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.
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) — 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.
≈ 45 min hands-on·Then 30–90 days waiting·To OFII (Office Français de l'Immigration et de l'Intégration)·Verified 2026-04-25
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 — 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.
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