LumenHow long do you have to validate a French VLS-TS long-stay visa, and what does it cost?
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You must validate a long-stay visa that serves as a residence permit (VLS-TS) online within 3 months of arriving in France, and pay a tax on top of the visa fee. Service-public.fr gives the tax as 300 € for an employee VLS-TS and 100 € for a student VLS-TS; the law sets it equal to the matching residence permit tax.
Key facts
| What | The law says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Deadline | Validate the VLS-TS within 3 months of arriving in France | Service-public.fr F15898, « Validation du VLS-TS »; F2231 |
| How | Online, through the ministry’s service « Valider un visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS) et payer la taxe » | Service-public.fr F15898; F2231 |
| What it gives you | Legal residence, and the right to cross the Schengen border again | Service-public.fr F15898; F2231 |
| Tax rule | On top of visa fees, you pay the tax for the residence permit the visa replaces | CESEDA art. L436-1, IV |
| First-issue tax | 300 €, reduced to 100 € for the permits listed in the law | CESEDA art. L436-1, I |
| Employee VLS-TS | 300 € | Service-public.fr F15898, « À noter » |
| Student VLS-TS | 100 € | Service-public.fr F2231 |
| Payment | Electronic tax stamp (timbre fiscal), bought online or at an equipped tobacconist | Service-public.fr F33071 |
What the VLS-TS is
A VLS-TS (visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour) is a long-stay visa, issued by the French consulate, that also serves as a residence permit. Service-public.fr says a student VLS-TS is issued for 4 months to 1 year. It only works as a residence permit once you validate it after you arrive.
The 3-month deadline
The ministry’s guidance on service-public.fr says you must validate the VLS-TS within 3 months of arriving in France, and pay a tax that comes on top of the visa fee. Validation is done online. Service-public.fr says the online step is what makes your stay legal and lets you cross the Schengen border again.
How much the tax is
The law (CESEDA art. L436-1, IV) says a long-stay visa that serves as a residence permit is charged, on top of visa fees, the tax for the residence permit it replaces. For a first residence permit that tax is 300 €, or 100 € for the permits the article lists (art. L436-1, I, in force from 1 May 2026).
Service-public.fr gives the amounts for the two most common cases: 300 € for an employee (salarié) VLS-TS and 100 € for a student VLS-TS.
You pay with an electronic tax stamp (timbre fiscal). Service-public.fr says you can buy it online or at a tobacconist equipped to print it, and you can ask for a refund if you don’t use it.
Related questions
- What happens next: you apply for a residence card before the VLS-TS expires. See “When to apply to renew a French residence permit”.
Sources
- Carte de séjour « salarié » ou « travailleur temporaire » (Service-public.fr, DILA, checked by the source 2026), section « Validation du VLS-TS » checked 2026-10-25
- Visa ou carte de séjour « étudiant » (Service-public.fr, DILA), section « Comment valider le VLS-TS « étudiant » après l'arrivée en France ? » checked 2026-10-25
- Étranger en France : comment acheter un timbre fiscal ? (Service-public.fr, DILA) checked 2026-10-25
- Code de l'entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d'asile (CESEDA), arts. L436-1 to L436-13, taxes and stamp duty (Legifrance, version in force from 1 May 2026) checked 2026-10-25
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This is general information, not legal advice, and Lumen is not a law firm. Rules change and offices differ: check the official sources above before you act. Found something wrong or out of date? Write to support@lumen.observer.