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The rules governing visas and resident permits vary depending on your country of origin and your activity in France. The various procedures are set out below. Find out which applies to your case.

You do not need a visa or a resident permit to stay in France.

Check whether you need a visa to enter France. It will depend on your nationality, how long you intend to stay and the purpose of your stay.

For more details, register with baape@ciup.fr or contact:
- Your consulate
- The French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs
To consult the list of websites of French embassies abroad:

http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/france_829/venir-france_4062/entrer-france_4063/liste-sites-internet-ambassades-francaises-etranger_70326.html

NB: Nationals of some countries do not require a visa if they enter as tourists and do not stay longer than three months. The nationals of some countries, such as the United States and Japan, must have a visa for any paid activity in France, even if for less than three months.

Work permit

To take up paid employment, you will require a work permit. The application must be submitted prior to your arrival by your employer to the relevant Direction Départementale du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Formation Professionnelle (DDETFP) (Department of Labour, Employment and Vocational Training) where you will be employed.
This procedure, which takes around one month, is essential: it is the pre-requisite for any paid employment.
This permit must be sent to you so you can present it at the Consulate and obtain the appropriate visa.
For more details, log onto http://www.travail-solidarite.gouv.fr/adresses-utiles/vos-interlocuteurs-regions/services/directions-departementales-du-travail-emploi-formation-professionnelle/

Application for a temporary work permit

The completed application for a temporary work permit must be sent to the DDTEFP three months prior to starting work, or one month at the latest.

The DDTEFP to which the application should be sent is:
- Either the DDTEFP of the Department in which the employer resides,
- Or the DDTEFP of the Department where the distributor resides, when the employer is a resident outside France,
- Or the DDTEFP of the place of work or the first place of work, if the activity is itinerant.

For more details, download the document les autorisations provisoires de travail (Temporary work permits) (coming soon).

In this case, you do not need a visa, just a temporary work permit if you are employed by an employer residing in France.

No work permit is required however if you are sponsored by an employer residing in Bulgaria or Romania to provide an international service, such as a contract signed with a French organisation for stage performances.

The documents required will depend on the context of your visit. It may be an invitation letter proving your engagement, a document certifying your payment by a cultural organisation, proof of your self-employed status (registration with a professional body in your country of residence) and possibly documents proving you have sufficient personal resources.
Contact the French Consulate in your country of residence to check which documents will be required to apply for your visa, or email baape@ciup.fr for more details.
To consult the list of French embassy websites abroad:
http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/france_829/venir-france_4062/entrer-france_4063/liste-sites-internet-ambassades-francaises-etranger_70326.html

For any stay exceeding three months, you must apply for a resident permit within the first two months after your arrival. The application is made at the Préfecture of your place of residence.

There are several types of resident permit, based on clearly defined criteria. Don’t hesitate to write to us after you have registered at http://workflow.ciup.fr/citeu/site/demande/demande_services.php?langue=fr so that we can direct you according to your situation.

A clear distinction is made between:
- An initial request for a resident permit, under the “procédure d’introduction” (introduction procedure), if you are still in your country of residence. In this case, you will need to apply for a long-stay resident visa (“visa de long séjour”) from the French Consulate. In the two months after your arrival in France, you must apply for a resident permit at the Préfecture de Police; and
- A request to change status, after a stay of at least one year and prior to the expiry of your resident permit. This is the case, for example, when you enter the country as a student or a visitor and you now want to exercise a professional activity, in which case you will need a different type of resident permit.

For more details, download the following documents:

- Titre de séjour profession artistique et culturelle (Resident permit for artistic and cultural professions) (coming soon)
- Titre de séjour profession indépendante (Resident permit for the self-employed) (coming soon)
- Titre de séjour compétences et talents (Resident permit for skilled and artistic professions) (coming soon)

Prior to your departure, download the list of documents we recommend you bring with you (coming soon).