Immigration formalities

You've been accepted at Centrale Nantes? You are non-European citizen? Don't forget to apply for your Visa!

To study in France you must be granted a student long-stay visa or student VLS-TS (visa long séjour mention étudiant, ou VLS-TS étudiant) delivered by French Consulates. Don't delay. The sooner you apply, the better. It can take time for the visa to be delivered.

Learn more and apply: visit the Campus France webpage

Depending on your nationality, your situation and the length of your stay, you may be able to obtain a visa to study. Check all the steps and conditions on the detailed page of Campus France

If you are a non EU-student, you have to have your visa validated online and you have 3 months to do it once you are in France.
Follow the instructions on the ANEF website to complete this mandatory step.

Friendly reminder: if you do not complete this process within the first three months of your stay in France, you will no longer be able to cross the Schengen borders legally and will not be able to re-enter France, should you leave the country.

The application to renew your residence permit are performed by the same website where you validate your visa,  the ANEF platform (Administration Numérique des Etrangers en France). You may access it from a smartphone, tablet or computer. 

For a summary of all the process, depending of your situation, read more here.

If you continue your studies at Centrale Nantes for a second year, you must renew it and apply for a student residency permit (titre de séjour étudiant). The French institution in charge of the renewal of student residency permits is the local Préfecture, and you will use the same website ANEF like for visa validation.

• You are an international student with a valid student residency permit (titre de séjour étudiant)?
• You recently obtained a Master or PhD degree from a French institution?
• You wish to work in France after your studies?

You may be eligible to apply for a 1-year authorization (APS – Autorisation Provisoire de Séjour) to look for a job in your field in France.

• More information about APS
• More information for enrolled students available on Intranet.