If you want to travel to France to attend a university, you’re going to need the proper paperwork, and that means a student visa. There are many types available based on what you plan on doing with your time.

Many students’ needs can be satisfied with an extended-stay visa. These are issued for academic purposes and allow people to stay in the country for three to six months while connected to an institution of higher education, whether it’s as a teacher, student, or researcher. The non-renewable visa is a single-entry one, meaning you aren’t allowed to travel across the border of France except in transit.

You can also apply for what’s called an extended-stay scientific visa, which will allow you to stay in France for up to one year if you apply for and receive a one-year residency permit. However, you need to apply for the permit within two months of arriving in France, so be sure to act quickly if you know you plan to stay. The good news is that this type of residency permit is renewable, so if you decide to extend your studies, you can easily arrange to stay in the country. You’ll also need to produce an exchange agreement, which is used to describe what type of academic work you’ll be doing in France. This document is needed to procure your visa. If you obtain a residency permit, you should also know that you can only renew it for a maximum of four years, and the renewal period is defined by the type of work (schooling, research, etc.) that’s described in the exchange agreement. Additionally, you should know that your visa allows you to work in France immediately upon arriving there, but unless it’s marked as multiple-entry, you won’t be allowed to travel outside of what’s called the Schengen area. The Schengen area is composed of 25 countries throughout Europe, and for all intents and purposes, it acts as a single large state for travelers, allowing easy border crossings. (More info on that here)

However, there’s good news for students: It’s now possible to get a visa that’s a hybrid of those two types. The combination extended-stay visa and residency permit, called a VLS-TS, is especially designed for foreign college students who intend to study in France for more than six months. While bearers of a VLS-TS won’t have to visit local police to obtain a renewable residency permit, they will need to report to the French office for immigration and naturalization (OFII) and meet several requirements to maintain eligibility. Mainly, students arriving in France need to send their OFII certification and a copy of the passport page marked with their entry to France via registered mail to the OFII. It’s imperative to make sure you follow the right steps if you want to be able to take advantage of the opportunity to study abroad. Good luck!

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This guest post is contributed by Kate Cunningham, who writes on the topics of online university rankings.  She welcomes your questions and comments at her email Id: cn.kate1 @ gmail.com.