How to Extend a Student Residence Card in France: My Personal Experience
If you’ve read our article about renewing our student visas online in France, then you know that while Jalen and I successfully completed the renewal process, it was far from seamless – especially in my case. Unfortunately, my issues didn’t end when I picked up my year-long carte de séjour temporaire mention étudiant-élève in February 2022.
In short, my new residence card was set to expire in August 2022, but my master’s degree lasts through September 2022. My residence card expiring before the end of my graduate program created two main problems. Firstly, I need a valid residence card to continue to live, study, and work in France and receive French social benefits. Secondly, my residence card needs to remain valid until I receive my final grades so that I can apply for my next residence permit, the carte de séjour recherche d’emploi ou création d’entreprise.
For these reasons, I knew from the moment that I picked up my carte de séjour temporaire mention étudiant-élève that I would need to initiate a process that would extend my residence card’s validity. After contacting the Sous-Préfecture de Reims, I was instructed to repeat the online student residence permit renewal process while specifying that my objective was to retain my legal student residency status so that I could finish out my school year, await my final results, and prepare my application for my next residence permit. This would culminate in the allocation of an attestation de prolongation d’instruction that would serve as a récépissé, thereby extending the rights afforded to me by my student residence card.
Keep reading to find out exactly how I navigated this less-than-ideal situation.
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 my personal student residence permit extension process, and any advice should be considered unofficial.
Table of Contents
➤ How to Complete the Online Application
➤ From Renewal Submission to Extension Approval
➤ My Complete Student Residence Permit Extension Timeline
How to Complete the Online Application
The online renewal process for extending my student visa involved the following six sections.
1. Informations personnelles (Personal information)
In this section, I had to provide details such as my name, date of birth, place of birth, address, and contact information.
2. Motif de séjour (Reason for stay)
Here, I was prompted to describe my schooling through questions about my current and future studies. These fields were able to be completed via drop down menus and short answers.
Although I am not re-enrolling in the 2022-2023 school year, I still had to fill in the portion of the application asking about my future studies. As a result, I entered identical information in both the current and future studies portions. Because the system was created for renewals and not extensions, I was prompted to explain why I would be repeating the second year of my master’s degree. Because I am not repeating the year, I used this space to make it clear that I was actually requesting more time to finish out my school year, await my final results, and prepare my application for my next residence permit.
3. Ressources (Financial resources)
This section is where I stated that I would be able to fund the next year of my 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, I was asked to provide supporting documents relative to the previous sections of the application. In other words, I had to upload documentation that proved my personal information, my reason for stay, and my 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. I took my e-photos using a photo booth in a nearby shopping center.
Justificatif de domicile datant de moins de six mois (Proof of address dated within six months)
- I submitted my cell phone bill 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)
- Since I am not actually going to be pursuing another year of studies, I did not re-enroll in my university. Therefore, I did not have a certificat d’inscription or a justificatif de préinscription. Instead of providing these documents, I uploaded my certificat de scolarité (proof of student status) for the current year along with a letter from my university confirming that my program was going to last longer than the validity of my current residence card.
Relevé de notes de l’année écoulée (Transcripts from the current school year)
- I attached my transcripts from both semesters of the first year of my master’s degree as well as my transcript from the first semester of the second year of my master’s degree showing my 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 I hadn’t yet earned any diplomas in France and that I didn’t want to leave any sections blank, I chose to upload the last diploma I earned, meaning my American bachelor’s degree, the corresponding transcripts, and their translations into French. I knew that this portion was not technically asking for the documents I uploaded, but I decided to include them just in case.
Titre de séjour en cours de validité (Unexpired residence permit)
- I uploaded scans of the front and back of my current student residence card.
Attestation de réussite délivrée par votre établissement (Certificate of completion provided by your institution)
- I attached the attestation de réussite (certificate of completion) provided to me by my university confirming that I completed the first year of my master’s degree successfully.
Attestation bancaire de solde créditeur suffisant (Bank letter attesting to sufficient balance)
- This is where I had to prove that I had access to the minimum 615 € per month to fund my studies. Since I indicated that I would be achieving this through personal resources, I attached an attestation de solde (proof of account balance) that I got from my French bank attesting to the amount of money I had in my bank account. I showed that I 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 I checked to see if all of the information I had given was correct and up to date. In this section, I used the text box to explain that I was requesting more time to finish out my school year, await my final results, and prepare my application for my next residence permit.
6. Confirmation (Submit your application)
I submitted my application and immediately received a downloadable PDF document called the confirmation du dépôt (confirmation of submission), which stated that I had officially submitted an application for the renewal of my student visa.
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 Extension Approval
Just eight business days after submitting my application, I heard back from the Sous-Préfecture de Reims through the designated online platform. They had provided me with a two-month-long attestation de prolongation d’instruction, thus guaranteeing my student status long enough for me to finish out my school year, await my final results, and prepare my application for my next residence permit without worrying about losing my right to live, study, and work in France and receive French social benefits.
Additionally, they sent me a notification for a demande de complément, or request for further information. Once this notification was opened, I had 30 days to provide the requested documentation.
Demande de complément (Request for additional documentation)
Passeport (Passport)
- I uploaded a scan of my passport information page as well as all of the pages with stamps and visas.
Relevé de notes (Transcripts)
- Given that my program’s closing jury was to take place well after 30 days’ time in October 2022, I uploaded a letter explaining that it would be impossible for me to provide my final results within the time limit and that I would provide them as soon as possible.
Fortunately, the request included a message explaining that I should submit the documents as soon as I obtain them, meaning that the Sous-Préfecture de Reims was seemingly aware that I would not be able to submit my transcripts within 30 days.
- Vous disposez d’une attestation de prolongation d’instruction (qui vaut récépissé) que vous pouvez télécharger sur votre compte ANEF. Merci de bien veiller à nous transmettre le/les document demandé(s), dès son obtention.
My Complete Student Residence Permit Extension Timeline
- May 5, 2022: I contact my university asking for a letter stating that my school year goes beyond the validity of my current carte de séjour temporaire mention étudiant-élève. They send me the requested document by email.
- May 6, 2022: I contact the Sous-Préfecture de Reims asking how to solve my problem. They instruct me to repeat the online student residence permit renewal process.
- May 14, 2022: I contact my banker for an attestation de solde, take e-photos at a photo booth, and pick up my transcripts from the first semester of the second year of my master’s degree from my university.
- May 25, 2022: I receive the attestation de solde from my banker, submit my completed application for renewal, and receive a confirmation du dépôt.
- June 8, 2022: The Sous-Préfecture de Reims asks me for additional documents and provides me with an attestation de prolongation d’instruction lasting from August 19, 2022 to October 18, 2022. I submit the requested additional documents and download my attestation de prolongation d’instruction.
The process of extending my carte de séjour was relatively simple, albeit a bit frustrating that I had to do it at all! I hope that by sharing my experience, I can give other international students in France an example of what they might expect in a similar situation. If you have additional questions, make sure to leave us a comment or send us a message.
2 Comments
Eliana
I was hoping you can assist my daughter in France to renew her student visa. The main problem at this time is that she is trying to make an appoinment but her numero agdref is not being recognized to accept her. She has tried to contact by all means and no helpful answer. Her school has not been able to get a straight answer either
Jalen & Maria
Hi! Is your daughter attempting to create a new account? We have seen this problem happen to people who forget that they already have an account on the website that was created when they validated their visa upon arrival in France. She can try using the forgot password option.