French Visa Questions

[andrewfaylona]

Hi. I am an American who owns an apartment in Paris. I am looking to get a tourist visa so I can stay here in France longer. I have no visa of any sort yet. I know they are looking to see that you have the means to live here for the duration of your stay. How much money in the bank do you think they are looking to see in your account. They will see I own an apartment so they would obviously have to factor monthly rent out of the equation. I live in a 10m sq. studio in the 17th arrondissement. Do you also think the fact that I am a property owner will be a huge positive factor for the consulate which will approve my visa. It's just that they don't give the amount on the consulate website and obviously differs on different factors like where in France you live and if you rent and such. So in my case considering that I am an apartment owner, how much do you think they are looking to see that I have.

Oh, and my mom is willing to support me and is willing to also send documentation of her income tax with my step dad as support for the proof of financial means. Would that also be another positive factor if indeed they are willing to take such a thing into consideration.

[YCCMB]

I'd have a read of this and the links it contains, if you haven't already come across it. [url]http://www.americansinfrance.net/[/url].

It reads as if you should really have obtained a long stay visa in the US before getting to France. Obviously, as you haven't, I'm sure there's an alternative way of doing things. It might just be a bit more of a struggle and more lengthy. Not sure being a property owner will be of great relevance. The criteria are more about not being a burden on the state by, for example, needing medical care that you can't pay for, or not having the means to support yourself -especially if you aren't working. It's likely that it will be your own bank account and finances that will be of interest, not necessarily your parents'.

[Anton Redman]

What are you going to do and how will you earn enough money to do it?  Broadly as an American in Paris the French authorities will assume you are rich and being kept by the family trust.

[andrewfaylona]

I studied for a year in the UK then went to France straight from there when we bought the apartment. So it's not like I just arrived here in Europe. I need to go back to the US anyway. So that's not an issue as I will go back to the US to get the process rolling as I haven't been back in the US for quite a while now. So what is the figure in the bank account that they are looking at? Will say 10,000-15000 Euros be good? Or would they think that's insufficient. I just want to get some ball park figure.

And I obvoiusly can't work here on a tourist visa. So what we are willing to demonstrate is my parents' support will be a steady source of income besides the money in my bank account in my name.

Medical insurance is not a huge problem. The biggest hurdle will be how much money in the bank do they want to see.

[Sprogster]

Andrew, in your case as an American the long stay French visa these days has to be applied for and granted in the USA before departure. The requirements will include a medical and evidence of private health insurance and a means to support yourself, as working is prohibited. For this purpose your parents income will not be taken into consideration, if you are an adult.

Now for the tough bit, I think your application will be refused as the long stay non working visa is aimed primarily at non EU retirees and the French authorities will think you are looking for a way to get into France and work illegally if you are of a working age and are currently unemployed or not in full time education.

It sounds like you have overstayed the 90 days you are permitted in France and other Schengen countries as a tourist and therefore are in France illegally. This is likely to be picked either up when you leave France as passports are usually scanned by French immigration on flying out of France or when you try and re-enter France, which could see you deported and banned from re-entering France for a long period of time.

Unless you are a student studying in France, married to an EU national or being transferred by an employer to France, as a non EU national you are limited to 90 days and getting a long stay visa is probably a non starter if you are young.

The USA as I am sure you are aware are super tough on illegal immigration and EU citizens are limited to 90 days in the USA, so Americans find it tough these days to make long visits to Europe as these things tend to work on a reciprocal basis and unlike with Australia there is no temporary work visa options for young people between the USA and Europe, other than Ireland.

Thank your lucky stars you are not a French citizen who has overstayed the allowed 90 days in the USA, as you would be barred from re-entry up to 10 years!

If you have been in France over 90 days your biggest challenge is going to be the fact that your passport will have been stamped on entry and will be evidence you have overstayed, which probably will not go down well when you apply for a long stay visa.

[YCCMB]

Thing is, there are remarkably few Americans on this forum. So, really, you can ask and re-ask and rephrase your question as many times as you like. However, as helpful as people would love to be, you're asking a bunch of predominantly British early retirees a question about a (I'm guessing) twentysomething American's situation. I thought the link to Americans in France might be more useful, as you are American and in France. The vast  majority of the people on here don't need anyone's permission to live in France, and despite lots of noise and fuss about us having to demonstrate income levels which will ensure we don't burden the French state either, I've yet to hear of anyone having to prove their financial position in France, if they're a UK or EU national. So, I'm just guessing, but I'm fairly certain that nobody will be able to say "The answer to your question is €15743.25".

I honestly don't think there is a magic number for how much money you need to show you have, but at least a couple of us have mentioned that it's about you as an adult and not your parents (even if that's where the money may be coming from). French laws and the people who apply them are not designed to be especially flexible, and some may say that there are a lot of French public servants who will go out of their way to make the law as inflexible as possible just to *&^! you off. They have nothing to lose and they enjoy it. Otherwise they don't have much fun or a lot to look forward to.

[Chancer]

I know that a French person overstaying in the good old U S of A would be banned from re-entering as has been mentioned but it dose seem a bit harsh to penalise someone that owns a home in France in that way.

My advice which is worth next to nothing I should add is that continuing to stay here is not running any risk and unless you do something silly or actually become a burden to the state no-one is going to come looking for you.

I wonder whether they will actually be concerned when you leave that you have overstayed? I find the controls leaving France at best cursory, often non existant, all the emphasis seems to be on entry.

I nothing is said when you leave then myself I would not try to get a long term visa for the next visit if there was a chance of it being refused, it would make things very difficult thereafter.

[Sprogster]

Chancer, as an EU citizen when you enter France you just waive your EU British passport and sometimes it might be scanned. What you probably do not appreciate is that for a non EU person such as an American citizen is that their passport is stamped, dated and scanned when they enter France. As France has immigration control on leaving France, the passport is checked, exit date stamped and re-scanned and it is obvious from the entry date in the passport if they have overstayed so a non EU citizen who overstays will be picked up when they next enter or leave the country and would be barred if caught. The fact that they have a holiday home in France is irrelevant in the same way if you had a holiday home in the USA and overstayed it gives you no rights as you are still just a tourist.

I know a wealthy retired Brit in France who met an American lady and she ended up moving in with him and overstaying but they did not think it would be a problem as they divided their time between France and the USA, neither worked and both were well off financially. However, they decided one weekend to go to London for a couple of days and upon their return to France at French immigration control they saw from her passport she had overstayed 90 days on her previous entry so she was sent back to London!

Anyway to cut a long story short she had to return to the USA and wait for him to join her so they could get married, apply for a marriage visa and then return to France some months later.