France is on the list of countries that have signed the Schengen agreement, so a Schengen or French visa is required to visit this country. A long-term visa to France is issued if your trip is planned for a period of more than 90 days. Such a visa makes it possible to be only in France, it is not Schengen.
A long-term visa to France is issued to the following categories of citizens: students, students, entrepreneurs, teachers, and artists. Also here you can include visas of the groom or bride. As soon as a Russian citizen arrives in France, he must request at the place of stay in the prefecture an identity card of a foreigner, according to which he will have the right to live and work in the country. This certificate gives its holder the opportunity to freely move around the EU countries.
Types of Long-Term Visas to France
Visa with a long validity period (equivalent to a residence permit)
Since 2009, it has become possible to obtain a visa, which makes it possible to stay in France for more than three months without the need to contact the prefecture during the entire period of validity of this document. This type of long-term visa to France is available for the following categories of citizens:
- spouses of French citizens;
- students
- persons traveling for a long time at the invitation of relatives;
- persons traveling to work for hire;
- persons providing family assistance - tutors, etc.
Profile OFII
A long-term visa to France equivalent to a residence permit requires an OFII application attached to the applicant's file. This application should be sent immediately after receiving a visa or upon arrival in France. The application form endorsed at the consulate must be sent by registered letter to the OFII regional office.
An OFII representative will then contact the applicant to complete the registration process. It is mandatory (if after three months the registration is not made, the holder of such a visa will be considered an illegal resident). A long-term visa to France of this kind gives its holder the right to travel throughout the Schengen area, but provided that the duration of the trip does not exceed three months.
Visa to France by invitation
Do I need a visa to France if the trip is planned to marry a French citizen? In this case, the applicant must apply for a short-term visa, and after registering the marriage, he needs to return to Russia and obtain a long-term visa equivalent to a residence permit.
Citizens who come to France by invitation to work or just stay must get a visa. To receive it, the following documents are required:
- two photos;
- the original invitation, certified by the city hall at the place of residence of the inviting party (if the inviting party is your relative, then you do not need to certify the document at the city hall, but in this case confirmation of your relationship is required: birth certificate, marriage certificate (copy), etc.) .
This package of documents is required upon receipt of a visa by invitation. Another package is also required that relates specifically to the fact of the trip. Namely:
- valid passport;
- passport of a citizen of Russia;
- certificate of employment;
- bank statement statement, etc.
Good luck