# Just got our long stay visa. How we did it. British citizens.



## MikeandEmilyD

Hi. I thought that tis might be of interest.
We are a retired couple with British citizenship.
We booked an AirBNnB rental for 2 months. we advised we would be renting that Airbnb for the 2 months and then looking for a 6 month rental property while we would be looking to buy a place.
We took out private health insurance for 6 months.
Our Visa application went through first time.
I can't promise that this will work for you but for us it was a successful route for the Visa.
Good luck


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## Crabtree

That is great and hope you have a great time in France 
It might be useful for others if you could list the documents and proof of income etc that you had provide so others have an idea of what they face and the type of visa you applied for
BEV-Would this be useful as a "Sticky"


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## MikeandEmilyD

MikeandEmilyD said:


> Hi. I thought that tis might be of interest.
> We are a retired couple with British citizenship.
> We booked an AirBNnB rental for 2 months. we advised we would be renting that Airbnb for the 2 months and then looking for a 6 month rental property while we would be looking to buy a place.
> We took out private health insurance for 6 months.
> Our Visa application went through first time.
> I can't promise that this will work for you but for us it was a successful route for the Visa.
> Good luck


We had to show proof of income. For us that was rental from 2 properties that we rent out. They bring us in about 24k euros a year. I also let them know what my state pension would be though I don't get that for another 4 years.
We also had to provide bank statements for the last 3 months.
We also had to write an accompianing letter setting out what our plans were when in France.
We also wrote a note stating that we would not excersise any professional activities in France.
Copies of passports were required as was proof of our Airbnb address. Airbnb do a print out for just this reason.
We are selling the property we live in to provide funds for our property purchase in France. We provided proof of what that will sell for if the sale all goes through.
We struggled to open a French bank account (as we are moving from Malta. Not the UK) I have opened up an account with Wise (formerly Transferwise} I will let you know if that works out when we get to France.


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## MikeandEmilyD

Crabtree said:


> That is great and hope you have a great time in France
> It might be useful for others if you could list the documents and proof of income etc that you had provide so others have an idea of what they face and the type of visa you applied for
> BEV-Would this be useful as a "Sticky"


Hi Bev. Done as you suggested. Many thanks.


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## Bevdeforges

The key thing is to think like a fonctionnaire. You want to allay any "fears" or questions regarding your intentions and plans for living in France.


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## boilerman

Thanks for posting that info, it's very useful, good luck on your quest


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## MikeandEmilyD

Crabtree said:


> That is great and hope you have a great time in France
> It might be useful for others if you could list the documents and proof of income etc that you had provide so others have an idea of what they face and the type of visa you applied for
> BEV-Would this be useful as a "Sticky"


Done and Thanks


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## Mdperry

MikeandEmilyD said:


> Hi. I thought that tis might be of interest.
> We are a retired couple with British citizenship.
> We booked an AirBNnB rental for 2 months. we advised we would be renting that Airbnb for the 2 months and then looking for a 6 month rental property while we would be looking to buy a place.
> We took out private health insurance for 6 months.
> Our Visa application went through first time.
> I can't promise that this will work for you but for us it was a successful route for the Visa.
> Good luck


Did you get the tourist long stay visa?


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## Mdperry

MikeandEmilyD said:


> We had to show proof of income. For us that was rental from 2 properties that we rent out. They bring us in about 24k euros a year. I also let them know what my state pension would be though I don't get that for another 4 years.
> We also had to provide bank statements for the last 3 months.
> We also had to write an accompianing letter setting out what our plans were when in France.
> We also wrote a note stating that we would not excersise any professional activities in France.
> Copies of passports were required as was proof of our Airbnb address. Airbnb do a print out for just this reason.
> We are selling the property we live in to provide funds for our property purchase in France. We provided proof of what that will sell for if the sale all goes through.
> We struggled to open a French bank account (as we are moving from Malta. Not the UK) I have opened up an account with Wise (formerly Transferwise} I will let you know if that works out when we get to France.


And what did you include in your note to state what your plans were? Did you have to have that notarized? I have to write one myself and don't know what to say... just, I want to live in France to enjoy life..?


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## MikeandEmilyD

Mdperry said:


> Did you get the tourist long stay visa?


Yes a 12 month Tourist Visa


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## MikeandEmilyD

Mdperry said:


> And what did you include in your note to state what your plans were? Did you have to have that notarized? I have to write one myself and don't know what to say... just, I want to live in France to enjoy life..?


No not notarized. Just a letter saying what our plans are. Eg. Short rental, long rental, buy. Obviously there is nothing definite it is just an idea of what we intend to do when we arrive.


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## Greenfoot

Dear Mike & Emily D

Your post is exactly what I was looking for as I find myself once again doubting all the research I've done into the visa application process! 

I hope you don't mind if I pick your brains a little?

It sounds like it was a VLS-TS visa you applied for, is that correct?
Which location did you go to for your interview - London / Manchester / Edinburgh?
How was the interview process?
Finally, did you have to prove resources for just the year of this first visa, or because you're hoping to renew and ultimately stay longer, did they ask specifically for evidence of being able to support yourselves financially for more than one year? I know that you were able to tell them about your rental income and the details of your future pension, but I'm curious if they requested that?

Congrats on getting your visa and the best of luck in your new adventure.


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## MikeandEmilyD

Greenfoot said:


> Dear Mike & Emily D
> 
> Your post is exactly what I was looking for as I find myself once again doubting all the research I've done into the visa application process!
> 
> I hope you don't mind if I pick your brains a little?
> 
> It sounds like it was a VLS-TS visa you applied for, is that correct?
> Which location did you go to for your interview - London / Manchester / Edinburgh?
> How was the interview process?
> Finally, did you have to prove resources for just the year of this first visa, or because you're hoping to renew and ultimately stay longer, did they ask specifically for evidence of being able to support yourselves financially for more than one year? I know that you were able to tell them about your rental income and the details of your future pension, but I'm curious if they requested that?
> 
> Congrats on getting your visa and the best of luck in your new adventure.


Hi
We have a type D visa which is only for a year but with the intention of settling in France see below:
"
Known as French national visas or “D visas”, France long-stay visas are issued to foreigners who wish to enter and stay in French territory for more than three months and up to 1 year.

There are different types of the French long-stay visas, depending on one’s purpose of entry. One can obtain such a visa under the following purposes:


To enroll in studies in a French educational institution.
To get a paid job in France.
To join family members already living in French territory (family reunion).
To settle permanently in the French territory."


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## MikeandEmilyD

MikeandEmilyD said:


> Hi
> We have a type D visa which is only for a year but with the intention of settling in France see below:
> "
> Known as French national visas or “D visas”, France long-stay visas are issued to foreigners who wish to enter and stay in French territory for more than three months and up to 1 year.
> 
> There are different types of the French long-stay visas, depending on one’s purpose of entry. One can obtain such a visa under the following purposes:
> 
> 
> To enroll in studies in a French educational institution.
> To get a paid job in France.
> To join family members already living in French territory (family reunion).
> To settle permanently in the French territory."


We applied for our Visa in Valletta, Malta.
We went online to the Visa wizard at:





Do you need a visa ? | France-Visas.gouv.fr


Try our visa wizard and check in a few clicks if you need a visa to come to France



france-visas.gouv.fr




after deciding which Visa is right for you you will have some pages to look at or download and there will be a list of things that you need to provide with the application. 
We tried to go to the embassy for help and they were not interested. You just have to fill in all the required documents and then present them with the visa application forms to the embassy. I assume that if there were any problems that they would let you know. We had no problems and about a month after presenting the application we were called back to the embassy. They told us that they were happy with the application and at that point we paid the application fee. Fingerprints were taken and all the documents were sent of to Paris, apparently for fraud and criminal checks to be carried out. 4 weeks later we were called back again for the issue of the visa. 
In total it took about 2 months but it can take up to 90 days.


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## Bevdeforges

Just one added note for the visa process: In some countries you submit your visa application through an agency rather than directly to the Embassy or Consulate. This is actually an advantage as the agencies are dedicated to visa applications, while the Embassies are juggling a variety of responsibilities and processes. 

And, don't forget that, while you're applying for a "Type D" visa or whatever, that the reason you check for wanting to come to France will determine the precise type of visa you get. We've had some cases here on the forum of people checking the wrong box and finding that they can't renew their residence permits ("titre de séjour") at the end of their first year in France. Which "reason" you check will determine the type of residence permit you receive, which determines whether or not the permit is renewable and what proof you will need to present in order to renew.


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## Greenfoot

Mike & Emily D, thank you for your reply


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## milliesmith

@MikeandEmilyD A follow up question about your move if you don’t mind me asking. You mentioned you were planning to buy a house with proceeds from your house sale. If you find a house you like and are in a position to buy, will you consider purchasing prior to your visa renewal? Do you have any concerns at all about this, potential of your visa not being renewed for any reason? Just something on my mind, even though we would have the required funds to support ourselves. Thanks.


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## MikeandEmilyD

Hi Millie
We are actually in the process of purchasing at the moment. I might be wrong here but there are two reasons why we should go ahead.
1: We are self sufficient and should therefore not be a burden to the French state.
2: Visas will need to be regularly so you have to "jump in" at some point.


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## milliesmith

MikeandEmilyD said:


> Hi Millie
> We are actually in the process of purchasing at the moment. I might be wrong here but there are two reasons why we should go ahead.
> 1: We are self sufficient and should therefore not be a burden to the French state.
> 2: Visas will need to be regularly so you have to "jump in" at some point.


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## milliesmith

@MikeandEmilyD Thanks for your thoughts, it really makes sense….and great news about your purchase. It’s really helpful to hear how things are going and your experience through the various steps of your move to France. All the best with your new home.


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## Bevdeforges

milliesmith said:


> will you consider purchasing prior to your visa renewal? Do you have any concerns at all about this, potential of your visa not being renewed for any reason?


Actually, unless you have "checked the wrong box" and have a non-renewable visa rather than a renewable one, it's extremely rare to have renewal of a plain old vanilla "visiteur" visa (actually, the titre de séjour associated with the visa) rejected. They do seem to expend the most effort evaluating your visa application before you move and get settled. On renewal of your residence permit, the key element is how well you have settled in as a resident - and purchasing a property is actually in your favor in the assessment.


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## milliesmith

That’s interesting Bev, thank you. I feel a lot better now ha ha. As we know France quite well, at least the areas which interest us, we would be looking to buy a property as soon as we find the right one.


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## Bevdeforges

milliesmith said:


> That’s interesting Bev, thank you. I feel a lot better now ha ha. As we know France quite well, at least the areas which interest us, we would be looking to buy a property as soon as we find the right one.


Just be aware that once you find that perfect property, the paperwork can and will take "at least" three months.


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## milliesmith

Yes we are aware, I should have said, we are looking to start the process of buying as soon as we find a property 🤣
Thanks Bev.


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