| Visa type | Long-stay visa valid as a residence permit, student (VLS-TS mention "etudiant") |
| Proof of funds | €877.50 per month (in force from 1 Aug 2026) |
| Application fee | Not listed |
| Processing time | Not listed |
| Work while studying | 20 hours per week |
| Dependants | Not listed |
| Official page | https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/etudiant |
What you need
Documents commonly asked for: a valid passport, the admission or DAP acceptance letter, proof of financial resources of at least EUR 877.50 a month (bank statements, a scholarship award letter, or a sponsor's attestation de prise en charge with the sponsor's own proof of income), proof of accommodation in France for the first months, and, for a Bangladeshi applicant, whatever additional documents the French Embassy in Dhaka's visa section lists at the time of application, since Bangladesh does not go through the Etudes en France document checklist. Health insurance is not required to apply for the visa; registered students are covered by the French student health scheme once enrolled.
How to apply
- Get an admission letter or DAP acceptance from a French institution.
- Complete the France-Visas online form (france-visas.gouv.fr) and print it.
- Book an appointment with the visa application centre serving Bangladesh (TLScontact handles French visa applications from Dhaka).
- Attend the appointment with the printed form, passport, photos, admission letter and proof of funds; biometric data is captured there.
- Wait for the Embassy of France in Dhaka to decide; only the Embassy makes the decision, not the visa centre.
- Collect the visa (a VLS-TS sticker in the passport).
- After arriving in France, validate the visa online through the ANEF portal within 3 months of arrival.
Why applications are refused
Commonly cited reasons a student visa is refused: proof of funds below the required monthly threshold or inconsistent with the bank statements provided, an incomplete or inconsistent application file, a study plan that does not match the applicant's academic background, or no proof of accommodation for the first months in France. This list is a general procedural summary, not drawn from official refusal statistics, since France-Visas' own guidance pages could not be fetched this session.