This depends on the length of your programme of study at SKEMA. Students coming for a programme of less than 90 days should apply for a short-stay visa valid for the Schengen area. Nationals of many countries will not require a visa for a short-stay programme: the list includes citizens of the European Union and nationals from many other countries, including Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
Students of all nationalities intending to study at SKEMA for more than 90 days will require an Extended Stay student visa with residence permit (VLS-TS). The VLS-TS is generally valid for one year and is renewable within France at the end of that period, subject to the student still being engaged in full-time education in France.
Depending on your nationality, the VLS-TS will either be applied via your local Embassy/Consulate or, in the 31 countries where there is a CampusFrance office, then the visa will be issued by CampusFrance using a process called the CEF procedure.
Remember that the visa is only valid for entry into France (in the case of a short-term visa, a single-entry is permitted, whilst the VLS-TS extended student visa is a multi-entry visa): long-term students will also require a residence permit (see question 3) in order to legally stay in France.
There are two different ways of applying for a visa to study in France:
• If you are from one of the following countries: Algeria, Argentina, Benin, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo Brazzaville, South Korea, Ivory Coast, USA, Gabon, Guinea, India, Japan, Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali, Marocco, Mauricius, Mexico, Peru, Senegal, Russia, Syria, Taiwan, Tunisia, Turkey, Vietnam,
you will have to register with your local Campus France office to apply for admission and obtain a student visa.
Find out more about CEF procedure.
• If you are not from a country in the above list, you should contact the French embassy in your country.
There are three steps for this:
. You need your registration at SKEMA.
. You will also need your letter of acceptance from SKEMA.
. With those documents, you just have to go to the French embassy (see with the French embassy, the other required documents e.g. bank statement and proof of domicile).
Please note that citizens of one of the 30 member countries of the European Economic Area, or of Andorra, Monaco, Switzerland, San Marino or the Vatican do not need visas.
A two-month wait on average will be necessary in order to obtain your visa.