Frequently asked questions- “Talent/researcher passport” LSV

How to validate your “Talent/researcher passport” LSV?

For a stay of less than 12 months, you have a visa valid as a residence permit, called VLS-TS “passeport talent – chercheur”. It is valid for one year. Within three months of your arrival in France, you must have your visa validated by the French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII).

If you are an Algerian researcher, your status is governed by the Franco-Algerian agreement of 27 December 1968, you have a “scientist-researcher” visa with the mention “residence permit to be applied for within two months of arrival”. You are therefore not concerned by this procedure.

For a stay of 12 months or more, you initially have a simple “passport talent-researcher” visa. It is valid for three months and is not a residence permit. In the two months following your arrival in France, you must apply for your multi-year residence permit (Carte de séjour pluriannuelle) mentioning “passeport talent-chercheur”. It is valid for the same duration as the hosting agreement, up to a limit of 4 years. You don’t have to go to the OFII.

 

Online procedure

Since February 18 2019, the validation of this type of visa has been carried out online at the following address:

https://administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr/particuliers/#/

You will enter your visa number, provide various information (passport number, surname, first name, nationality, date of birth, address in France) and pay 200 euros in the form of tax stamps (you can buy the electronic stamp online with your payment card or in a tobacconist’s shop, on a dedicated terminal, and pay it in cash).

You will then have to confirm the registration of your visa and you will receive a validation certificate in PDF format.

You must save, print and keep this certificate for the duration of your stay in France. The OFII sticker is no longer affixed in the passport. You can insert  the certificate  in your passport which is accessible in your personal space created during the validation you made online.

 

How can I renew my VLS “Talent-Researcher Passport”?

Upon expiration of your long-stay “talent – researcher passport” visa, you can apply for a multi-year “talent – researcher passport” residence permit to extend your stay in France. To make an appointment you can contact PISA at GATE. An agent will accompany you in your request. Remember to provide all the supporting documents for your application. If you obtain your residence permit, it will only be valid for the same duration as the hosting agreement, up to a limit of 4 years. This formality is renewable and costs 269 euros in tax stamps.

Your family members can also apply for the renewal of their long-stay “talent-family passport” visa to obtain a multi-year residence permit under the same conditions as yours.

Necessary documents:

• Your long-stay visa or residence permit
• Your passport (pages relating to civil status, dates of validity and entry stamps)
• Birth certificate (full copy or extract with filiation)
• If you are married: marriage certificate (full copy or extract with filiation)
• If you have children: birth certificate (full copy or extract with filiation) of each child
• Proof of address dating at least 3 months
• 3 photos
• Employment contract
• Proof of resources greater than or equal to €36,946. 00 gross per year
• Diploma
• Documents completed by your employer

Please note: Civil status certificates must be accompanied by their translation into French by an approved translator. Don’t forget to bring the original documents and their photocopies.