Is there a set date by which I must arrive in France from US on long-stay visa?

Reader Question: I am a US retiree, planning to move to France using a VLS-TS visa then renewing it. I know I need to validate it after arriving, but is there a deadline for when I must come to France? It is taking longer than expected to complete the purchase of my home, and to finalise some family affairs in the US. 

You are correct that a VLS-TS visa must be validated within three months of arrival in France. 

However, the entry date on your visa does not necessarily have to align with the date that you enter the country. 

You should not apply for the visa more than three months before the intended start date of the visa, but it does not matter if your actual entry to France comes after this.

Once you have obtained a visa, you can enter France when it is convenient to you – the only specific rule is that you must validate the visa within three months.

We asked the Interior Ministry’s section for foreign people’s residency, the DGEF, if there is a specific limit on when to enter France and they responded with confirmation of the three months rule, adding: “Legally, you must validate your VLS-TS before the 90-day period stipulated by law; however, you can still validate it online up until two days before the document's expiry date.” 

When you go to validate your visa, which is done online at the Anef website you are asked to put in your date of entry to France, which can either be done by reference to a stamp in your passport, if one was given, or otherwise, by just giving the actual date. 

So, there is nothing stopping you from obtaining the visa and not entering France for several weeks or even months afterwards, although you may be asked by border officers on arrival about why you did not enter the country for this extended period. 

If you are yet to apply for your visa or are only partway through the application process, consider putting off submitting the application, so that the visa will begin at a later date.

As long as you still have time on your 90/180 day visa-free access to the Schengen Area (something applicable to all US citizens and those of many other countries), note that you can still enter and leave France without a VLS-TS visa.

Alternatively, you could validate it then return to the US to finalise your affairs.

Issues with extension

One issue that may arise is if you are so late in arriving in France that by the time you validate your visa, it is almost expired. 

This may cause issues if you plan to renew the visa to continue living in France, as you will need to apply to prolong the visa with a residency card two months before the expiry date of the visa. 

Prior to this you should have validated the visa and will usually be called by the Ofii immigration service for a medical. 

If you are so delayed in arriving in France that you will not be in the country for the majority of its running date, it is best to cancel it if possible to avoid administrative complications.