French Polynesia Long Stay Visa Application:

It’s a Process not Rocket Science

 

By Maurisa Descheemaeker on SV WHIRLWIND

The best place to start getting familiar with the procedure is on the French governments visa wizard landing page: https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/visa-wizard    On the visa-wizard page you enter in your nationality, your destination, and plans in said destination.  In short you will find that with the exception of:

• Citizens of the European Union, Monaco and Andorra, for all territories.
• Citizens of the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland, except French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis-et-Futuna and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF)

all citizens wishing to stay in French Polynesia for more than 90 days must apply for a long-stay visa BEFORE arriving in French Polynesia.  Anywhere there is a French Embassy one may apply for a long-stay visa for French Polynesia.  We were planning to set sail from Panama so we had our application appointment in Panama City and said as much on the application.  As a US citizen with plans to cruise in French Polynesia for more than 90 days the wizard determined that I needed to apply for a long-stay visa and then directed me to the online application link.  In this link you create an account with a username and password.  You may then access, fill out, and submit your application.   Once the application is submitted you can book an appointment to go in person to the embassy to present yourself, your application and all required supporting documents.

Honestly, with all the information from well intentioned cruisers on the internet about the process and all the changes over the years I felt mixed waves of uncertainty before I started the application.  I quickly realized that .he path to the Long-stay visa is a process not rocket science.  My waves of uncertainty were more of a mental block than an actual challenge because once I got started with the application I found the process very straightforward albeit a bit tedious.  Furthermore, any time I had a question I wrote directly to the embassy in the country I was applying from.  The response was very quick and very clear.  Asking the embassy directly was very helpful because the rules were one way before COVID, another way during COVID, and another way still since COVID.   The process and requirements have and may still be changing so the best source of information is the government agency directly.

That said, there were a few questions that felt like wild cards that actually were not because upon asking I was given black and white responses:

1. There is a question of when to apply:  Each embassy has different processing times so ask directly.  Panama told me 4-6 weeks and they were.  It is important to note that you cannot apply more than 90 day before your expected arrival date.
2. There is a question of when you will arrive: Our best guess was provided.  We arrived a month later and this was fine.  You basically have the duration of your visa to arrive.
3. There is a question of providing your passport for review: Different embassies have different requirement regarding passports.  Some require looking at it and scanning it immediately, some hold it overnight or more.  Ask ahead so you know what to expect.  We provided a letter stating that we needed to hold on to ours and this was acceptable.
4. There is a question of who is applying: I was applying for myself, my husband, and our two kids.  This is very easily done in the online application by stating that I was ‘travelling in a group’ so I just added people to my one application instead of making four applications.
5. There is a question of an address: I am a citizen of the United States and provided my address in the US.  Regarding an address in French Polynesia I stated that I planned to be cruising.  I would be living about my vessel everywhere I went.  This was true and fine.  I stated the Island groups I planned to visit.
6. There is a question of health coverage: I asked the embassy exact what the minimum requirements were and found a plan that met or exceeded them.
7. There is a question of socio-economic status: I asked the embassy exactly what this meant she replied that: Socio-economic status would be for example retired/employed/company owner etc, which you need to show proof of.
8. There is a question of funds: I asked the embassy what the minimum requirement was.  In January 2023, when we applied the requirement regarding the funds was that you had to prove that you had or have coming in an annual amount equal to 12 times the amount of the monthly minimum wage in France (currently 16,784.32€) per adult.  This would certainly be something to ask specifically about as minimum wage changes.  They ask that proof of the funds is by presenting the last 3 months of bank statements preceding your application appointment.  These can show monthly income equal to monthly minimum wage or a balance holding the annual income stated above.

After I made my way through the online application successfully, I was then able to make an appointment to present everything in person at the embassy.  The in person appointment is when we provided our passports, extra passport photos, printed and signed applications, all supporting documents, and the processing fee in cash.  The supporting documents I provided included two separate letters in English and French (using Google Translate): one stating that I had no plans of seeking employment in French Polynesia (this does not exclude me from working remotely for a US company as revealed in the question of funds on the application) and one stating that I homeschool my children.  I also provided a document from my school superintendent my kids status as enrolled homeschoolers, our marriage license and birth certificate copies for each of our kids.

In Panama, the French Embassy is located on a lovely point in Casco Viejo.  After the Visa appointment we took the afternoon to enjoy Casco Viejo which was a lovely treat!  Then we waited the 4-6 weeks to hear back via email that our visas were approved.  We then made yet another appointment to return to the French Embassy with our passports to get our visas, and enjoy another afternoon in Casco Viejo.

Again, every French Embassy in each country may have slightly different protocols.  Check with the Embassy directly to know exactly what they require so that your efforts to secure a long-stay visa in French Polynesia are smooth and easy.