TIP #5 - renewing a student visa
TIP #4 - validating student visa upon arrival
TIP #3 - procuring a mobile simcard
TIP #2 - transport within Paris
TIP #1 - transport from CDG to Paris
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TIP #5 - renewing a student visa
At least three months before my student visa expired, I had to book an appointment for its renewal at the Prefecture of my residence address. For Paris City (i.e., if your residence address is anywhere around Arrondisements 1 to 20) student residents, renewal of the student visa is handled by the Paris Prefecture at the 19th arrondisement. The exact address is:
http://www.prefecturedepolice.interieur.gouv.fr/Demarches/Particulier/Ressortissants-etrangers/Titre-de-sejour/Renouveler-votre-titre-de-sejour
On the same website, the list of required documents and the detailed steps are also available.
My visa was expiring on 1st August 2016. I remembered to book an appointment on the first week of June, and I got an appointment for 22 June 2016! Ideally, the process of renewing the student visa should start at around three months before the expiry date.
B. On my appointment day and time, I arrived at the Prefecture around 20 minutes before my appointment time. The queue going inside the Prefecture was short, so I got into OFII welcome desk immediately, at the 2nd Level, Foreign students services. However the wait at the reception/documents evaluation desk at the 2nd Floor (with two staff attending to us) was around 45 minutes. The staff examined all the required documents I presented and saw that everything was okay, so then I was given a queue number and was told to wait at the waiting area in front of the cubicles of all Prefecture staff. When my queue number flashed with the assigned cubicle number, I approached the cubicle number where a staff was waiting for me. I thought everything went okay, but there was one issue brought up by the staff: my residence address indicated in my bank details is different from my new address! I completely forgot to update my address with my bank, when I changed residential address. So I was told to go back (staff gave me another appointment day/time) and bring with me bank statement accounts with the updated address! Darn- another two weeks of delay because of my forgetfulness.
So I went to my bank, changed my address, asked for an updated bank statement and after two weeks went back to the Prefecture on the designated appointment day/time and resubmitted the whole Dossier (all the application documents).
If you hardly speak French, it is good be accompanied by someone who knows how to speak French because none of the staff at the prefecture would go out of their way to speak English. And if they cannot understand you, they will most likely not renew your visa!
Do not forget: to bring a printed copy of the Prefecture appointment sheet entitled "Convocation", when you go to the Prefecture.
Take note that on my second visit to the Prefecture, a different staff attended to me (not the same staff on my first visit), so all my documents were again examined/evaluated and this time, the document that came under scrutiny was the Certificat de Scolarite from my school, specifically the school year end indicated. After patiently and nicely explaining my side, the staff finally told me to wait for some minutes at the waiting area.
After 10 minutes of waiting, the staff called out my name and when I went back to her cubicle/desk, i was very happy to be told that my student visa will be renewed for one year and I will be issued the Titre de Sejour (see photo below)! Since the new Titre de Sejour will be ready for pick up only on 1st September 2016 and my old visa was expiring on 01 Aug 2016, I was issued a temporary visa called "Récépisé de Demande de Carte de Sejour" and given an appointment sheet entitled "Convocation pour Remise de votre titre de sejour" (photo shown below).
C. Picking up my Titre de Sejour - I made sure I arrived at the Prefecture around 20 minutes before my appointment time with the printed copy of the appointment sheet ("Convocation" ) and the timbre fiscal worth 49 euros. It was pretty much the same process as my first appointment for filing my application for visa renewal, except that this time I had to pay for the visa using the timbre fiscal which can be bought in any Tabac brasserie/cafe.
Do not forget: Check the website for updated documents/steps/payment amount, etc.
The photo below is an actual Titre de Sejour.
TIP #4 - on the process of validating student visa by the OFII (Office Francaise de l'Immigration de l'Integration)
TIP #4 - validating student visa upon arrival
TIP #3 - procuring a mobile simcard
TIP #2 - transport within Paris
TIP #1 - transport from CDG to Paris
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TIP #5 - renewing a student visa
At least three months before my student visa expired, I had to book an appointment for its renewal at the Prefecture of my residence address. For Paris City (i.e., if your residence address is anywhere around Arrondisements 1 to 20) student residents, renewal of the student visa is handled by the Paris Prefecture at the 19th arrondisement. The exact address is:
92 Boulevard Ney 75018 PARIS
Métro station: Porte de Clignancourt (ligne 4)
Steps in renewing my student visa were as follows:
A. I booked an appointment online through this link:http://www.prefecturedepolice.interieur.gouv.fr/Demarches/Particulier/Ressortissants-etrangers/Titre-de-sejour/Renouveler-votre-titre-de-sejour
On the same website, the list of required documents and the detailed steps are also available.
My visa was expiring on 1st August 2016. I remembered to book an appointment on the first week of June, and I got an appointment for 22 June 2016! Ideally, the process of renewing the student visa should start at around three months before the expiry date.
B. On my appointment day and time, I arrived at the Prefecture around 20 minutes before my appointment time. The queue going inside the Prefecture was short, so I got into OFII welcome desk immediately, at the 2nd Level, Foreign students services. However the wait at the reception/documents evaluation desk at the 2nd Floor (with two staff attending to us) was around 45 minutes. The staff examined all the required documents I presented and saw that everything was okay, so then I was given a queue number and was told to wait at the waiting area in front of the cubicles of all Prefecture staff. When my queue number flashed with the assigned cubicle number, I approached the cubicle number where a staff was waiting for me. I thought everything went okay, but there was one issue brought up by the staff: my residence address indicated in my bank details is different from my new address! I completely forgot to update my address with my bank, when I changed residential address. So I was told to go back (staff gave me another appointment day/time) and bring with me bank statement accounts with the updated address! Darn- another two weeks of delay because of my forgetfulness.
So I went to my bank, changed my address, asked for an updated bank statement and after two weeks went back to the Prefecture on the designated appointment day/time and resubmitted the whole Dossier (all the application documents).
If you hardly speak French, it is good be accompanied by someone who knows how to speak French because none of the staff at the prefecture would go out of their way to speak English. And if they cannot understand you, they will most likely not renew your visa!
Do not forget: to bring a printed copy of the Prefecture appointment sheet entitled "Convocation", when you go to the Prefecture.
Take note that on my second visit to the Prefecture, a different staff attended to me (not the same staff on my first visit), so all my documents were again examined/evaluated and this time, the document that came under scrutiny was the Certificat de Scolarite from my school, specifically the school year end indicated. After patiently and nicely explaining my side, the staff finally told me to wait for some minutes at the waiting area.
After 10 minutes of waiting, the staff called out my name and when I went back to her cubicle/desk, i was very happy to be told that my student visa will be renewed for one year and I will be issued the Titre de Sejour (see photo below)! Since the new Titre de Sejour will be ready for pick up only on 1st September 2016 and my old visa was expiring on 01 Aug 2016, I was issued a temporary visa called "Récépisé de Demande de Carte de Sejour" and given an appointment sheet entitled "Convocation pour Remise de votre titre de sejour" (photo shown below).
C. Picking up my Titre de Sejour - I made sure I arrived at the Prefecture around 20 minutes before my appointment time with the printed copy of the appointment sheet ("Convocation" ) and the timbre fiscal worth 49 euros. It was pretty much the same process as my first appointment for filing my application for visa renewal, except that this time I had to pay for the visa using the timbre fiscal which can be bought in any Tabac brasserie/cafe.
Do not forget: Check the website for updated documents/steps/payment amount, etc.
The photo below is an actual Titre de Sejour.
TIP #4 - on the process of validating student visa by the OFII (Office Francaise de l'Immigration de l'Integration)
When you are a foreign student in France and were issued a long stay student visa by a French embassy in the city outside France where you applied for the visa, you are mandated to have your long stay student visa validated by the OFII. Once validated, the long stay student visa becomes the equivalent of a "Titre de séjour"(Residence Permit).
In my case, the instructions given by the French Embassy in Singapore was to mail by post the OFII form as soon as I arrive in Paris. I did follow this instructions, however this process take very long and I ended up having to deal with grumpy immigration staff at the Boulogne OFII office. One of my classmates was lucky enough to get a tip from one of her student friends: to go straight to Cité Universitaire where a there's a special counter for students to file their OFII form. According to my classmate, upon giving her OFII form to the Cité Universitaire OFII staff, she was, right there and then, given a date to do her medical exams!
So here's the tip, after my long story: for students, file your OFII form in person at the Cité Universitaire.
However, in case you need to go to an OFII office where your residency is, here are the steps to follow:
A. Within three months of your date of arrival, send by post mail the OFII form provided by the French embassy where you originally applied for a student visa (in my case it was French Embassy in Singapore). Of course, you have to fill out the applicant's portion.The title/name of the form in French is
VISA DE LONG SEJOUR - DEMANDE D’ATTESTATION OFII
However, in case you need to go to an OFII office where your residency is, here are the steps to follow:
A. Within three months of your date of arrival, send by post mail the OFII form provided by the French embassy where you originally applied for a student visa (in my case it was French Embassy in Singapore). Of course, you have to fill out the applicant's portion.The title/name of the form in French is
VISA DE LONG SEJOUR - DEMANDE D’ATTESTATION OFII
(Article
R 311-3 du code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d’asile)
à adresser à l’Office français de
l’immigration et de l’intégration (voir adresses au verso) dès l’arrivée en France
The second page of the OFII form contains the detailed instructions and the list of documents that ould gowith the OFII form. But if you are curious what other documents are needed, here they are:
photocopies: a) your passport pages containing information regarding youridentity and passport validity, b) the stamp from the French immigration officer (or from the authorities of the country oftransit), showing the date of your coming through the relevant border, and c) the visa issued to you at the FrenchConsulate.
This link also provides more details http://www.etudiantdeparis.fr/node/20
B. Within that week of sending the form to OFII, you will receive a postal mail acknowledging receipt of the sent OFII form and documents, as well as an appointment date for a medical examination at the OFII and further instructions on appointment preparations,one of which is to bring with you "timbre"(stamps you can buy in local Tabac) amounting to 58euros as payment for the visa.
C. On your medical appointment date, make sure you arrive at the OFII office around 15 minutes before your appointment time or earlier, bringing with you the necessary necessary documents. The medical exam takes around three hours to finish. As soon as you finish the medical exam, the immigration officer will give you a paper which indicates the date and time you will pick up your passport with the visa stamped on it. The pick up date is usually within the week you finish the medical exam.
D. On the visa pick up date, make sure you arrive at the OFII office around 15 minutes before your appointment time.
TIP #3 - on procuring a mobile simcard
Once you land in Paris, try to visit any Orange Telecom outlet. If you are staying around the area of Arc de Triomphe, try going to any of the two outlets nearest to it: the Champs Élysées outlet or the Ave des Ternes outlet. Most of the staff in Orange outlets speak some English and they can advise you on the best package to tkae based on your objective (s).
If you are going around Europe, it is best to buy the SIM card that works throughout Europe. It costs 40 euros valid for two weeks with the following freebies: 2 hours call, 1000 SMS and 1 GB data (internet).
TIP #2 - on mode of transport to explore Paris/France
If you know how to cycle, the best way to explore Paris is through Velib, a self-service bike system available 24 hours a day, all year round. You can access Velib service by buying buying a ticket: either a one-day ticket (1.70 €) a 7-day ticket (8.00 €), or, if you are staying in Paris for several months, a long-term subscription.
Velib website: http://en.velib.paris.fr/How-it-works
Paris also has Autolib! Can you beat that??? It's the same concept as the Velib, but instead of bikes, electric cars are used for this self-service system - isn't that cool? :=)
Autolib website: https://www.autolib.eu/en/how-does-it-work/service/
But - there is a big but in thei Autolib system - it only accepts International Driving License and European License.I'm seriously considering converting my Philippine license to an international one, as soon as my accommodation and part-time job are sorted out!
If both Velib and Autolib are not viable for you, Paris' Metro/RER system is the next best way to explore the whole city and the suburbs. Approach any staff at any of the Metro station's Information Counter so you can choose the package best suited for you
TIP #1 - On convenient and affordable ride from/to CDG
TIP #1 - On convenient and affordable ride from/to CDG
A relatively cheaper yet convenient transport from Charles De Gaulle (CDG) Airport to central part of Paris is Air France's shuttle called "Les Cars". It costs only 17 euros one way and is available online and at CDG arrival area. If you are only visiting Paris and not staying for good, it's best to buy a round-trip ticket online before your flight to Paris (http://en.lescarsairfrance.com/) . And what's great about Les Cars is that anyone can use it from and to the airport, even if you fly in to Paris with a non-Air France airline!
The ticket looks like this -
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