5
(1)

You have a relative in France and wish to join. It seems the most difficult thing in the world. But it isn’t impossible. You just need the right form of information. First, you should know whether you need a France family visa or not.

This article will bring you all you should know about the France family visa, its requirements, the application process, validity, processing time, FAQs, etc.

Get the FREE Cheat sheet for
France Family Visa

Who Needs a France Family visa?

France family visa allows you to stay with your relative for the long-term. Not everyone is eligible to join a relative in France for the long term. Only spouses or children have permission to join relatives in France for the long-term. If you are not among them, you can only stay with relatives for a short-term (up to 90 days).

Whether you need a France family visa or not depends on:

  • Your Nationality
  • The nationality of the relative living in France

Bear in mind that the lengths of your stay are longer than 90 days. It is a long-term stay in France.

Video description
Find the links and extra information explained in the video here.

You can see the pdf file related to the youtube video here: https://visalibrary.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/French-citizen.pdf

Family members of EU, EEA, and Switzerland citizens

If your relative living in France is an EU, EEA, or Switzerland citizen, you do not need a visa for short stays. You will not need a visa for up to 90 days. But, to stay longer than 90 days, you need a Residence Permit. A Residence Permit in France gets called the “Carte de Séjour.” The French government has eased the striction on this case. There is no force to apply for the Residence Permit.

Bear in mind that you have to hold legal documents to stay in France. A valid passport and proof of relationship are mandatory.

Family members of non-EU citizens

If you are a non-EU, EEA, or Switzerland national, you can join your relative in France. In this case, your relative is also a non-EU citizen. He/she must have a legal Residence Permit living in France. The lengths of stay do not matter here. You need a France family visa to move to the country.

The sponsor living in France must meet the eligibility principles:

Minimum stay

The sponsor must have lived in France for at least 18 months. His/her stay must be under a legal Residence Permit. Remember that the least lengths of stay are one year for Algerians.

Enough funds

The sponsor must have sufficient money to cover the expenses of the guest. The government needs evidence or proof of that. The required amount will increase by the number of guests moving to France.

Enough space

The sponsor must have enough room or space for the guest. It means his/her house must be appropriate. The French authorities define whether the house is suitable or not. Also, the rules change by the French city or district you live in. The least space is 22-28 sqm for a couple.

France Talent Passport and the EU Blue Card

If your relative is living in France under the UE Blue Card or the France Talent passport, you don’t need a family visa. The EU Blue Card and the talent passport allow you to join your relatives. Apart from the right to live in France, you have the authorization to work.

Family members or Relatives of French nationals

Providing that you get married to a French national, you can join him or her in France. The couple must still be together. Also, the French Civil Register must have recognized and registered the marriage. Providing a marriage certificate is a must.

The child of a French national can move to the country:

  • The foreign child must be under 21.
  • The child is dependent on the parent.
  • The government has recognized the relationship of the child with a French national.
  • A French national has adopted a foreign child.

To move to France as a nurse, read our article.

 

France family visa application Process

The application process for the France family visa is as follows:

Step 1. Do you need a visa?

Mike Wallace said: “All I’m armed with is research.” The first thing you should do for a France family visa is research. Find out whether you need a visa or not. The terrific news is that you have not much hard work. Look at the section above to know whether you need a visa or not. You might be free of a  France family visa and not knowing. If it is so, you don’t have to follow the below procedures.

Step 2. Are you eligible?

If you are not eligible for a France family visa, your application will get rejected. The rejection rate of the Schengen visa was 9.6% in 2018. Most applicants do not know whether they are not eligible and face rejection. You shouldn’t make this huge mistake. Read and find out if you are eligible for the visa or not. The best part is you can do so by reading the above section.

If your condition needs to change, improve it. Try to come up with the requirements.

Step 3. Residence Permit

It requires two to tango is true for a France family visa. Your sponsor living in France has to start the application process. The guest can not begin it on his/her own.

The sponsor will apply to:

  • The OFII office, or
  • The (DDASS)

The sponsor must complete the application form to one of the above centers. He/she must prove to be eligible for the family visa. The officials require:

  • Financial independence proof
  • Proof to have enough space
  • Evidence of relationship
  •  

When the officials issue the Residence Permit, you, as the host, can apply for a France family visa.

Step 4. Application form

When the French officials issue the Residence Permit, you can apply for a family visa. It is not possible to apply for a visa without a Residence Permit. Bear in mind that you might be free of the visa.

Visit the French embassy’s website in your country. Download the online application form from it. Complete the parts with relevant information. Try to put extra care into completing the form. The provided information must be identical to your documents. For example, pay attention to your names. The dictation must be the same as your passport. The application might get refused if there is a contradiction between your documents and the form.

When you complete the form, print, date, and sign it.

Step 5. Requirements

There are some requirements for a France family visa. They prove you have provided the right information with your application. See the section above to know what they are. The list of supporting documents must be complete. The French embassy is strict with this part. Do not forget the copies and translation into French.

Step 6. Visa meeting

Schedule a meeting with the French embassy or consulate. The way you could get one depends on the embassy:

  • Their website
  • A phone call
  • In-person.

Step 7. Interview

Get to the embassy on the exact date. Bear in mind to bring all the requirements, including:

  • Application form
  • Passport

“Better late than never” isn’t true with the visa appointment. You have to be a bit early. Being late would be a shame. You could miss your appointment. It could take time to go through security and meet the officials. What you wear is important. Making a first good impression with your clothes is nice. Something a bit formal would help.

Submit all the documents to the officials. They might ask for more documents. If so, they will inform you to collect them. There is a fee for visa processing you have to pay. Bring enough money with you.

Often there is an interview with the authorities who want to know about your history and the purpose of your visit. Give true and honest answers to the question. As it’s being said, “Truth makes the tongue smart.”

Step 8. Processing

When you complete all with the embassy, it’s time to eat. You must wait until the embassy processes your visa. The required time depends on different elements. When the embassy issues the France family visa, they notify you. They will stick it on your passport.

Now you have three months to enter France.

Step 9. After Arriving in France

When you arrive in France, you have to register with the OFII. You must do it within the first two months of your arrival. Providing that you will be staying in France for longer than one year, you have to apply for a Residence Card. It gets called “carte de séjour.”

What are the Requirements for a France Family visa?

There are two parts of the requirements for the France family visa. The first is for the sponsor to apply for Residence Permit:

  • Proof to have enough funds. Bank statements or payslips could suffice.
  • Evidence of relationship with the relative joining you.
  • Proof to have appropriate accommodation that fulfills the requirements.
  • A legal Residence Permit is valid for at least one year.
  • Passport and copies of all pages.

Note: The officials might ask for more documents to issue the Residence Permit. It depends on what relative wants to join you.

The second round of France family visas is for the guest. It is the relative who wants to move to France. The requirements he/she has to collect are as follows:

Application form

As mentioned, you can get the form from the French embassy’s website in your country. The form must be a long-stay one. Complete every part with good extra care. Then print, date, and sign it. Keep it as you have to submit it to the authorities.

Passport

What matters with your passport is:

  • The validity must be at least three months over the date you will leave France.
  • Not to be older than ten years ago.
  • Holding at least two blank pages.
  • Photocopy of all pages.

Remember that the original form of the passport is required.

Photo

The officials need two identical photos of you. They couldn’t be older than three months from the date of application. Don’t wear unusual things when taking a photo. No accessory could block your face.

  1. Copies of older visas (if applicable)
  2. Clean record

A certificate from the Police that states you have no criminal record.

Proof of paid fees

Keep the receipt of paying the fee for visa processing.

Insurance

The insurance you buy must be valid in France and all the EU countries.

Proof of relationship

Provide formal evidence or proof of your relationship with the sponsor.

Attention: the mentioned requirements are a general set. The French embassy or consulate has the right to ask for additional documents. You have to obey their request.

How much would a France Family visa cost?

The standard cost of a France family visa is 99 EUR. Yet, you might have to pay more or less. It is up to the country you apply from. The French authorities might charge you more due to other services.

Remember that the family members of the following list are exempt from paying the fee for visa processing:

  • French citizens.
  • The EU, EEA, and Switzerland residents

France family visa Processing Time

The standard processing time for a France visa is up to 20 days. But you have to wait longer for a French family visa. It’s because there are two processing times. First, the sponsor has to wait for the authorities’ decision on the Residence Permit. When they issue it, you (the guest) can apply to the French embassy for the family visa. Once you complete everything with the embassy, you have to wait until they issue the visa. So the processing time for a France family visa could take a bit long. You might have to wait several months until you can move to France. Ask the embassy about the standard processing time of the family visa. You could also follow the procedure.

How long is the France family visa valid?

The validity of the France family visa depends on the type of visa:

  • A short-stay visa is valid for three months (90 days).
  • A long-stay visa is valid for up to one year.

Bear in mind that the validity of a France family visa also depends on what city or district you are in.

When you wish to stay longer than one year in France, you have to apply for a Residence Card.

Applying after you arrive in France

The residents of the below list of countries can apply for a Residence Permit after arriving in France:

  • The EU
  • The EEA
  • Switzerland
  • Monaco
  • San Marino
  • Algeria

Let’s sum up…

This article brought you whatever you should know about France’s family visa.

The text covered who needs a France family visa, its requirements, the application process, fees, validity, etc.

Do you need to know about other types of France visas? You can visit the left sidebar.

Providing that you need to know about other countries’ visas, go to the home page of the visa library.

Visa applicants beg you to share your experience with the visas in the comment section below.

How useful was this article?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 5 / 5. Vote count: 1

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this article.

2 Comments

  1. DA COSTA says:

    Thanks for taking the time to compile this useful information. For the France Family Visa, if you could add the section for a “non-EU, EEA, or Switzerland national family member that can join their EU relative in France” and the process for the same, as it is more simpler and does not require the process through OFII but a short stay visa with the remark ” to apply for a residence permit”, I heard you saying this in the video clip but it was not clear whether it is for Visa national family member of an EU citizen resident of France. Thanks

    • M-behroozi says:

      Dear DA COSTA, unfortunately, your request was not crystal clear. But If I understood correctly, you want to know about the categories of eligible people for this visa.

      Category 1: If You’re married to a French national, or you are a non-French child or a parent of a French national, you can apply for a long-stay family visa.
      Category 2: If you’re an EU citizen’s spouse or child under 21 and you want to join them in France. In this case, you will have to apply for a Schengen short-stay visa. Then, upon your arrival, apply for a residence permit.
      Category 3: If you have a family member that is not a French, EU, or EEA national, you still can apply for a family long-stay visa. Your family member should prove they have the financial means to support you, or you should show that you have the financial means to support yourself.
      Category 4: If your family member is under a ‘talent passport’ or a French EU Blue Card, then you will automatically be granted a residence permit. Under this permit, you can remain and work in France.
      Category 5: France Adoption visa. This visa is for French or foreign parents who reside in France wishing to adopt a child from a foreign country and bring them to France.