When does the 3-month clock start?
The day you crossed the French border on the VLS-TS, not the day the visa was issued. The customs entry stamp on your passport is what counts. Keep that page intact, you'll upload it during validation.
OFII (Office Français de l'Immigration et de l'Intégration) · 9 steps · ≈ 45 min
Validate your VLS-TS visa
In FrenchValidation VLS-TS et visite médicale OFII
If you arrived in France on a VLS-TS (visa long séjour valant titre de séjour), which covers most students, salariés, and first-time passeport-talent holders, you have three months from your entry date to validate the visa online. Miss the window and you're technically without a residence permit until you fix it, which makes the next renewal much harder than it has to be.
Validation is done on the ANEF portal (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr). You declare your address, upload your passport pages and entry stamp, and pay the timbre fiscal: €50 for students, €200 for most other categories. The validated visa then acts as your titre de séjour for the year.
Since 2017, students on a VLS-TS skip the OFII medical visit entirely. Family-reunification, certain salariés, and refugees still get summoned for a tuberculosis screening and a short welcome interview. If a summons arrives by mail or email, the appointment is non-optional.
Have these ready
- · Your passport with the VLS-TS visa sticker
- · The date you entered France (the entry stamp on your passport)
- · A French address (where OFII will mail the summons if applicable)
- · An email address you'll keep checking, since OFII communicates by email
- · A bank card to buy the timbre fiscal online (€50 student / €200 most other categories)
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Common questions
Do students still need an OFII medical visit?
No. Since 2017 students on a VLS-TS étudiant validate online and stop there: no medical visit, no welcome interview. Family-reunification entrants, refugees, and certain salariés categories still receive an OFII summons by mail. Check your post.
How much is the timbre fiscal?
€50 for VLS-TS étudiant, €200 for most other categories (salarié, passeport-talent, vie privée et familiale, etc.). You pay it during the online validation by card or by using a pre-purchased timbre code.
What if I miss the 3-month deadline?
The validation portal still accepts you, but you've spent some weeks technically without a valid titre. Validate as soon as you realise. If you've already started a renewal, mention the late validation to the préfecture so they can synchronise the dossiers.
I got an OFII summons. What happens at the appointment?
A short welcome interview, a chest X-ray for tuberculosis screening, and a quick medical exam. They check your vaccinations and weight. Bring your passport, the summons, and proof of address. The visit is free.