Long Stay Visa : Key Facts 

This page provides quick access to the key information you will need when planning visits to your second home in France.

Please note that we have provided information, not advice. No warranty is implied.

Two Types of Long Stay Visa

• There are two types of long stay visa; the VLS-T and the VLS-TS. 

• They are very different. Choose the correct one!

• There is more information here

VLS-T in a nutshell

These are the key facts about the standard VLS-T visa

1. You can apply up to 3 months before the visa start date

2. You cannot work, even remotely

3. It allows multiple entries into France within a maximum visa period is 6 months. If you get a six month visa you can stay for a shorter period (or shorter periods) within the visa dates.

4. A visa of 4 or 5 months may be requested in writing when you are at the appointment; this is is explained within this page. 

5. Time spent in France under jurisdiction of the visa does not count towards the Schengen 90/180 day allowance

6. If you visit another Schengen country during the visa period then those days DO count towards the Schengen 90 days 

7. The Schengen 90/180 may be used either side of the visa period. You CAN roll Schengen => Visa ==> Schengen. See here

8. You do not need to validate the visa once you get to France

9. Another VLS-T can be applied for the following year calendar year. 

10. If applying for another VLS-T visa starting in the same year that the previous one ends then see the section below. 

Consecutive VLS-T Visa applications  

You have to repeat the full previous process, please note that the process varies slightly from year to year.  The Part 1 and Part 2 crib-sheets are updated annually.

Update 31/03/2025

• If your next visa is in the next calendar year to the ols one then you may apply anytime in the next calendar year. [This is based on multiple individual replies from the Consulate in the last two weeks]

• It is unclear what the ruling is for visas ending and starting in the same calendar year. 

  • It would be reasonable to assume the old rule of "You cannot have a new VLS-T visa with a start date that is less than 6 months after the expiry of a previous one".  

  • However it IS possible to apply for a VLS-T visa sooner than 6 months after the expiry of the previous visa. Your online application can be no more than 3 months before the visa start date. 

  • This section will be updated when clarity has been obtained

Planning your Application

A summary about visa dates

See this page.

Passport Issue Date

The issue date of your passport is the key date, not its expiry date. The date your passport was issued must be less than 9 years and 9 months before the END date of your visa. We are aware that visa applications have been rejected when there was insufficient time left on the applicant's passport.

Do you have sufficient blank pages in your passport?

There are two checks to make. 

• The visa requirement is minimum of two blank pages

• Additionally check that you have enough pages in your passport to cover all the trips outside of the UK that you have planned to take up to the end of a visa period.  The VLS-T visa will take up a whole page. It would be prudent to assume that half a blank page is needed for each trip to allow border control to enter entry and exit stamps.

Do you have other concurrent visas in the passport?

In February 2023 TLS Edinburgh advised that you cannot have two concurrent visas for countries that are in the Schengen Area.

EHIC

Check that your EHIC/GHIC card extend beyond the visa end date.  We do not know how long past the visa end date it has to be.

You can apply for a GHIC card 9 months in advance.

Retention of Applicants' Passports

The French Consulate in the UK have outsourced the handling of applications to a company called TLS. Visa applicants must attend a face to face appointment at one of their offices in London Manchester or Edinburgh. TLS will retain applicants' passports to submit to the Consul General in London for processing. Please note that the decision whether to issue or refuse a visa is taken by consular officials, not TLS. Passports are then either returned to TLS for collection from their office or posted to the applicants' home address. TLS state that passports are usually returned within ten working days. In 2022 most people got their passport back within that timescale.

Choosing When to Apply for the visa and the Date entered for the question "Planned date of arrival in French Territory

The answer you give in France-Visas site defines the start date of your visa however the answer you give may depend on other factors. You may wish to bring forward the visa start date for reasons including:

• The date when you want your visa to end.

• When it is convenient for you to attend the interview. Note that the interview cannot be more than 90 days before the visa start date. 

• The dates when your passport will be retained by TLS/Consulate. TLS quote up to 15 working days however you may wish to err on the side of caution.

This in discussed in more detail here.

The VLS-T application process   

The visa application process is complicated; but take heart that many second homeowners have applied successfully since 2022 and have provided us with lots of feedback.  You will need to prepare a lot of documents for the appointment and so will need access to a printer.  For more information click here.

Plan for eventualities

Last minute emergencies and travel disruption can seriously affect return journeys and delays may result in inadvertently exceeding the Schengen allowance of 90 days in any rolling 180. See real life examples in a new tab here

EU Official have considerable experience of dealing with visa violations. Overstays never go unnoticed and seldom go unpunished. Sanctions for exceeding visa limits can include a fine and/or problems when trying to enter the Schengen Zone in the future.  It was reported in late 2021 that some people are receiving fines for transgressions of just a few days.

Visa Fees 

There are two sets of fees

French Government Visa Fee

• The visa fee is Euro 99 and is converted to £. 

• It is payable at the appointment

TLS Administration Fees

• There is a mandatory service fee of Euro55 which is a payable in GBP at the time the appointment is booked.  Payment is required at the time of booking to weed out spurious bookings. 

• TLS also offer some discretionary services;  it is understood that these are payable at the time of the appointment but this is yet to be  confirmed.

Married to an EU or French citizen ?

• In March we identified that the "Practical Handbook for Border Guards (Schengen Handbook)" defined when the 90/180 day rules is applied to the spouse of an EU citizen (page 21) and whether their passport should be stamped (page 82).  

• The rules differ between those married to a French citizens and those married to an EU citizen.

Applying when resident of the Channels Islands

With the help of a resident of the Channel Islands we have provided a specific information here

How your VLS-T visa affects travel to and from France

Click here

How to Apply for your VLS-T visa

This is covered in another section of the website; click here

The VLS-T visa appointment

You will need visit one of the three TLS centres in the UK to submit your documents. This is covered in another section of the website; click here

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