<p>My d will be traveling to France for a 5-week summer program, and we just checked the French Consulate website for student visa requirements. One of the more hive-inducing requirements: Financial guarantee : a notarized letter of financial guarantee from your parents or legal guardians stating that you will be provided a minimum of $600 a month for the duration of your studies, plus a copy of their most recent bank statements (original + 1 copy). She needs to apply in person (a 7-hour drive), and the consulate office is only open from 8:45 a.m. - noon. Etc., etc., etc. Has anybody jumped through these hoops???</p>
<p>Do American students need visas to study in France?</p>
<p>I’d love to hear that I’m wrong! But, in reading the French Consulate website:<br>
“The visa is required by France for US citizen holders of diplomatic or official passports on mission, crew members and journalists on assignment, students enrolled in schools and universities in France, even for a short stay.”</p>
<p>what does the program itself say?</p>
<p>we are looking at a program for D next summer in Paris, for 5 weeks, so wonder if the program itself has any responsibility for this</p>
<p>Contact your d’s school. It seems from the above that, if the 5 week program is not through a French school, then you might be okay. You might also want to call the consulate before you make that trek.</p>
<p>I WISH I could just call and ask a few questions… But (I’m cutting/pasting from the French Consulate website): </p>
<p>1/ Information concerning visas will NOT be given on the telephone. Please consult our website for detailed information, requirements and to download application forms. You may email us at <a href="mailto:visas@consulfrance-atlanta.org">visas@consulfrance-atlanta.org</a> leaving your email address and phone number, including your cell phone number. Be advised that we will only reply to questions that are not answered on our website.</p>
<p>If it makes you feel any better, we also had to jump through about 10 hoops of documents and a far away consulate office in another state and lots of aggravation to tell you the truth, in my D getting a visa to Italy for a semester abroad this past fall. I’ve got stories, lol.</p>
<p>She worked in France last summer but that didn’t require a Visa. </p>
<p>My other D just went to Brazil for ten days and had to get a Visa but that wasn’t nearly as involved as the documents required for the Italian one my other D had to get.</p>
<p>THe program itself should have the information…what are they telling you</p>
<p>She’s going to American University of Paris - Their website states: “Before coming to study in France, all students who are not nationals of a European Union country or Switzerland must obtain information on visa requirements from their nearest French consulate. Visa formalities can be time-consuming, so it is best to begin the process early.”</p>
<p>I used to work with high school exchange students from the US going to study in one year programs abroad. A word of caution here. Particularly the French consulates (apologies to anyone French who is reading this-no slights meant!) tend to be very officious, etc.
I had a case where a parent sent a student alone to get her visa. The young girl was rude to the consular officer. The officer closed her desk, refused to issue the visa.<br>
Follow the rules, show up early, not minutes before they close, and keep in mind that you are “asking” for the privilege of being in their country.<br>
I won’t even go into the story about my visa for travelling to China years ago…</p>
<p>Bear with my grousing: You can’t apply more than 90 days ahead of travel; you must get an official letter from your medical insurance, stating that she’ll be covered in France (probably a good idea, though); you must supply your own copies of documentation, because they won’t provide copy services for you; you must supply a prepaid FedEx or Express Mail pouch, if you want your passport back; and… they won’t make an appointment for you. First come/first serve, and if they’re too busy… come back tomorrow.</p>
<p>ebeeee…my daughter had someone who was rude and vengeful at the Italian consulate in Boston too that my daughter had traveled hours to get to and had followed every single rule and had every single document (and there were a LOT of documents involved).</p>
<p>Good tips, ebeeeeee. The website also states that only the applicant is allowed in the office - I have to wait in the lobby. I’ll tell her to mind her manners. Any other tips would be GREATLY appreciated. Besides the glass of merlot I’m reaching for, that is.</p>
<p>A student visa is required for Spain. The French rules are easier and your consulate is much closer than ours.</p>
<p>Spain required much more paperwork and required a showing of good to excellent grades.</p>
<p>I’m just really thrown off guard about needing a visa in the first place, just for a 5-week program. A real neophyte here. And, there’s a consulate a lot closer, but our state is not that jurisdiction…</p>
<p>LONG STAY STUDENT VISAS
There are two kinds of long-stay student visa available, depending upon the length of studies in France as indicated in the letter of enrollment.</p>
<p>1 - temporary long stay visa: from 3 to 6 months, multiple entries, no "carte de s</p>
<p>OOT:
I guess that’s the same as applying for US student visa.
For example, US intl student requirement:</p>
<p>Financial guarantee: bank statement, notarized version, and such
Letter of acceptance from school
2 Appointments: one is online, second is interview (many consulates open from 8-12)</p>
<p>The interview process itself is pretty annoying since it depends on the mood of the interviewer. Heck, I heard there were extreme cases where the interviewer just took a glance at the interviewee and refuse to give him visa without even looking at his documents. Unfortunately this happens quite often. </p>
<p>All of these while having to pay around $100 non refundable fee. Oh and the US visa took the longest to be issued. Some people have to wait 1 month (their passport were withheld) before they can have their passport + visa back. Imagine that.</p>
<p>it is complicated, especially going in person–good luck</p>
<p>thanks for the heads up and I am just glad we have a consolate in SF</p>
<p>Try getting a tourist visa for Myanmar. Or Saudi Arabia. Or, I have heard, Russia to travel independently. For the first two countries, each required multiple (not just one) visits to the embassy, and something like twelve pictures. (I still wonder what they did with them all.) There’s nothing you can do about it except follow the instructions to the letter.</p>
<p>If it makes you feel any better, it’s more difficult, more time-consuming, more expensive, and frequently impossible for foreign nationals to get visas for the USA. My husband’s brother is an Indian ship captain who wanted his wife and two young daughters to join him at a US port. The visa application fee was $100 per person, non-refundable. The visas were denied.</p>