CHAPTER 12 · ARRIVAL
Your first weeksin France.
In your first month: validate your visa online, complete university enrolment and CVEC, open a bank account, get a French phone number, register for health insurance on ameli, apply for CAF housing aid and buy a student transport pass. Doing them in this order saves weeks.
Published by Althéa Consulting · Adviser: Harshita Kohli
Source review: · How to use our guides
The right order
- 01
Day 1–3: phone and accommodation
Get a French SIM (you will need a French number for most forms). Move in and keep your rental contract and inventory report.
- 02
Week 1: enrol at university
Pay CVEC online, then complete administrative enrolment and collect your student card and enrolment certificate.
- 03
Week 1: validate your visa
Validate the VLS-TS online with your French address and pay €150. Keep the confirmation — it proves your legal stay.
- 04
Week 1–2: open a bank account
You need a French IBAN (RIB) for rent, salary and CAF. Bring passport, visa, enrolment and proof of address.
- 05
Week 2: health insurance
Register on the international students' Assurance Maladie website. Registration is free. Consider a mutuelle for the costs not covered.
- 06
Week 2–3: housing aid
Apply to CAF for housing aid (APL/ALS) with your lease, visa and RIB. Aid is not backdated before the month after your application, so apply quickly.
- 07
Week 2: transport pass
In Paris, the imagine R student pass costs €401.30 a year. Other cities have discounted student passes.
Use your free printable checklist
Our First 30 Days in France checklist puts each task, document and deadline on one page you can print and tick off.
IN DEPTH · TAP A TOPIC TO OPEN
Your first week, day by day
- 01
Day 1
Reach your housing, collect keys, check the inventory (état des lieux) carefully and photograph any damage.
- 02
Day 2
Buy a French SIM card; validate your VLS-TS online on ANEF and pay the €150 tax.
- 03
Day 3
Go to your university for enrolment, the CVEC certificate and your student card.
- 04
Day 4
Book a bank appointment; get your RIB (bank details) as soon as the account opens.
- 05
Day 5
Register on the Assurance Maladie international students' site; take out home insurance if not done.
- 06
Week 2
Apply for CAF housing aid, get a transport pass, and find your nearest doctor on Doctolib.
Apps and websites you will use
- ANEF — visa validation and residence permits
- ameli — health insurance and reimbursements
- CAF — housing aid
- Doctolib — doctor appointments
- SNCF Connect, Citymapper, IDF Mobilités — transport
- Leboncoin — second-hand furniture
- Lydia or Wero — paying friends
QUICK ANSWERS
Your questions, answered.
Get a French phone number, enrol at your university and pay CVEC, then validate your visa online within three months, open a bank account and register for health insurance.
Your university's international office and student associations, the Embassy of India in Paris for passport or emergency help, and Indian student associations active in most cities.
The move-in inspection report of your housing. Note every scratch or broken item; it decides how much of your deposit you get back when you leave.
WHERE TO GO NEXT
Keep going: the pages that help next.
Each card says what you will find there. Looking for something else? See every page on the site.
FRANCE GUIDE
Housing & student life
Student housing in France: CROUS, private residences, flat-shares, Visale guarantor, CAF aid, deposits, scams to avoid and daily student life.
FRANCE GUIDE
Health, bank & phone
How international students register for free French health insurance, choose a mutuelle, open a bank account and get a phone plan.
FRANCE GUIDE
Safety, wellbeing & emergencies
15, 17, 18 and 112, the 3114 crisis line, free student counselling, the Embassy of India in Paris, housing scams and discrimination help in France.
FRANCE
First 30 days in France
Your first month in France, day by day: permit validation, bank, SIM, CAF and transport.
FROM INDIA
Scams & emergencies abroad
Study abroad fraud warnings for Indian students: fake agents, offer letters and visas, forex and job scams, plus lost passports and emergencies abroad.
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