Visas and Long Stays

Long Stay Visas

An Australian passport will get you into a huge number of countries for a short visit without a visa.  At the time of writing Europe’s Schengen countries did not require a visa for Australian visits up to 90 days– see our Travel Documents page for more information.

But if you wish to stay for more than the visa-free days, or in a country that has no visa-free option, you will need to apply through the official channels. This can be complicated, and every country is different. If you need a visa, research the details and apply early!

For example, this is the French long stay visa application process I went through:

You start at the French government website visa page for Australian applicants which advises you that visa applications submitted in Australia must go through a VFS GLOBAL centre (these are in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide), and those centres send completed applications to the Consulate General of France in Sydney,

You will receive a confirmation and receipt once your application is lodged, and it will include a list of all supporting documents required for your application interview. You need to print out your application confirmation and receipt and take it to your interview.

The visa page for Australian applicants has a good range of information on it and should be read carefully. Key points are:

1. You will need to book an interview appointment at a VFS GLOBAL centre in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane or Perth and attend in person. I am not aware of any alternative locations.
2. Interview appointments are booked online or by phone and may not be immediately available, so get in early.
3. You will be required to pay the visa application fee when booking the appointment.
4. You will need to have all required documents, including passport-size photos, in printed form with you at the interview. You may need to have two copies of each document – check on the list provided to you.
5. Once your application is confirmed as complete at the interview (there are a lot of boxes to be ticked), it, along with all document originals including your passport, will be sent to the French Consulate for assessment.
6. After assessment and approval, your passport, hopefully with the requested visa in it, will be returned to you in an Express Post satchel that you fill out at the time of application – so make sure you have an appropriate address available for this
7. You will receive updates on progress but they can be intermittent, and can include requests for more information.
8. In the meantime your departure date is rapidly approaching and the French Consulate has your passport – so again, book in early!

How to arrange a France Long Stay Visa interview:

Click/tap on the link to Book an Appointment and you will be taken to the VFS GLOBAL login page, where you need to create an account. Make sure you use an email address that you will have access to at all times. You may also receive notifications via mobile SMS.

You can book an appointment by phone but in my case the call centre said there were no appointments left in 2023 and I needed to wait until mid December for January appointments to be released. With my departure locked in for the end of January this was very concerning, but fortunately when I checked online there were a few appointment times still showing in December and I booked the 20th.

The France Long Stay Visa interview process:

When you go to your pre-booked appointment with VFS GLOBAL they are assessing whether you meet all the French Consulate requirements, and if your travel reasons are valid. VFS GLOBAL are there to help you lodge a successful application, so make sure you have everything that they need to get through the process as smoothly as possible.

Particularly important requirements for a France Long Stay Visa include proof that you have somewhere to stay in France, covering a minimum of 91 days, plus proof that you have funding for your entire trip.

Accommodation requirements for a France Long Stay Visa

It will be difficult if you plan to find accommodation as you travel – you still have to meet the requirements. One option suggested by VFS GLOBAL is having a written and signed statement from a verifiable person in France saying that they will be providing you with accommodation for the duration of your stay. But I did not have anyone I could arrange this with.

Fortunately my confirmed accommodation bookings (mainly through booking.com) added up to more than 91 days and that was ok. If you are relying on such bookings print out two copies of each booking confirmation and take them with you to the interview.

Funding requirements for a France Long Stay Visa

You must also be able to provide proof that you have sufficient funds to support yourself for the duration of your stay in France. This is very important, and it seems that you need to have the funds up front – an ongoing income stream from Australia such as rent, salary or pension may not be considered adequate.

When I applied in 2023 the rule of thumb was that you need at least AU$ 2,000 per month while you are away (I read that this is based on the French minimum wage). So for a one year stay they required bank statements showing at least AU$ 24,000 in my bank account. But with global inflation running hot I suggest allowing AU$ 2,500 per month for this visa requirement. Make sure your bank statement/s are up-to-date, not last month’s – you may need to visit a branch of your bank to obtain an interview-day statement.

If you don’t have that kind of money sitting around, give some thought to how you can earn or borrow sufficient funds in time to have it in your bank well before your long term visa interview. On past trips I found that by accumulating leave in my job to maximise termination pay, doing all my cost cutting and selling assets like furniture, appliances and car early, and moving in or couch-surfing with friends or relatives for the last month or two, a whole lot of small items rapidly added up to surprisingly large amounts. See our page on how to afford long term travel.

VFS GLOBAL provides more information and guides you through the steps at: https://visa.vfsglobal.com/aus/en/fra/apply-visa

Europe ETIAS coming in 2025

At the time of writing Europe’s Schengen countries did not require a visa for visits under 90 days, but these arrangements will change when the EU ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) commences operation early in 2025. ETIAS is an electronic screening system for passport holders who have visa-free access to the European Union (EU) and Schengen Area. It is similar to the USA ETSA authorisation.

You can obtain updates on the implementation of ETIAS here.