As a Nigerian or non Nigerian who doesn’t have citizenship of any country that has the privilege of visas waiver like European countries or Honduras, you must apply for a France visitor visa to enjoy for a short stay. This is referred to as France Schengen visa type C.
This France Schengen visa type C lets you visit for business and pleasure, it also allows you visit old friends and family members of course, visiting this way requires an inviting host in France.
France Visitor Visa is the authorization needed to travel to France for at most a three months period. Although there are other types of France Visas. They are otherwise known as the Long Term Visas or France Schengen visa type D.
They include: Family Stay/Private Stay Visa, Re-Entry Visa, Student/Training Period/Education Visa, Marriage Visa, Employment Visa. These visas are for long-term visits.
What are the Other Types of France Visitor Visas?
As explained earlier, you can only apply for France visitor visas for certain purposes. When you need to apply for visa for tourism, product inspection, and short-term study, you can apply for France visitor visa.
The following are the types of France visitor visas:
Tourist visitor visa
The tourist visa helps you visit France to enjoy your holiday or work leave. It is purely for tourism and the application process does not require an invitation letter.
However, you must present a hotel reservation to show you plans for accommodation in France. And you may submit a tour voucher for visa application purposes. But, payment for tour guide does not guaranty visa approval and is not mandatory for visa application.
Business visitor visa
You can apply for France Business visitor visa to attend to a foreign client, attend a conference, inspect ordered products before shipping them or.
To lend credence to your purpose of travel and request for visa, you must get an invitation letter from the foreign client, or conference organiser.
Airport transit visa
If you do not carry a US, UK, Canada or Schengen visa. You would need an airport transit visa when you travel and you experience a long layover in Paris.
France Study Visas
The France long stay study visas are for students who wish to study in France for a period longer than three months, either in public or private institutions, attend a French language course etc.
Below find explained every category of applicants that fall under this visa, as well as some of their specifics.
Talent Passport
The talent passport card is established especially for foreigners, who wish to enter and remain in France for up to one year, and engage in a paid activity, especially in competitive environments as global talent.
It includes a whole range of 10 categories with an internationally recognized reputation. After obtaining this visa, its holder is eligible to apply in France for a card similar to a residence permit that allows them to remain in France for up to four years.
French Working holiday visa
The France Working Holiday visa is a multiple-entry non-extendable visa valid for 12 months. It is granted to the nationals of 13 countries that participate in the working holiday program with France.
The main idea behind the program is to give the chance to the youngsters of these countries to come to France, learn and discover its culture, history and tourist destinations while making money.
French long stay Religious Orders Visa
Members of the Christian confessions, Catholic or Protestant, can apply for this visa in order to enter France to carry religious duties. The applicant for such visa needs to submit a letter of invitation from the appointed representative of the religious order or institute, alongside the other documents.
Can my French Long Stay Visa be Revoked?
Holders of French long-stay visas have to:
- Register at the Immigration and Integration Office (OFII) in the first 2 months of arrival into the French territory.
- Or apply for a residence permit at the respective French prefecture, immediately after entering the French territory – if the visa is marked “carte de séjour à solliciter” (residence permit to be applied for).
- Apply at the OFII immediately after entering the French territory to make a medical examination and pay the residence fees.
After the first year of stay you have to apply to at the French prefecture to renew your residence permit (not later than 2 months before the visa period ends) –
this rule is for some sub-categories of French long-stay visas that in the first year of stay are recognized as residence permits: Long-stay study visas, Long-stay work visas (not all of them), Spouses of French nationals long-stay visa and Visitor long-stay visa.
What Can I do in Case of France Long Stay Visa Refusal?
If your France long stay visa application gets rejected, you can submit a request for a re-evaluation of the visa application to the French embassy or consulate in your home country from where you have applied. Such a request should be done if you have strong reasons to believe that the French visa refusal was unjust.
