Apply for a student (“Étudiant”) residence permit online (also “jeune au pair”, “stagiaire” and spouses of students)

Applications for students (“Étudiant”) residence permits are done online, on the national platform of the Directorate-General for Foreign Nationals in France ("Direction Générale des Étrangers en France").
Université Grenoble Alpes is here to help you during this process, and works in collaboration with the Isère and Drôme Préfectures to make the procedure as efficient as possible.
Please note
Applications for “Jeune au pair” and “Stagiaire” residence permits follow a different procedure.
Download the list of the required documents for these residence permits and contact ISSO by email to obtain the details.

Step 1: assemble your application file

Between 2 and 3 months before your current residence permit or long-stay visa expires, assemble your application file by referring to the list of documents available on the online national platform (you can also use ISSO's verification platform to help you, see next step).
If you are hosted or someone is supporting you financially, you can use the following templates provided by the International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO):
> Template "attestation de prise en charge financière"
> Template "attestation d'hébergement"
Good to know
All your documents must be in French (except passports and transcripts from GEM). If any of your documents need to be translated, consult the sworn translators section of our website.
> More information

Step 2: ask ISSO to check your application file online

Before you submit your residence permit application on the national online platform, Université Grenoble Alpes invites you to take of advantage of the online application checking service provided for free by the International Students & Scholars Office (ISSO).
This step is optional, but strongly recommended - prefectures can take a long time to process your application, and if your file is incomplete you will have to start the whole process all over again.
Important
If your situation matches one of the following:
  • You have a “concours” visa
  • Your residence permit or visa has expired more than 6 months ago, or you do not have one
  • You have a “mineur scolarisé” visa
You cannot submit directly your application on the online national platform of the DGEF.
You must upload your application file to ISSO via the link above, ISSO will guide you through the rest of the procedure.
If you live in the Isère department, you will need to fill the "cursus scolaire" and "fiche de renseignements" forms.
Should you encounter difficulties with our online tool (not familiar with web applications or have problems accessing the internet), you can also visit one of our welcome centers and have your application checked by the ISSO team.

Step 3: upload your application to the online national platform

Once you have assembled your complete application for a student residence permit (and ISSO has checked it), you can submit it on the online national platform of the Directorate-General for Foreign Nationals in France (DGEF).
If you did not validate your long-stay visa online when you arrived, you will need to create an account on the website.
Please note
Technical issues prevent some users from submitting their application on the DGEF website. If you cannot submit your application, contact the help provided by the “Direction Générale des Étrangers en France (DGEF)”, which is the only way to solve the issue. Try to apply again regularly, and if the problem remains, contact us through our online application checking tool (Step 2).

Step 4: complete your application

Once you have completed all of the steps and uploaded your documents to the platform, you will receive an “attestation de dépôt” (submission certificate).
This certificate does not constitute a valid residence permit and does not extend the validity of your current residence permit or the rights associated with your stay (work, social security benefits, etc.).

Step 5: the Prefecture processes your application

There are four possible outcomes:
  • The Prefecture asks you to send an additional document. You will be notified of the request by email and will need to upload the requested document to your online account within 30 days.
  • The Prefecture needs more time processing your application but your resident permit is about to expire: you will receive a certificate "attestation de prolongation d'instruction", which extends the validity of your residence permit and the rights associated with your stay (work, travel, social security benefits).
  • The Prefecture approves your application: you can then download your “attestation de décision favorable” (a PDF certificate of your approval) from your account.
  • The Prefecture rejects your application or classifies it as “sans suite” (dismissed due to lack of action on your part). If this happens, you will be notified by email and will be able to view the grounds for the rejection on your online account.
Please note
The “attestation de décision favorable” (certificate of approval) grants you an extension of your old residence permit and the rights associated with it (work, travel, social security benefits) until you receive your new permit.

Step 6: pick up your residence permit

Once your application has been approved by the Isère or Drôme Préfecture, a residence permit is being issued.
Each Prefecture has its own procedures for picking up your new permit.
Important
The procedure to pick up your residence permit has changed since August 2023. The new procedure is described below.
Updated on  March 15, 2024