What type of marriage visa should I apply for?

According to a study published in 2019 by the INED (National Institute for Demographic Studies), mixed unions (between a person of French nationality and another of foreign nationality) account for 1 in 7 marriages in France. While love knows no borders, its formalization must adhere to certain administrative requirements.
For foreigners who have married a French citizen or for those who plan to marry a French citizen, they will need to apply for a visa or a residence permit to stay or establish themselves in France. Follow our guide to know the formalities to complete depending on your situation.

1. You are already married to a French citizen
    
2. You are considering marrying a French citizen

Learn more about the  different visas for France.

1. I am already married to a French spouse

If you are the spouse of a French national and you plan to stay in France for more than 90 days, you must apply for a long-stay visa (VLS). This application must be made before your arrival on French soil. This requirement applies to all non-European foreigners except certain Algerian nationals. It is the first title that you must apply for to establish yourself permanently in France.

What is a long-stay visa (VLS)?

A long-stay visa, also known as a type D visa, allows its holder to enter and stay in France for a duration exceeding 3 months and up to a maximum of 1 year.
There are several types of VLS, but the one generally issued to foreign spouses of French nationals is the: long-stay visa, valid as a residence permit (VLS-TS).

This visa exempts its holder from applying for a residence card upon arrival in France but requires them to register with the OFII (French Office for Immigration and Integration) by mandatorily and exclusively  validating their visa online within 3 months of arrival.
You will need to provide:

• the information stated on your visa
• your date of entry into France
• your address in France
• your payment card or an electronic stamp (which can be purchased at a tobacconist or directly on the validation site) to pay online  the fee for issuing a residence permit (250 € for spouses of French citizens).
  Depending on the circumstances, you may be required to undergo a medical examination and/or sign a "Republican Integration Contract".

WARNING! If you do not complete this procedure within the required timeframe, you will no longer be in a regular situation on French territory and will not be able to cross the Schengen area border again.

How to apply for a long-stay visa, valid as a residence permit (VLS-TS)?

You must create an account on the France-Visas (france-visas.gouv.fr/web/france-visas/ : to be copied and pasted into your browser) to fill out an online long-stay visa application form and to review the required documents, which vary depending on your nationality, to be attached to your application file.
In addition to the required documents (including a passport valid for one year from the date of arrival in France), you will be asked for a recent full copy of the French marriage certificate, issued or transcribed, as well as proof of the French nationality of your French spouse.
You will schedule a meeting with the French consular services in your area of residence. You will need to appear in person to submit your complete application file (including the completed, printed, and signed form), and your biometric data will be collected if this is your first application for a visa to France.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW

• You can apply for your visa no earlier than 3 months before your departure date
• The average processing time for a visa application varies from 3 weeks to 3 months
• You can track the progress of your application by logging into your personal space on the France-Visas website

 Particular case: Algerian spouses
Algerian spouses of French nationals are exempt from long-stay visa under certain conditions:

• must have entered French territory legally (with a short-stay visa)
• the spouse must have retained their French nationality
• if the marriage was celebrated abroad, it must have been previously transcribed in the French civil registers.

If they meet these conditions, they can apply at the prefecture or sub-prefecture for a residence certificate " private and family life " valid for 1 year.
For more information: consult the website of the prefecture of your residence.

How to renew your residence permit at the end of its validity?

1. During the first year of residence in France: foreign spouses of French nationals can apply, within 2 months before the expiration date of their visa, for a multi-year residence card “ private and family life ” from the prefecture or sub-prefecture of their residence. It is valid for 2 years. The list of required documents is available on the Ministry of the Interior's website.
    
2. After 3 years of residence in France: it is possible to request, within 2 months before the expiration date of your residence permit, a resident card from the prefecture or sub-prefecture of your residence. It is valid for 10 years.
    
3. After 4 years of marriage (exceptionally 5), you may apply for French nationality.

IMPORTANT

• These residence permits are issued on the condition that your community of life has not been interrupted.
• If you entered France without a long-stay visa but in a regular manner (with a short-stay visa or if you are from a visa-exempt nationality), you may be admitted—subject to conditions—into France in the first year of your stay with a "private and family life" card.

Special Case: Tunisia and Algeria

1. If you are the Tunisian spouse of a French citizen
During your first year in France and if you entered with a long-stay visa, you can apply, two months before the expiry of your visa, for a multi-year residence card "private and family life" (valid for 2 years). If at the time of renewal you can justify 1 year of marriage—and under certain conditions—you will automatically benefit, as the spouse of a French citizen, from a residence card (valid for 10 years).

IMPORTANT : If you entered France without a long-stay visa, you may be able—under certain conditions—to apply, at the prefecture or sub-prefecture of your place of residence, for a temporary residence card " private and family life ". If it is granted, it will then serve as your first residence permit.

2.  If you are the Algerian spouse of a French citizen
During the first year of your stay, you can apply, at the prefecture or sub-prefecture, for a residence certificate with the mention " private and family life ". It is valid for 1 year. After 3 residence certificates of 1 year, you have the possibility to apply for a residence card. Valid for 10 years.

IMPORTANT
The first renewal of the 1-year residence certificate as the spouse of a French citizen is granted subject to the justification of a genuine community of life between the spouses.

I am a foreign national and I am going to marry a French citizen.

Marriage in France: you entered France with a long-stay visa

If after your marriage in France to a French citizen, you wish to settle in France, you can apply for the multi-year residence card for private and family life. (See the procedure above in the paragraph:  How to renew your residence permit at the end of its validity ?)

Marriage in France: you entered France with a short-stay visa

After obtaining a short-stay visa (Schengen visa) for the purpose of marriage in France* from the French consular authorities in the country where you reside, you married a French citizen in France.
If you wish to settle permanently in France, a private and family life residence card may be exceptionally granted under conditions: not living in a state of polygamy and being married to a French citizen with whom you can justify 6 months of cohabitation in France.
This card is valid for 1 year and is renewable. It allows you to stay and work in France. The application is made at your prefecture or sub-prefecture 2 months before the expiry of your visa.
You must pay by tax stamps: 225 € (stamp duty of 25 € and tax of 200 €) + 200 € for regularization visa fee (of which 50 € is payable at the time of application. Non-refundable in case of refusal of the title).

*For your short-stay visa (Schengen visa) for the purpose of marriage in France, log on to the France-Visas website to fill out the form, to know the supporting documents to attach to your file, which vary according to your nationality, and to make an appointment with the French consular authorities in your place of residence.
In addition to the required documents, you will need to attach a certificate of banns publication and non-opposition (issued by the town hall of the marriage location), proof of the French nationality of the future spouse, as well as a proof of residence in France of the future spouse, if applicable. You must appear in person at the appointment with the consular services to submit your file. If it is your first visa application for France, your biometric data will be collected. You will also need to pay the visa fees amounting to 80 €.

IMPORTANT

• You can apply for your visa no earlier than 3 to 6 months before your travel date and no later than 15 calendar days before the departure date.
• The average processing time for a France visa application varies from 15 days to 1 month, sometimes longer depending on the busy period (especially before school holidays).
• A SMS, email, and/or an electronic message sent to your personal space will invite you to collect your passport at the consular service where you submitted it. It is at this time that you will know if your Schengen visa application for France has been accepted.

Marriage outside France: you plan to marry a French citizen

Two possibilities are available to you:

1. Marriage celebrated by French authorities (Ambassador or Consul of France): your union will be registered by a diplomatic authority of France and automatically recognized in France. A French marriage certificate and a French family booklet will then be issued to you, and you can apply for a visa D (long-stay visa) as the spouse of a French citizen.
   Attention! Each French embassy or consulate is not authorized to celebrate all types of marriages in the concerned country. You should therefore inquire with the consular authorities at your location to know if this is possible and to understand the conditions and formalities to complete.
   
2. Marriage celebrated by a foreign authority (local civil status officer): for your union to be recognized in France, it must have undergone a transcription in the civil status registers of the French consulate of the location where it was celebrated. To know the procedure (transcription request form, supporting documents to attach...), log on to the website of the French consulate general in the concerned country.
   A directory grouping them has been set up by the website of the  Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. 
   Following the transcription, a French marriage certificate and a French family booklet will be issued to you, and you can then apply for a visa D as the spouse of a French citizen.
   
   Important
   For marriages celebrated in Algeria, in Morocco or in Tunisia, the transcription requests must only be sent by postal mail to the Transcription Office for the Maghreb (BTM) of the Central Civil Status Service of the Ministry responsible for foreign affairs (11, rue de la Maison Blanche - 44941 Nantes Cedex 9).

Covid: What are the entry conditions for France during the health crisis?

In addition to the usual conditions governed by the right to stay (presentation of a valid passport accompanied by the required documents: short-stay visa, long-stay visa, residence permit, etc.), all travelers going to France must comply with the entry conditions during the health crisis. We invite you to regularly consult the website of the Ministry of the Interior which updates the measures to be respected according to the evolution of the health situation.

Similar pages on the topic of visas for France

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Where should I apply for a visa for France as a foreign spouse of a French national?

After a pre-application done online on the France-Visas website, you will submit your file during an appointment made at the French embassy or consulate or an approved service provider located in the country where you are legally residing.

How much does a short-stay Schengen visa cost if I am the foreign spouse of a French national?

Good news! While the short-stay Schengen visa costs €80 for any applicant over 12 years old, foreign spouses of French nationals are exempt from visa fees. So, it is free.

What type of visa should I apply for if, as the spouse of a French national, I wish to stay in France for more than 90 days?

You will need to apply for a “long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit” (VLS-TS). It is mandatory for all foreign spouses (non-European) of French nationals. It allows you to stay in France for more than 90 days and up to a maximum of 1 year.