Prepare your stay

According to your nationality, your situation and the length of your stay, you will need to obtain a visa to study or do research in France or to return to France after graduation.

If you are a national of a country in the European Economic Area (EEA - European Union (EU) countries + Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein) or Switzerland, you do not need to obtain a student visa to study or do an internship in France. You can enter France freely, regardless of the duration of your stay or your studies.
 
However, you must be covered by a sickness and maternity insurance and have sufficient resources to support yourself (and any accompanying family members).
 
EU/EEA/Swiss citizens can work during their studies in France without a residence permit up to a limit of 964 hours per year.
 

If you are a national of a country outside the European Economic Area (EEA - European Union (EU) countries + Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein) or Switzerland, you must obtain a visa to come to France to study, do research or do an internship.
 
Different types of visas exist. You must apply for your visa according to the reason for your visit (study, research or internship) and the duration of your stay in France.

The Visa Wizard on the official French visa website will help you to determine which type of visa is required for your stay in France:

https://france-visas.gouv.fr/web/france-visas/ai-je-besoin-d-un-visa
 
The short stay student visa
Your stay is less than 3 months: you must obtain a short stay student visa to study in France.

The long-stay student visa

Your stay is longer than 3 months: you must apply for a long-stay student visa to study, conduct research or do an internship in France.


There are two types of long-stay visas:

• the long-stay visa valid as a residence permit (VLS-TS)

The VLS-TS allows you to stay in France for one year without having to apply for a residence permit. However, you will need to have your visa validated on arrival. Depending on the nature of your stay, there are three types of long-stay visa:

• the VLS-TS with a student designation for studies at bachelor's and master's level
• the VLS with a talent passport designation for a doctorate and beyond
• the VLS-TS with a trainee designation for an internship in France as part of the course you are following in your country of residence

When you arrive in France, you must have your long-stay visa validating your residence permit (VLS-TS) validated by the Amiens branchof OFII, the French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII).

• The temporary long-stay visa (VLS-T)
  

The VLS-T allows you to stay in France for up to 1 year, without having to validate it on arrival. It is not renewable and does not give the same rights as a VLS-TS.

If you have a question or need additional information, visit the Campus France website and the official website for visas to France to find out about the specific procedures to follow according to your nationality and the type of stay.

You are a teacher-researcher from Europe (27 EU Member States + Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland): you are exempt from visa and residence permit requirements. Only a valid identity card or passport is required.

If you are a teacher-researcher from a country outside the European Economic Area (EEA - European Union (EU) countries + Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein) or from outside Switzerland and are coming to a French university for the first time: you must obtain a Researcher Talent Passport Visa (Passeport Talent Chercheur). Please contact the French Consulate or Embassy in your country of residence for more information.

For more information, visit the official website for visas for France: https://france-visas.gouv.fr

For your study or research stay in France, you will have to rent accommodation. Depending on your status and the way you join the UPJV, several possibilities are available to you.

The UPJV International Relations Department (DRI) has signed an agreement with the CROUS Amiens-Picardie (Centre Régional des Œuvres Universitaires et Scolaires), a public organisation that manages student residences. This agreement allows the DRI to reserve a quota of rooms each year for the use of international students hosted under exchange programmes (BCI, ISEP, Erasmus+, Erasmus Mundus, bilateral agreements).

If you wish to obtain a room in a university residence, you must fill in the housing application form which will be sent to you by the UPJV DRI, and return it at the same time as your application file for a mobility at the UPJV.

You can find more information here: https://www.crous-amiens.fr/housing/residence-maps/

(Click on 'Read more' to access photos and information about the accommodation in your chosen student residence)

Accommodation in CROUS student residences

• CROUS room quota with the "Bienvenue en France" reception desk

As part of the "Bienvenue en France" scheme, the UPJV International Relations Department has developed a partnership with the CROUS Amiens-Picardie to reserve a quota of rooms for individual students.
Due to the limited number of accommodation available, priority is given to students enrolling for a Master's degree.
Information and reservations: bienvenue@u-picardie.fr

• Direct application to CROUS Amiens-Picardie

You can apply directly for a room in a university residence with CROUS Amiens-Picardie (Centre Régional des Œuvres Universitaires et Scolaires), the public organisation that manages student university residences.
Accommodation in university halls of residence is allocated as a priority to French students with CROUS grants, based on social criteria, during a national allocation round at the end of June.
From July onwards, individually registered international students can reserve the accommodation that remains vacant for the following academic year.
Reservations can be made on the following website: https://trouverunlogement.lescrous.fr/

Beware!

This does not guarantee that you will get the accommodation, which is means-tested.
As the CROUS is in great demand, there are usually only a few rooms available for individual international students.
A booking confirmation must be sent to you by the residence to validate your booking.

You have not been able to book accommodation in a CROUS student residence?

Other housing solutions are possible!

• Accommodation proposed by the Bienvenue en France reception desk

The DRI has developed special partnerships with certain private residences (see below). Contact the "Bienvenue en France" reception desk as soon as possible for information and reservations: bienvenue@u-picardie.fr

• Private student services residences

These are establishments reserved for the accommodation of young workers and students. They offer services adapted to the specific needs of young tenants. Laundromats and cafeterias are provided in the common areas, which can also accommodate individual or group work spaces. Some services are included in the rent.

Some private student services residences:

• The Beautiful Years
• Residence la Vallée
• Residence Saint Germain
• Residence Amiens Beffroi
• Campus Blamont Residence
• Philéas Fogg Residence
• Residence Les Jardins de la Vallée
• Jean Moulin Residence
• Residence Amiens Centre

• Locaviz, student accommodation offered by private individuals, managed by the CROUS Amiens-Picardie

TheLocavizplatform, managed by the CROUS Amiens-Picardie, lists student accommodation offered by private landlords. Each advert is checked by the CROUS, which ensures that the accommodation is suitable and that the rental costs are appropriate.

• Host families of foreign students

The Hauts-de-France Regional Youth Information Centre scheme, supported by Amiens Métropole, allows international students to live an enriching experience within a family living in the Amiens Métropole area. Experience a stay based on human and intercultural exchanges, while benefiting from moderate rental costs !

To apply: http://www.lafaee.fr/index.php/en/

• Private housing stock

It is possible to rent accommodation from private landlords, many of whom offer student accommodation ranging from single rooms to shared accommodation.
Advertisements are regularly published on rental sites between individuals:

• Le Bon Coin
• Accommodation
• ParuVendu

Some sites specialise in flat share advertisements:

• Appartager
• Colocatere
• MyRoom
• RoomLala
• LocService
• ImmoJeune
• The roommate map

There are also announcements on the notice boards in the university buildings. Do not hesitate to consult them!
If necessary, the "Bienvenue en France" reception desk for international students can help you to contact private individuals for private sector rentals.
Contact: bienvenue@u-picardie.fr



Download: CRIJ Housing Guide

The UPJV EURAXESS Centre will help you find accommodation and can offer you various solutions.

Do not hesitate to contact the EURAXESS Centre of the UPJV as a matter of priority: it will propose offers from the EURAXESS accommodation stock or from that of its partners and other local structures with which it has developed a special relationship: the CROUS Amiens-Picardie, the CCI Amiens-Picardie, the GSA Saint-Germain private residence and Appart'CityAmiens.

For more information, see the housing guide produced by the Euraxess France network: https://www.euraxess.fr/sites/default/files/domains/fr/html-guides/fiche_interactive_logement_en.html#pff

You are also invited to consult the Euraxess France website, via the ‘Housing’ section: https://www.euraxess.fr/france/information-assistance/accommodation


Complete Housing Guide - Euraxess (in French)





Euraxess-UPJV contact: euraxess@u-picardie.fr

To not forget anything, download your checklist!

In order to ensure that your stay goes smoothly, even in the event of an accident or unforeseen event, you need to be covered by various types of insurance. Find out more as soon as your mobility is officially confirmed !

In France, it is compulsory - but free of charge - to have health insurance that covers about 70% of health costs (doctor's visits, medical examinations, etc.). Depending on your status (student or employee) and your country of origin, the procedure for joining the French social security system is not the same.

As soon as possible after your administrative registration, you must join the social security system, unless:

• You are European and you have the European Health Insurance Card (or a provisional certificate). In this case, you will be reimbursed for your health costs as if you were in your own country
• You were already enrolled in a French higher education institution last year. You will automatically be affiliated to the social security system

You must take the necessary steps to join the social security system if you are:

• A European student without a European Health Insurance Card
• A European student with an S1 form, obtained before your departure from the health organisation to which you are affiliated in your country
• A UK or non-EU student 

Connect to the French social security website dedicated to internationals: https://etudiant-etranger.ameli.fr/#/  The site is available in English, French and Spanish.

See the detailed online procedure: https://www.ameli.fr/somme/assure/droits-demarches/etudes-stages/etudiant/vous-venez-etudier-en-france

Please note: at the UPJV, the social security affiliation procedure is carried out at the time of registration, with the help of the DRI mobility officers or at the "Bienvenue en France" one-stop reception desk.

In France, it is the employer who contributes on your behalf. When you sign your doctoral contract or your employment contract, you are automatically affiliated to the social security system. You do not have to do anything! 

Complementary or mutual health insurance is not compulsory but is recommended. It supplements the reimbursement from French social security and can cover up to 100% of your medical expenses.

There are many complementary health insurance schemes that offer more or less complete reimbursement of the costs remaining to be paid by the insured.

The independent organisation ‘Que choisir’ (What to choose) guides you in finding the right mutual insurance company for your needs and at the right price:
https://www.quechoisir.org/guide-d-achat-mutuelle-pour-jeunes-et-etudiants-n3443/

Repatriation assistance insurance is not compulsory but is recommended.
In the event of a major health problem or death in France, it covers transport and medical repatriation by air.

In France, as soon as a tenant moves in, he or she must present the landlord (or owner of the accommodation) with a certificate of home insurance, whether for accommodation in the private sector or in a university residence managed by the CROUS.

Home insurance covers damage caused by the tenant or by third parties (water damage, burglary, etc.), or damage caused by bad weather or natural disasters. This is known as "rental risk" cover. You can take out a home insurance policy with an insurance company or with a bank. The monthly amount to be paid is proportional to the surface area of the rented accommodation.

Most home insurance policies also cover civil liability (excluding work-related liability).

Civil liability insurance covers damage or injury caused to others through your fault or negligence.

If you have taken out comprehensive home insurance, liability cover is already included in your policy.

If not, you can take out specific insurance, known as private life civil liability.

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