Non-EU student: first steps
A VLS-TS "étudiant" visa serves as a permit, but only once validated. Then health cover, the CVEC and the work rules.
What to do
- Within 3 months of arrival, validate the VLS-TS online and pay 100 €. Without it your stay is not legal and you cannot cross the Schengen border again.
- Health cover: apply on etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr. CVEC for 2026-2027: 105 €, paid before you enrol.
- You can work up to 964 hours a year without a permit; the employer declares you to the préfecture 2 working days before you start.
- Since 1 July 2026, housing aid for a non-EU student only comes with a grant, a job or an apprenticeship contract. The CROUS grant needs 2 years of living in France.
- Ask for the residence card online 4 to 2 months before the VLS-TS ends; you need at least 877.5 € a month.
Official sources
- Service-Public F2231: Student: visa and permit (1 August 2026)
- Service-Public F675: Student health cover (21 March 2023)
- Service-Public F2713: Student work (2 April 2021)
- Service-Public F1563: Housing aid for students (1 July 2026)
- Service-Public F2865: Enrolment costs and CVEC (7 July 2026)
Checked: 4 October 2026. Official pages are in French. This is general information, not legal advice.
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