France Long-Stay Routes: Relocation Checklist
A step-by-step checklist for Canadians moving to France, covering the Passeport Talent, employee visas, and long-stay visas, with documents and official checks.
This route fits you if you want to live in France. Common options for Canadians include the Passeport Talent for skilled workers, founders and certain professionals, employee visas tied to a job, and other long-stay visas. Speaking French helps you settle, but it is not a visa on its own.
Before You Start
Identify your category on the official France-Visas portal. France routes almost everything through a category, and that category sets your exact document list. Getting the category right first saves you from collecting the wrong papers.
Documents To Gather
- Valid passport.
- Proof that matches your category (a job contract, Passeport Talent eligibility, proof of funds, and so on).
- Proof of accommodation in France.
- Health insurance covering the gap before you join the French system.
- Criminal record and civil documents as your category requires, translated where needed.
Steps In Order
- Use the France-Visas wizard to confirm your category and its precise document list.
- Assemble the category’s documents, using a sworn translator where translation is required.
- Book and attend your consulate appointment, through the consulate or its visa partner.
- Enter France on the long-stay visa, which is often the VLS-TS.
- Validate your VLS-TS online and complete the OFII steps within the deadline after you arrive.
What To Verify With Official Sources
- Your exact category and its requirements on France-Visas, the official portal.
- Whether you qualify for a Passeport Talent sub-category, which is often smoother for skilled profiles.
- The OFII validation deadline, which is strict.
Common Traps
- Missing the online VLS-TS validation after arrival. It is easy to forget and causes problems quickly.
- Assuming French fluency substitutes for a visa category. It does not.
- Under-translating documents. France expects sworn translations, not informal ones.
Still comparing routes?
- Portugal D8 Remote-Work Route: Relocation Checklist: the remote-work route Canadians use most often.
- Spain Long-Stay Routes: Relocation Checklist: the other large option for income earned outside the country.