Visa Information

First, you must apply for or renew a U.S. passport, if needed. Allow at least 6-8 weeks to apply and make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months longer than your intended stay in France. If your last passport was issued before age 16, you must apply for a new passport in person using Form DS-11. Students are strongly encouraged to consider expediting their passport for processing in 2-3 weeks.

Then, you will need to apply for a long-stay visa (since participants in the Global BFA program will be studying in France for more than a 90-day period, a French long-stay visa will be required for all students who do not have citizenship in a European Union or European Economic Area country).

Global BFA students will need to take particular initiative to complete the visa application process remotely. While Emerson staff can guide you through the process, it will be your responsibility to complete each step in a timely manner. Emerson staff are not able to complete application steps on your behalf.

Apply for your French long-stay visa by following these steps:

1. Create and complete an Études en France (EEF) application with Campus France USA 

   The pre-consular review by Campus France USA can take up to three weeks for regular processing and three business days for expedited processing. Approval of your EEF application is required before you can appear at your visa appointment, so make certain to set up your account and submit your supporting documents early. In order to successfully complete your EEF application, you will need a valid passport, proof of completion of high school education in the form of a diploma or final transcript, your Global BFA admissions letter from Emerson College, and your Certificat D’Inscription admissions letter from Paris College of Art.

   After completing your EEF application, pay the Etudes en France Application Fee.

2. Submit a France Visas application online 

   This application can be started 90 days prior to your scheduled program start date in France. You must complete your France Visas application before you can appear at your visa appointment, so make certain to set up your account and submit your application promptly.

   To complete this application, you must have:

   1. A passport in good condition including at least two blank pages issued no more than 10 years ago, the validity of which extends at least six months beyond the end of your first academic year in Paris, 
   2. Passport-style digital photo - must be in PNG, JPG, or JPEG format with a file size of less than 120 KB 
   3. Paris College of Art Certificat D’Inscription admissions letter (found in your PCA Admissions portal)
   4. Optional - you are able to upload supporting documents to your France Visas application. However, you will also be required to bring physical documents to your visa appointment.

   Upon completion of your France Visas application, the system will allow you to print out your pre-populated application form as well as a document checklist in preparation for your visa appointment. Once printed, please be sure to sign and date your application as well as indicate your location at the time of signing. If under 18 at the time of application, all custodial parents/guardians must sign and date the application on your behalf. 

3. Schedule an appointment at a TLScontact Application Center 

   Immediately after completing the France Visas application, you will be directed to schedule an appointment at a TLScontact Application Center. You must submit your visa application materials in person during your pre-scheduled appointment; applications cannot be mailed or submitted by any other means. You are allowed to schedule a visa application appointment up to 90 days prior to your scheduled program start date in France. It is critical that appointments be scheduled as early as possible and attended at least four weeks in advance of the scheduled program start date in France.

4. Attend your appointment at the TLScontact Application Center on the scheduled date/time

   Arrive at your appointment with all of your application materials in print. The visa application center will check your application, collect the visa fee, record your biometric data (photo and fingerprints), and keep your passport and copies of your supporting documents in order to forward them to the consulate. The center will also require a return address to use to securely ship the finalized passport/visa. This procedure at the center will take approximately 20 minutes.

   After your TLScontact appointment, your application will then be sent to the French Consulate of Washington, DC. 

5. Approval of French long-stay via and return by mail

   The French Consulate of Washington DC, will review your application for a French long-stay visa. Once your application has been approved, the center will affix the visa in your passport and utilize the return address provided at the appointment to securely ship your passport/visa back to you. Please be sure to review the information on your visa before your departure to France to ensure accuracy. During orientation week at PCA, the student life office will guide you on how to validate your visa in France. Please pay careful attention to these processing steps to prevent delays or difficulty.

   For questions, please contact Andrew Palmacci, Assistant Director of Global Programs and Student Advising at andrew_palmacci [at] emerson.edu (andrew_palmacci[at]emerson[dot]edu). 

1. Apply for a passport or for a renewal, if needed

• Make certain your passport is valid at least six months beyond your planned date of departure from France.
• Check with your home country passport agency for standard processing times for renewal

2. With your valid E.U. passport, no French long-stay visa will be required

Global BFA Students Who Are European Union Citizens but Not U.S. Citizens or Legal Permanent Residents

1. Apply for a passport or for a renewal, if needed

• Make certain your passport is valid at least six months beyond your planned date of departure from France.
• Check with your home country passport agency for standard processing times for renewal

3. 3. Work with the Office of International Student Affairs (OISA) during the Fall semester in Paris to obtain (or confirm) nonimmigrant status with U.S. study eligibility for the first summer in Boston. OISA will reach out to students through their Emerson and PCA email addresses, but any questions can be directed to Max Crumley-Effinger, Assistant Director, at max_crumleyeffinger [at] emerson.edu

1. Apply for a passport or for a renewal, if needed

• Make certain your passport is valid at least six months beyond your planned date of departure from France.
• Check with your home country passport agency for standard processing times for renewal.

2. Apply for a French long-stay student visa (see application steps below)
3. Work with the Office of International Student Affairs (OISA) during the Fall semester in Paris to obtain (or confirm) nonimmigrant status with U.S. study eligibility for the first summer in Boston. OISA will reach out to students through their Emerson and PCA email addresses, but any questions can be directed to Max Crumley-Effinger, Assistant Director, at max_crumleyeffinger [at] emerson.edu (max_crumleyeffinger[at]emerson[dot]edu)

Apply for your French long-stay visa by following these steps:
 

Depending on your citizenship(s), your long-stay visa application process may vary. Please refer to the France Visas website for a list of countries that utilize the Etudes en France (EEF) procedure.

If your country does not utilize the EEF procedure, please proceed to apply directly via your local French Embassy or Consulate.

If your country does utilize the EEF procedure, please follow the instructions below:
 

1. Create and complete an Études en France (EEF) application 

   The preconsular review by Etudes en France can take up to three weeks for regular processing and three business days for expedited processing. Approval of your EEF application is required before you can appear at your visa appointment, so make certain to set up your account and submit your supporting documents early. In order to successfully complete your EEF application, you will need a valid passport, proof of completion of high school education in the form of a diploma or final transcript, your Global BFA admissions letter from Emerson College, and your Certificat D’Inscription admissions letter from Paris College of Art. After completing your EEF application, pay any applicable Etudes en France Application Fee.

2. Submit a France Visas application online 

   This application can be started 90 days prior to your scheduled program start date in France. You must complete your France Visas application before you can appear at your visa appointment, so make certain to set up your account and submit your application promptly.

   To complete this application, you must have:

• A passport in good condition including at least two blank pages issued no more than 10 years ago, the validity of which extends at least six months beyond the end of your first academic year in Paris,
• Passport-style digital photo - must be in PNG, JPG, or JPEG format with a file size of less than 120 KB 
• Paris College of Art Certificat D’Inscription admissions letter (found in your Admissions portal as the “program information letter”)
• Optional - you are able to upload supporting documents to your France Visas application. However, you will be required to bring physical documents to your visa appointment.

Upon completion of your France Visas application, the system will allow you to print out your pre-populated application form as well as a document checklist in preparation for your visa appointment. Once printed, please be sure to sign and date your application as well as indicate your location at the time of signing. If under 18 at the time of application, all custodial parents/guardians must sign and date the application on your behalf.  

3. Attend your visa application appointment and/or submit your visa application

Follow any provided instructions for scheduling a visa appointment or submitting your visa application materials according to the standards of your country of submission. You are allowed to schedule a visa application appointment up to 90 days prior to your scheduled program start date in France. It is critical that appointments be scheduled as early as possible and attended at least four weeks in advance of the scheduled program start date in France.

4. Approval of French long-stay visa and return of passport

Your local French Embassy or Consulate will review your application for a French long-stay visa. Once your application has been approved, the visa will be affixed to your passport and provided back to you according to the 
procedures of your particular country of submission. Please be sure to review the information on your visa before your departure to France to ensure accuracy. During orientation week at PCA, the student life office will guide you on how to validate your visa in France. Please pay careful attention to these processing steps to prevent delays or difficulty.

For questions, please contact Andrew Palmacci, Assistant Director of Global Programs and Student Advising at andrew_palmacci [at] emerson.edu (andrew_palmacci[at]emerson[dot]edu.)