As an international student in France, you will need to follow a few procedures with regards to the legal system. We are here to help and guide you in the different steps!

Who to contact? Morgane your Welcome Officer!

Where? In the office 162, Building 1 or via this form.

1.     Validating my VISA through OFII

        What do you need to validate your visa?

        Online validation steps

2.     Renewing my resident permit

3.     Working in France after my studies

4.     If you are no longer in France and your residence permit has expired

5.     You must register with SOCIAL SECURITY (CPAM website AMELI)

6.     How can I open a French bank account?

7.     Finding a part-time job in France

1.  Validating my VISA through OFII

As soon as you arrive in France, it is mandatory to validate your visa 3 months after your arrival in France at the latest. The procedure is entirely online ! 

Here is the site to which you must connect.

What do you need to validate your visa?

• A valid email address
• Information on your visa
• Your date of arrival in France
• Your address of residence in France
• A payment card to pay the tourist tax online
• Your student visa code is CESEDA R311-3-6

If you do not have a payment card while following the online process, you can buy an electronic stamp at a tobacco shop (“Tabac”) on a dedicated terminal and pay it in cash. In that case, please be careful about the amount of the stamp.

Online validation steps :

• Log on to this website which is available in English, French and Chinese
• Fill in your visa information: number, start and end validity dates, date of issuance, reason for your stay
• Enter additional information: family situation, telephone number, e-mail address
• Indicate your date of arrival in France and your address in France.
• Pay the tourist tax of 50€ (price in 2021):

Option 1: you can buy an electronic stamp online. The option is offered to you on the screen.

Option 2: you enter the number of the electronic stamp that you previously purchased in a tobacco shop (“Tabac”).

• Download the validation confirmation of your visa. You can also download it later by logging into your personal space or by means of the confirmation email that will be sent to you.

Your visa is validated!

What is next?

You will receive two emails: A first email giving your login details which will allow you to access your personal space and a second email confirming the information you have entered online. This email confirming the validation of your visa can be downloaded.

⭐ More information here. ⭐

2.  Renewing my resident permit

You must renew your residence permit or visa three months before its expiration date. The renewal is done online, on the same website as the one on which you validated your OFII. 

You already have an account in your name on this site.

The prefecture of reference which will process your file will be the one of your place of residence and not your place of study.

⭐ More information here. Do not hesitate to contact the Welcome Office. ⭐

3.  Working in France after my studies

If you are a foreigner who has graduated from a French institution and wish to work in France after completing your higher education, you can apply for a residence permit for job search or business creation, which is valid for one year.  It allows you to stay in France to complete your education with a first professional experience or to create a company in a field corresponding to your education.

Please note that to be eligible for this residence permit, you must prove that you have a certain level of education.

You are concerned if you are (or have been) in France with a student residence permit and have obtained a professional licence, a Specialised Master's degree, a Master of Science, or another degree at least equivalent to a master’s degree.

Any questions regarding which documents you need to provide? Feel free to write us via this form: Submit a request – Aloha Student Support (rennes-sb.com)

Please note that you must make your application in the prefecture of your place of residence. An application in Rennes requires that you live in Ille-et-Vilaine (35).  The registration to the CPAM is mandatory for this process.

⭐ More information here. ⭐

4.  If you are no longer in France and your residence permit has expired

After graduation, you have 4 years to apply for a work permit visa. If you no longer hold a valid student residence permit because you have returned home, you must contact your country’s French embassy to apply for a "Job Search/Business Creation" visa. It must be validated within 3 months of your arrival in France. 

⭐ More information here. ⭐

5.  You must register with SOCIAL SECURITY (CPAM website AMELI)

⭐ More information here. ⭐

6.  How can I open a French bank account?

⭐ More information here. ⭐

7.  Finding a part-time job in France

Following a programme full-time and having a schedule changing every week will not make it easy for you to find a part-time job. However, if an opportunity arises, your student visa will allow you to work 20 hours per week (964 hours per year). 

⭐ More information here. ⭐