travel within the Schengen zone for an additional 90 days on the tourist visa.Do I need a visa to stay in France for 3 months?
For all stays of up to 3 months in France, unless you are exempt, you must apply for a short-stay visa. This type of visa is granted for the following reasons: Tourist visits. Pleasure, family or personal visits.How Long Does the Schengen VISA Processing Time Take (Europe VISA)?
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