How to Obtain a French Work Visa

Anyone would be lucky to work in France, but securing a work visa is not as easy as many believe it to be.

Securing a French work visa is an easy task as long as you have already secured a job. Without secured employment by a French company or employer, obtaining a work visa is impossible. France is among one of the most difficult countries in which to obtain employment as the hierarchy of employment is first reserved for French citizens, followed by European Union citizens who are then followed by the rest of the world. However, if you do secure employment, your employer will initiate the visa process and you must return to the United States to complete the application.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• French employer
• U.S. passport
• 2 long-stay visa application forms
• 2 passport size photos
• 99 euro application fee

1. Secure creditable employment in France. You cannot begin the process of obtaining a work visa until you have already secured a position. The first step in the work visa application is done by your employer through the French Ministry of Labor. Your employer will file the petition for you (and your family if applicable), and if approved the Ministry of Labor will forward it to the French Consulate General in the U.S. that has jurisdiction over the state in which you reside. Only after it is forwarded can you begin your part in the application.

2. Wait to be contacted by the French Consulate General to schedule a visa application appointment. You will be contacted by a representative from one of the French consulates (in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco or Washington DC) to schedule your appointment. Do not call or try to schedule an appointment yourself.

3. Print and fill out two long stay visa applications. The applications are available online at the website of each consulate under the visa forms section.

4. Gather the documents needed for the visa application. The required documents include your valid U.S. passport with at least one blank page, two completed long stay visa applications, two passport size photographs and the visa application fee of the at-time U.S. equivalent of 99 euros paid either with a credit card, cash or money order written to the Consulate General of France. Personal checks are not accepted. The visa will be granted at the time of application.

References

• Embassy of France in Washington: Working in France
• Consulate General of France in San Francisco: Long Stay Visa (scroll to bottom)