Applying for a French visa in Montreal [fr]

France-visas is a single portal with all the information you need process and help you every step of the way (preparing the application, entering details, submitting and tracking the application).

France-Canada Youth Mobility Agreement

Young Canadians wishing to go to France under the Young mobility agreement should consult this page

Students applying for a French long-term visa to study in France

Obtaining a notice from the Cultural services of the French Embassy in Canada (SCAC notice) :

Depending on your situation and in order to get your student visa to France, you may need to provide a SCAC notice (also known as the “attestation SCAC”) during your visa appointment. Please check what situation applies to your status to see if you need to get the SCAC notice for the instruction of your visa application.

You are a Canadian citizen going to France

You are going to France as part of an inter-university exchange program, an agreement between your Canadian university and a French institution (Université, Business Schools, Grandes Ecoles etc.): You do not need the notice SCAC, you can pursue your visa request without the document.

Please note that you will need the SCAC notice for a dual Degree, joint Degree, or a Cotutelle.

You are going to France for a degree-seeking program (Bachelor, Masters, MBA, dual degree, joint degree, cotutelle etc.): in order to apply for a long-term student visa, you need to obtain a notice from the Cultural services of the French Embassy in Canada (SCAC notice) prior to having your visa appointment at your VFS location. In order to get the notice, please fill up this questionnaire below, and send it, once completed, by email :

Questionnaire Procédure SCAC - ENGLISH

(PDF - 314.5 kb)

You are residing in Quebec :
 montreal@campusfrance.org ;

You hold another citizenship (you are not a Canadian citizen, nor a E.U. citizen)

You are going to France either for a degree-seeking program (Bachelor, Masters, MBA, etc.) or as part of an inter-university exchange program between a Canadian university and a French university: in order to apply for a long-term student visa, in every cases you need to obtain a notice from the Cultural services of the French Embassy in Canada (SCAC notice) prior to having your visa
appointment at your VFS location. In order to get the notice, please fill up this questionnaire below, and send it, once completed, by email :

Questionnaire Procédure SCAC - ENGLISH

(PDF - 314.5 kb)

You are residing in Quebec :
 montreal@campusfrance.org ;

You hold another citizenship from a European country (member of the E.U.)

If you are a citizen (or dual citizen) of one of the European countries member of the E.U.: you do not need a visa, and you do not need the SCAC notice. You need to have a valid E.U. passeport: when you arrive in France, you may show your E.U. passeport to the border agent. For administrative purposes, please inform your French university about your dual citizenship.

Important ! If you are a Canadian citizen and are going to France for a program such as an inter-university exchange program (France-Canada Youth Mobility Agreement, visas 3A, 3B, 3C and 3D), you DO NOT need a SCAC notice.

If you are not sure of your situation regarding the SCAC notice, please email the contact Campus France (

The main steps in applying for a visa

Do I need a visa?

[<img2905|left>->https://france-visas.gouv.fr/web/france-visas/ai-je-besoin-d-un-visa" class='spip_mail'>montreal@campusfrance.org

First, use “Visa wizard” to check, based on your situation, whether you need a visa and if so, what type. The wizard will also tell you what documents must be enclosed with your application, along with the relevant fee.

Complete your application online

Once you have confirmed that you need a visa, you can complete your application on our online portal. You will be asked to create a France-Visas account, which you will need for each step of the process.

Submit your application to the visa centre

Once you have completed your online application, all you have to do is submit it to your local visa centre. France-Visas will provide you with all necessary information on how and where to submit your application.

Track your visa application

Once your application has been submitted, track its progress and see how and when you can collect your passport and how to prepare for your trip to France.