The long-stay internship visa, or internship VLS-TS

There is an official website for visa application to France : https://france-visas.gouv.fr/

You will find all information you need to prepare your stay in France.  

What does the long-stay internship visa authorise?

The Visa long séjour valant titre de séjour mention stagiaire (long-stay internship visa constituting a residency permit), abbreviated as the internship VLS-TS, allows you to stay in France for more than three months as an intern. Your internship must be part of professional training and take place in a company or public hospital.

The long-stay internship visa authorises you to enter France. You will nonetheless have to have it validated by Office Français de l'Immigration et de l'Intégration (OFII -French Office of Immigration and Integration) as soon as you arrive. If your internship lasts less than three months, you must request a short-stay visa and the procedure is different.

How to obtain the long-stay internship visa

Contact the French consular authorities in your country of residence to request an internship VLS-TS. To compile your file, you must provide the following documents:

• a current passport;
• a three-party internship agreement stamped by the Prefect and signed by you, the training institute or your employer and your training organisation, company or the health institution in France. The Prefect's stamp is obtained from the Direction régionale des Entreprises, de la Concurrence, de la Consommation, du Travail et de l’Emploi (Direccte - the Regional Department of Competition, Consumption, Work and Employment);
• proof of financial resources;
• proof of a home or residency in France.

If you are a citizen of one of the 41 countries subject to the "Studying in France" procedure, you may make your request for a long-stay internship visa directly online, via the "Studying in France" procedure. Contact Campus France for more information on this subject.

How to obtain a temporary internship residency permit 

When your VLS-TS expires, you can obtain a temporary residency permit if your internship is extended or renewed.

If the company, training organisation or hospital that is receiving you decides to renew your internship, the Prefect must validate an annex to your initial internship agreement. If the Prefect does not respond within 15 days, the request for validation of the annex has been duly accepted.

Once your internship agreement has been approved, you must request a temporary internship residency permit from the Prefecture. This request must be made at least two months before the date of expiry of your visa.