How to Renew a French Student Visa Online: Our Personal Experiences
For foreign students pursuing degrees in France, keeping up with your studies is only part of the equation. Maintaining your student status so that you can complete your degree program is of the utmost importance. As American master’s degree students at the Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne, Maria and I were initially granted renewable student visas allowing us to study in France for one year. To continue studying for the second and final year of our master’s degrees in France, we had to renew these student visas in order to be granted cartes de séjour (residence cards). Our renewals took place in France, and the process was mostly online. In fact, the only trips we took to the Sous-Préfecture de Reims were to pick up our residence cards! Read on for a step-by-step online application tutorial, a detailed timeline of our experience renewing our visas, and a look at how we dealt with the various issues we encountered along the way.
Note: Please keep in mind that verified French governmental sources are the best place to get information about your residency in France. This article recounts our personal student visa renewal process, and any advice should be considered unofficial.
Table of Contents
➤ How to Complete the Online Application
➤ What Happens After the Application is Submitted
➤ Picking Up Our New Student Residence Cards
➤ French Bureaucracy Headaches
➤ Our Complete Visa Renewal Timeline
How to Complete the Online Application
To get started with our online student visa renewals, we needed accounts on the dedicated online platform. As we were renewing students visas, Je demande ou renouvelle un titre de séjour (I would like to apply or renew my residence permit) was the most appropriate choice for us. After clicking Je demande ou renouvelle un titre de séjour, we got to the login page where we were able to enter our credentials and gain access to our accounts.
The online application for renewing our student visas involves the following six sections.
1. Informations personnelles (Personal information)
In this section, we had to provide details such as our names, dates of birth, places of birth, addresses, and contact information.
2. Motif de séjour (Reason for stay)
In the second section of the application, we were prompted to describe our schooling through questions about our current and future studies. These fields were able to be completed via drop down menus and short answers.
3. Ressources (Financial resources)
This section is where we stated that we would be able to fund the next year of our studies with the required 615 € per month. There are multiple ways to reach this threshold, such as having a job, having a scholarship, having money saved, being financially supported by someone else, or any combination of these options.
4. Justificatifs (Supporting documents)
In this section, we were asked to provide supporting documents relative to the previous sections of the application. In other words, we had to upload documentation that proved our personal information, our reason for stay, and our financial resources.
Photographie d’identité récente en forme e-photo (Recent ID photo in e-photo format)
- An ID photo in e-photo format can be taken at the photo booths that abound in French cities. We took our photos using the photo booth at our local train station.
Justificatif de domicile datant de moins de six mois (Proof of address dated within six months)
- We submitted our cell phone bills as proof of address.
Certificat d’inscription ou justificatif de préinscription auprès de votre établissement d’enseignement supérieur (Proof of enrollment in a higher education institution)
- When we submitted our student visa renewal applications in June, we were not able to provide certificats d’inscription (proof of enrollment) because it was too early to enroll for the following year at our university. After asking our institution for justificatifs de préinscription (proof of pre-enrollment), we learned that they do not provide this document at all, nor would they provide certificats d’inscription until we could enroll for the following school year.
- We contacted our institution about what document to use instead and were instructed to upload our certificats de scolarité (proof of student status) for the current year. We therefore uploaded the current year’s certificats de scolarité and took it upon ourselves to attach both letters explaining why we weren’t able to submit the requested documents and screenshots of the email from our institution instructing us to upload our current certificats de scolarité to our application.
Relevé de notes de l’année écoulée (Transcripts from the current school year)
- We attached our transcripts from the first year of our master’s degrees showing our passing grades.
Diplôme obtenu en France (Diploma earned in France)
- Paradoxically, this section was titled “Diploma earned in France” and subtitled “Please attach the last diploma earned.” Given that we hadn’t yet earned diplomas in France and that we didn’t want to leave any sections blank, we chose to upload the last diploma we earned, meaning our American bachelor’s degrees, plus our transcripts and their translations into French. We knew that this portion was not technically asking for the documents we uploaded, but we decided to include them just in case.
Titre de séjour en cours de validité (Unexpired residence permit)
- We uploaded scans of our current student visas in our passports.
Attestation de réussite délivrée par votre établissement (Certificate of completion provided by your institution)
- We attached our attestations de réussite (certificates of completion) provided to us by our university to confirm that we completed the first year of our master’s degrees successfully.
Attestation bancaire de solde créditeur suffisant (Bank letter attesting to sufficient balance)
- This is where we had to prove that we had access to the minimum 615 € per month to fund our studies. Since we indicated that we would be achieving this through personal resources, we attached attestations de solde (proof of account balance) that we got from our French bank attesting to the amount of money we had in our bank accounts. We showed that we each had access to at least 7,380 €, or 12 months of the monthly financial minimum for students.
5. Récapitulatif (Review your application)
This was the final step before submission where we checked to see if all of the information we had given was correct and up to date. In this section, there was also a text box where we had the opportunity to leave a written message with any additional information or clarifications that we deemed important for the agents processing our applications to know.
6. Confirmation (Submit your application)
We submitted our applications and immediately received downloadable PDF documents called confirmation du dépôt (confirmation of submission), which stated that we had officially submitted applications for the renewal of our student visas.
It’s important to remember that the confirmation du dépôt is neither proof of regular residency status, nor does it guarantee its possessor any rights associated with such a status. It is simply a confirmation of application submission.
From Renewal Submission to Residence Card Approval
After turning in our renewal applications, Maria and I waited to hear back from the Sous-Préfecture de Reims through the online platform. The first time they contacted us, they provided us with attestations de prolongation d’instruction (visa extensions pending renewal) and requested further documentation. The attestation de prolongation d’instruction is a document that, coupled with our original visas, extended our student status by three months, including the validity of our stay in France, our right to work, our social security coverage, our French social benefits, and our ability to exit and re-enter the Schengen Area. This document was given to us so that the agents could have time to process our applications while maintaining our residency in the country. Once we opened the request for additional documents, we had 30 days to submit the documents before our applications would be closed automatically.
After Maria’s first attestation de prolongation d’instruction expired, her application had still not been fully processed. Therefore, she was given a second attestation and was told the delay was due to a difficulté de fonctionnement du service (internal service issue).
The next document that we received through the online platform was the attestation de décision favorable (confirmation of renewal). This document informed us that our applications for renewal had been approved and that our new residence cards would be printed soon. The document stated the type of residence card we were awarded and the start and end dates of our new residency status. Coupled with our expired visas, it replaced our attestations de prolongation d’instruction.
Upon receiving our attestations de décision favorable, we noticed that while I had been approved for a 14-month-long carte de séjour pluriannuelle mention étudiant, Maria had been approved for a 12-month-long carte de séjour temporaire mention étudiant-élève. These two cartes de séjour are nearly interchangeable, except that mine exceeds a calendar year in length. As we submitted identical applications, we were puzzled by this slight discrepancy.
Naturally, Maria contacted the Sous-Préfecture de Reims to ensure there were no errors on her new student carte de séjour and to inquire about whether the card type she received would negatively affect her ability to request her next residence card, the carte de séjour recherche d’emploi et création d’entreprise.
After communicating with the Sous-Préfecture de Reims, we found out that I had simply gotten lucky and had been granted extra time for no real reason, and that Maria’s card was perfectly normal.
Picking Up Our New Student Residence Cards
Once our cards were printed and sent to the Sous-Préfecture de Reims, we were notified via text message that they were ready to be picked up. Before going to get our new cards, however, we each had to complete a few preliminary steps, including making an appointment at the Sous-Préfecture de Reims, paying for a 75 € timbre fiscal électronique (electronic tax stamp), and assembling a number of documents.
Confirmation de rendez-vous de remise de titre de séjour (Residence permit pick-up appointment confirmation)
- This is a document that was made available to us upon making our appointments at the Sous-Préfecture de Reims. We were able to download it in PDF format from the website where we made our appointments.
La pièce d’identité (passeport) [Proof of ID (passport)]
- We made sure to bring our passports to the appointment.
La dernière carte de séjour (Previous residence card)
- Maria and I did not have cartes de séjour, but rather visas affixed to a page in our passports. By making sure to bring our passports to the appointment, we also brought our previous visas.
Le récépissé actuel (Current extension document)
- The online student visa renewal procedure provided us with attestations de prolongation d’instruction and attestations de décision favorable to extend our residency in France. Although they aren’t explicitly called récépissés, these are the necessary documents.
Le timbre fiscal (Tax stamp)
- For our student residence cards, the required tax was 75 € each. We bought our timbres fiscaux online, but they can also be purchased in a bureau de tabac (tobacco store).
We both made sure to arrive a few minutes early for our respective appointments with all of the necessary documents in order. Our rendez-vous were both straightforward, and neither of us had to wait more than ten minutes before we spoke to an agent. The agent quickly reviewed our documents and handed us our new residence cards.
French Bureaucracy Headaches
As you’ll see represented in the detailed timeline below, Maria and I had very different experiences renewing our student visas in France. One thing was consistent – we both enjoyed using the online portal for our renewal procedures as it allowed us to avoid going back and forth to the Sous-Préfecture de Reims.
The first difference was that my visa renewal process lasted from June 19, 2021 to November 22, 2021 (5 months, 3 days) while Maria’s lasted from June 19, 2021 to February 22, 2022 (8 months, 3 days). Given that we submitted our applications simultaneously, the vast difference in our renewal processing times was unanticipated.
In addition, I was inexplicably awarded two extra months on my carte de séjour while Maria was given the standard twelve months despite our applications matching exactly.
Moreover, you will notice that from November 19, 2021 to November 29, 2021, Maria was frustratingly left without documentation confirming her rights to stay in France. Had Maria needed to, for any reason during that 11-day span in November, provide documentation attesting to her status in France, she would have been unable to do so. Although the validity dates of her new carte de séjour are backdated to the expiration date of her initial visa, covering and retroactively excusing any periods of irregularity, it was stressful to be unsure of how long Maria would be left technically undocumented. This phenomenon is not uncommon for foreigners in France, but is a nerve-wracking part of the process nonetheless.
Our situations demonstrate that no matter how consistent you are, the French bureaucracy will still find ways to surprise you (and that Maria always seems to get the short end of the stick!).
Our Complete Visa Renewal Timeline
- April 30, 2021: We both log in to the online platform.
- June 19, 2021: We complete and submit our applications for student visa renewal and receive our confirmations du dépôt.
- July 29, 2021: We are asked for additional documents and provided with attestations de prolongation d’instruction lasting from August 18, 2021 to November 18, 2021.
- August 14, 2021: We receive reminder emails that we have 15 days left to submit the additional documents.
- August 18, 2021: Our student visas expire.
- August 23, 2021: We submit the additional documents.
- October 8, 2021: We both send emails to the Sous-Préfecture de Reims asking for an update on our applications, stating that our attestations de prolongation d’instruction will be expiring in a month.
- October 11, 2021: We receive responses from the Sous-Préfecture de Reims stating that our attestations de prolongation d’instruction will be indefinitely and automatically renewed until we receive our new cartes de séjour.
- October 13, 2021: Jalen receives an attestation de décision favorable, meaning his request for a renewal was approved and that his card would be printed soon.
- November 5, 2021: Jalen sends an email to the Sous-Préfecture de Reims asking if his card has been printed yet or if he will be receiving another attestation de prolongation d’instruction.
- November 8, 2021: Jalen receives a response from the Sous-Préfecture de Reims stating that once the attestation de décision favorable is received, there is no longer a need for an attestation de prolongation d’instruction.
- November 9, 2021: Jalen receives a text message stating that his card is ready to be picked up at the Sous-Préfecture de Reims. He makes an appointment to pick up his card on the earliest day possible (November 22, 2021) and buys a 75 € timbre fiscal électronique.
- November 9, 2021: Maria sends an email to the Sous-Préfecture de Reims asking whether a decision will be made on her application or if she will receive a second attestation de prolongation d’instruction.
- November 10, 2021: Maria receives a response from the Sous-Préfecture de Reims saying that she will be sent another attestation de prolongation d’instruction upon expiration of the first one.
- November 18, 2021: Both of our attestations de prolongation d’instruction expire. Maria does not receive a new one. Jalen remains covered by his attestation de décision favorable.
- November 22, 2021: Jalen picks up his new carte de séjour pluriannuelle mention étudiant from the Sous-Préfecture de Reims.
- November 24, 2021: Maria sends an email to the Sous-Préfecture de Reims explaining that she has not been given the new attestation de prolongation d’instruction that should have been made available to her upon expiration of her first one.
- November 26, 2021: Maria receives a response from the Sous-Préfecture de Reims stating that she will be sent another attestation de prolongation d’instruction upon expiration of the first one, even though she has already communicated that her first one has expired and that she has not received a new one.
- November 28, 2021: Maria sends an email to the Sous-Préfecture de Reims explicitly requesting that a new attestation de prolongation d’instruction be made available to her on her account as soon as possible.
- November 30, 2021: A new attestation de prolongation d’instruction, lasting until February 27, 2022, is made available on Maria’s online account. It indicates that there has been a difficulté de fonctionnement du service.
- January 13, 2022: Maria receives an attestation de décision favorable, meaning her request for a renewal was approved and that her card would be printed soon.
- February 1, 2022: Maria receives a text message stating that her card is ready to be picked up at the Sous-Préfecture de Reims.
- February 1, 2022 – February 3, 2022: Maria attempts to make an appointment to pick up her card, but there are none available.
- February 4, 2022: Maria makes an appointment to pick up her card on the earliest day possible (February 22, 2022) and buys a 75 € timbre fiscal électronique.
- February 22, 2022: Maria picks up her new carte de séjour temporaire mention étudiant-élève from the Sous-Préfecture de Reims.
- February 23, 2022: Maria sends an email to the Sous-Préfecture de Reims to ensure that her card is error-free.
- February 24, 2022: Maria receives an email from the Sous-Préfecture de Reims stating that her card was standard and would not cause her any future issues.
Our student visa renewal process was anything but smooth sailing, and we hope that by sharing our experience we are able to give other international students in France an example of what to expect. If you have additional questions, make sure to leave us a comment or send us a message.
17 Comments
Jacob Scaria
I have temperory resident permit as a student from February 2 ND to august 8 th . When I checking on the website with my username and password. When I go for renewal of my resident permit , there is no option for student visa… Why is this happening I don’t know.
Jalen & Maria
Hi Jacob,
We are not able to answer such a specific question regarding your renewal difficulty. There are too many possible explanations for your problem and we do not have all of the necessary details about you or your immigration situation to formulate an accurate response. Our best advice would be to immediately contact your assigned prefecture letting them know about your problem. They will know how to help you given that they are aware of all pertinent details concerning your status in the country. Good luck!
Mona
My son persuing his bachelors in engineering and just completed a year and applied for renewal (titre de sous) and awaiting confirmations du dépôt for the online application he submitted.
Since it’s a semester break was wondering if he could travel and exit the country. Is it required to be in the country until the issue of card. What would you recommend? Any friends you have come across who have left the country during this process.
Jalen & Maria
Hello Mona,
Thanks for your comment. We would recommend that your son contact his local prefecture with this question. They will be the best suited to give him a clear and accurate answer while taking into account his specific situation. Good luck!
Eric
Hello! I just finished the first year of my master’s degree at the University of Strasbourg, and I’m trying to renew my visa so I can return for the second year of my degree. Unfortunately I’m having some trouble with the Étrangers en France website. I don’t already have an account registered, so when I attempt to input my information (visa number and start/end dates) to create an account, it tells my that my information is inaccurate, although it isn’t, since I’ve double- and triple-checked it many times. I’m kind of at a loss as to where to go from here – I’ve contacted the website, and I’m still waiting for a response. My visa expires in 12 days, and I’m starting to get nervous. What do you suggest that I do? Thanks!
Jalen & Maria
Hello, generally students are advised to begin the visa renewal process 3-4 months before it expires. Waiting this long to start your process is something to avoid in the future.
As for your account on the online renewal platform, you should have one. When students are granted a student visa for France, they must validate their visa online within three months of their arrival in France. Validating the visa online is what creates an account on the online renewal platform. Did you do this?
If so, we would suggest using the forgot password feature on the online renewal platform in order to recover it and log into your existing account.
If you never validated your visa online, perhaps that could be the reason you are having issues.
The FAQ page of the online renewal platform may also be useful to you: https://administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr/particuliers/#/faq
Let us know if either of these hypotheses help you resolve your situation. Good luck!
Charlie
Hi Eric!
Did you managed to resolve your problem?
Im sort of in a similiar situation…
Lennox
hi, just wanted to ask on my attestation de prolongation d’instruction, at the very bottom it writes “ce document autorise le franchissement des frontieres de l’espace schengen”, does it mean i continue to enjoy the right to stay 90 days within 180 days in EU countries other than France? As it also says “ce document justifie le maintien de l’ensemble des droits ouverts en raison du titre de séjour précédemment détenu”, as my visa was a student visa, I assume I can continue to travel and stay within the EU with this paper even with my visa expired? thanks!
Jalen & Maria
Hello! When you have an attestation de prolongation d’instruction accompanied by your expired titre de séjour, those two documents allow you to do everything that your titre de séjour allowed you to do when it was still valid. That includes working rights, travel rights, residency rights, etc.
Erin
Hello,
Thank you for this comprehensive post it is so helpful! I was wondering what additional documents the prefecture asked for after you submitted your documentation? Seems like you submitted everything required but it’s France so I’m not surprised they wanted more ha 🙂
Thank you!
Jalen & Maria
Hi Erin,
We are so glad this post was helpful to you. Thanks for reading! The Sous-Préfecture de Reims asked us both for the certificat d’inscription ou justificatif de préinscription auprès de votre établissement d’enseignement supérieur that we were unable to provide when we submitted our original renewal requests. We submitted our new certificats d’inscription the day that our university made them available to us. Were we not able to submit the additional documentation within the 30 days given to us by the Sous-Préfecture de Reims, we would have submitted a letter in its place explaining that it was still not possible to provide the documentation and that we would provide it as soon as possible. We hope this answers your question!
Jannell McBride
For the attestation de prolongation d’instruction, did the prefecture mail this document to you?
Jalen & Maria
Hi Jannell! No, it was communicated via the online platform 100% digitally.
Moji
Hello Jalen and Maria,
Thank you for this very insightful post.
I am in the same situation as Maria.
My attestation de prolongation expired and I have had to have my internship suspended as I am without status.
I await the approval or another attestation de prolongation.
My question is during the 10 days Maria waited, did she contact the prefecture?
My prefecture is in Val du Marne and it isn’t easy to reach them.
Also, do you know if there is a way to contact prefectures besides their online contact page?
Thank you
Jalen & Maria
Maria contacted the Sous-Préfecture multiple times by email throughout the process, including during the period after her first attestation de prolongation d’instruction expired and before she received her second one. Besides online contact pages, some Préfectures take phone calls, so you could try calling them. Good luck!
Lara Abdel Salam
Thank you very much for this article. It was really helpful and comforting for me to know that I am not the only person passing through such a stressful situation.
Jalen & Maria
You’re welcome! Hope the stress is resolved for you soon.