International Welcome Desk

If you are an EU citizen, this process does not concern you.

Depending on your nationality, your situation and the length of your stay, you may need to obtain a visa/residence card (titre de séjour) to study or carry out research in France, and even to return here after you graduate.

Use the official website for your French visa application.

You will find all information you need on the website to prepare your stay in France.

For more detailed information about which documents you must submit and how to make an appointment, contact the French Consulate of your country of residence.

To find out more, click on the logos to be redirected to the pages in English with useful information.

Important: This process can take several months depending on the country, so it is imperative to start as soon as you receive your acceptance letter.

If you have a long-stay visa (known as VLS-TS), you need to validate your visa online once you have arrived in France. Click on the logo below to find out all the information you need (in French).

• You are a citizen of an EU/EEA state: Apply for your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) in your home country. It must cover the entire period of your studies in France.
• You are a citizen of a non-EU/EEA state: In preparation for your arrival in France for your studies, you must register for the Primary Health Insurance Fund (Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie, CPAM) on the Assurance Maladie website. Click here to be redirected to a questionnaire to test your elegibility (in French).

To find out more, click on the following links to be redirected to pages in English.

The French Social Security Registration Process for foreign students

Information in English about Primary Health Insurance Funds

Social Security: Your Medical Expenditure Coverage

The MesServices.etudiant.gouv.fr website lets you create just one centralised account to access several essential administrative procedures and services. Click on the logo below to access the site.

Pay the CVEC fee

All students must pay the Student and Campus Life Contribution (CVEC) fee in order for them to be able to enrol on an initial training course in a French higher educational institution. It aims to help welcome and support students regarding social life, health, culture and sports. For the 2024/25 academic year, the CVEC fee is €103. Click here to find out more information about the CVEC fee (in English), and click here to find out more about which how the CVEC is used and which areas and projects it finances (in French).

Steps on how to pay the CVEC fee

1. After creating an account on the MesServices.etudiant.gouv.fr website, you must then log in to the CVEC online portal. Ensure that the year indicated on the portal corresponds to your academic year in France. The portal usually opens in June for the following September.
2. Click on the circumstance that best describes your situation: pay by card (the simplest method), pay in cash, exemption...
3. Check the pre-filled details on the first page.
4. Enter "Angoulême" in the "City of establishment" field.
5. Follow the instructions to complete the payment.
6. Download your attestation of payment which will be required when you enrol in your programme.

Apply for Accomodation

After creating an account on the MesServices.etudiant.gouv.fr website, you can log into the TrouverUnLogement website (in French) to search and apply for Crous University Accommodation. For more information, please refer to the Accommodation block below.

Note: Crous is a national network for all students. It looks after major aspects of student life, including finance (scholarships), health, university restaurants and student accommodation. Find out more here (in French).

As an international student in France, you may be elegible for financial support.

For more information, contact your nearest Campus France office or the Cooperation and Cultural Action Department (Service de coopération et d'action culturelle) of the French embassy or the French consulate in your country of residence.

Below are a couple of links to help you with the process.

Scholarships for foreign students in France

Grant Search Engine classed by nationality (available in English)

Financial Support for International Students (in French)

Financial support and grants (in English) (Note: this page was last updated in 2020 and lacks a lot of information present on the French page)

Finance your studies / Scholarships

Accommodation

Useful Links

Click on the logos below to access two websites that may help you in your accommodation search. Both are available in English.

As for Crous University Accommodation, international students cannot apply through the Dossier social étudiant (DSE, Social Student File) for accommodation. They can however apply from July onwards on the TrouverUnLogement portal during the additional allocation period.

Visale Guarantor

You will be asked to provide a guarantor when renting accommodation. If you do not have anyone who is able to be your guarantor, you can use the free Visale service (link in French) which guarantees that the landlord will receive the rent if you do not pay. Click here for more information on the Campus France website (in French).

Housing Allowances (Caf)

To help you pay your rent and utility bills, you can apply for housing allowances (APL, ALS, ALF) which are provided by the French Benefits Office (Caisse d'allocations familiales, known as 'Caf'). They are available for Crous University Accommodation, private student accommodation and individual/flat-sharing accommodation in the private sector. You can check your eligibility here (only available in French).

Note: You must apply as soon as you arrive in your accommodation and your contract has been signed. Housing allowances from the Caf are not backdated and your first month's rent will not be covered.

Personalised Support with Accommodation

Personalised support will be given to students on the International Master's degree programme to help them find accommodation in Angoulême. Contact details of the person in charge will be available on this page in the lead up to the first cohort's entry in September 2026.

Home Insurance

Home insurance is mandatory for tenants. It enables you to receive compensation from your insurance company in the event of a claim in your home (fire, burglary, water damage, etc.).

You can find insurance companies that offer reasonably priced deals depending on the level of cover you wish to have. Some French banks even offer competitively priced insurance packages for young people.

French Bank Acccount

Remember to check whether your bank account and card can be used in France before leaving your country of residence.

If you do need to open a bank account in France, the process is fairly straight-forward and can be completed with all banks.

You will need the following three documents:

• Proof of ID (Passport, National ID card, etc.)
• Proof of address
• Certificate of enrolment (Certificate de scolarité) or student card

Also consider international online banks which are convenient for currency conversion and doing euro transfers without fees, features that French banks don’t always offer.

Mobile Phone

Before coming to France, check whether your home country's mobile phone package allows you to use your phone abroad (for calls, texts and cellular data) and most importantly, if it will cost you extra money. Some operators allow you to use your mobile phone abroad “within reason” but add high extra fees if you overuse it (whether it be data usage or sustained period of time).

If you cannot use your current mobile phone contract abroad, you can easily find a French operator to get a new number with a SIM card.

Most operators offer unlimited calls and texts as standard in their packages. Competitive prices are available depending on how much cellular data (Gb) you require. Look for contracts that say sans engagement (“without obligation”) - you can end this type of contract at any time without having to pay any fees.

Compare different operators' offers depending on your specific needs.

Coming soon.