VLS-TS (Visa de Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour)

A French long-stay visa (3-12 months) that doubles as your residence permit for the first year — you don't need a separate titre de séjour application right after arriving. To activate that residence-permit function, you must validate the VLS-TS online through the ANEF portal (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr) within 3 months of entering France, paying a validation fee (recent sources put the student rate at around €150, combining an OFII tax and a stamp duty, following a May 2026 increase — confirm the exact current figure on ANEF or France-Visas before paying, since fee tables have changed more than once). Miss the 3-month window and the visa is invalidated, so most students validate within their first week. If you plan to stay in France beyond the visa's validity, you'll generally need to convert to a renewable titre de séjour through your local prefecture before it expires.