New Students

First-Year, Graduate and Visiting Students 

All students are expected to maintain legal residency status in France while studying at AUP. Navigating French immigration requirements can be daunting, but we are here to help.  

Residency and visa paperwork required depends on your unique situation as a first-first year or visiting student, as explained below. Non-European Union nationals must secure a student visa before arriving in Paris for Orientation. Contact your AUP Admission Counselor once you receive your acceptance pack to review what is required in your case, and to start the student visa application, if necessary.  

Once on campus, AUP’s Student Immigration Services (SIS) will assist you with the next steps regarding immigration, helping make a potentially confusing process an orderly and effective one. 

Required reading: Student Immigration Policy 

RESIDENCY STATUS 

I am… 

• A citizen of France or another European Union country. You need only show us your passport (or your National ID) during Orientation. You are exempt from any further visa requirements.  

• A non-European Union student. It is illegal to enter France with a tourist visa, or no visa at all, with the intention of studying. Students living in France without the proper documents are subject to deportation. You must apply for a long-stay student visa (Etudiant- VLS- TS CESEDA- R311 3 6) 

THE RESIDENCY PROCEDURE FOR NON-EUROPEAN UNION STUDENTS 

French authorities have authorized the SIS office to assist you in completing the visa validation and the residency extension processes. This is what you need to know about these processes. 

Step One: Meet with SIS at Orientation 

When you arrive at Orientation, you’ll meet with a member of the Student Immigration Services team. Please come to Orientation with your passport so that we can make copies of the following: the ID page, your student visa and the entrance stamp from the day you entered France or the EU. If you did not receive an entrance stamp, please come with your boarding pass.   

Non-EU students who arrive late or after Orientation are required to meet with SIS no later than one week after arrival to apply for their residency permit. 

Step Two: Complete the Visa Validation Process  

In the weeks that follow Orientation, SIS will contact non-EU nationals with instructions on how to complete the online visa validation process. To complete this online process, you will need the following documents:  

• Your passport 

• Your long-stay student visa 

• Your entrance stamp or boarding pass (confirming the day you entered France or the EU) 

• A valid home address in France (in Paris or outside Paris) 

• Your AUP email address 

• A mandatory “tax stamp,” purchased online (SIS will provide instructions for this) 

Step Three: Provide Proof of Completed Visa Validation Process to SIS 

Once you have completed the visa validation process, you should send the visa validation certificate provided by French authorities to the SIS office. This is labeled: “confirmation de la validation de l’enregistrement de votre visa long séjour valant titre de séjour.” SIS will update your record in the University database. 

If you are only studying at AUP for one semester, you have completed the process at this point and have nothing else to do. Students planning to study two semesters or more at AUP will receive instructions for the residency extension process.  

Step Four: Begin the Residency Extension Process 

This step is for students studying at AUP for more than one semester. The SIS office will be in touch to confirm the expiry date of your visa and the timeline for when you should begin the process for the residency renewal. You must contact SIS no later than four and a half months before your permit expires to discuss your renewal options and receive the list of required documents. Your residency permit renewal application must be complete and ready to submit online between two and four months prior to the expiration date.  

If your residency permit expires in April, May, June, July or August, you must discuss your situation with SIS before you leave for summer vacation. If you leave without beginning the renewal process, you must apply for another long-stay student visa back home during the summer to legally return to AUP in the Fall semester. Contact SIS with questions about this. 

See the  Returning Students section  for more information about residency renewal procedures and documents. 

 
Contact us 

The Student Immigration Services Office at AUP is available throughout your studies for assistance in working with local authorities to fulfill your visa and residency permit requirements. We maintain confidential records of residency cards, passports, visas and birth certificates. Please  contact us  to make sure your records are updated, or if you have any questions or concerns. 

While we are here to help you every step of the way, it is your responsibility to maintain legal residency status in France. Any student who does not respect French immigration policy will not benefit from assistance from the University, and re-admission to the University will be made on a case-by-case basis. The Immigration Office of AUP hereby declines responsibility for any consequences which result from a non-EU student illegally entering France without valid documentation.