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The France seasonal work visa is available to non-EU citizens who want to undertake seasonal activities like tourism or agriculture in France. You need to apply for a long-term visa to take up seasonal work. That is a visa that mentions seasonal worker (or travailleur saisonnier). This visa is given for up to 90 days. To start the visa application process, you must know the eligibility criteria, documentation requirements, fees, and other details. Therefore, this blog covers everything you need about the France seasonal work visa.
This Blog Includes:
- France Seasonal Work Visa: An Overview
- France Seasonal Work Visa Eligible Occupations
- How Do I Get a Seasonal Work Visa in France?
- France Seasonal Work Visa Requirements
- How to Apply for a France Seasonal Work Visa?
- France Seasonal Work Visa Processing Time
- France Seasonal Work Visa Fees
- Can You Extend the France Seasonal Work Visa?
- Rights of a Seasonal Work Visa Holder
- Things to Keep in Mind Before Applying for a France Seasonal Work Visa
- Top Websites to Find Seasonal Work in France
- FAQs
France Seasonal Work Visa: An Overview
France issues two types of visas: a short stay visa and a long stay visa. The short-stay visa permits you to stay in the country for up to 90 days in 180 days. On the other hand, a long-stay visa permits you to stay in the country for more than 90 days/3 months. The seasonal work visa is a type of long-stay visa issued by France. When you have a France long-stay visa you can work for up to 6 months in any 12 months. A France long-stay visa permits you to work under different employers. However, each employer will have to apply for a work permit on your behalf.
After receiving your seasonal worker long-term visa you can travel to France. Thereafter, you are required to apply for a multi-year seasonal work residence permit. The employer will have to apply for a new seasonal work permit for every seasonal contract. During the validity period of a multi-year residence permit, you can enter France, and engage in a new seasonal work. You do not require a new visa for it. However, the work permit obtained by the employer must be demonstrated at the border.
France Seasonal Work Visa Eligible Occupations
The France seasonal work visa is only issued for certain occupations linked to seasonal rhythm. These are listed below:
- Agricultural work (framers involved in harvesting fruits, grapes, and vegetables, etc)
- Tourism & hospitality work (working in restaurants, hotels, resorts, etc during the tourist season)
- Viticulture (vineyard activities mainly during the grape harvest season)
- Ski Resort work (this includes working as a ski instructor, hospitality role, etc)
How Do I Get a Seasonal Work Visa in France?
The seasonal worker visa is only available for seasonal work in France. To obtain a seasonal work visa follow the steps below.
- First, decide the type of seasonal work you are interested in undertaking in France
- Next, apply for a job in France, and obtain a work permit. The employer will apply for a work permit from the French administration. You can work for different employers on a seasonal work visa.
- After obtaining the work permit, you can apply for a France long-term visa for a seasonal worker
- Travel to France, and within 2 months apply for a multi-year seasonal residence permit
- The permit you will obtain is valid for 3 years.
- You can stay in France for up to 6 months in 12 months.
Learn All About France Post Study Work Visa for Indian Students
France Seasonal Work Visa Requirements
To apply for a France seasonal work visa documentation requirements have to be met. The documents you submit will verify your identity and your eligibility.
- You must be at least 18 years of age and must have a valid passport
- You must have received a job offer from a seasonal work employer in France. You must also have a work permit.
- Present documentation to prove that you meet the qualifications for the seasonal work
- You must have sufficient funds for the duration of your stay. The seasonal work you are undertaking must pay you the minimum wage given to a full-time employee.
- Provide proof of accommodation in France. For example, a hotel booking
- Additionally, you must have health insurance that is applicable in all EU nations. The minimum amount you need is EUR 30,000.
- You also need to prove that you do not have any criminal record
- Present any additional documentation requested during the visa application process
View this Pdf to know the documentation requirements for a long-term visa
How to Apply for a France Seasonal Work Visa?
The France seasonal work visa application can be made online. You can visit the official website (France-Visas) to start the application process. Thereafter, you can follow the steps below:
- Click on start the visa application, and go to the login page
- Create a new account or log in to your existing account, and answer the relevant questions. Your visa application form will be filled out on your behalf
- A list of documents will be displayed on the screen. Ensure that you have the same.
- At this stage, you need to book a visa appointment and pay the visa application fee
- On the day of the visa appointment, submit your biometric information. You also need to submit a visa application form and the documents to the visa application centre.
- Finally, your visa application will be processed. You can track the same online (at the VFS Global website).
- When your a decision on your application is arrived at, you can collect your passport and other documents from the visa application centre.
To learn more about France seasonal work visa, watch the video below:
France Seasonal Work Visa Processing Time
The processing time for a seasonal work visa is provided below. The visa application processing can exceed the normal period in case of workload, additional verification or documentation requirements.
| Particulars | Processing Time |
| Work authorisation approval | 10-20 days |
| Normal processing time for seasonal work visa | 15-20 days |
France Seasonal Work Visa Fees
The fees for the seasonal work visa for Indian nationals are provided below:
| Particulars | Fees |
| France’s long-term seasonal work visa fee | EUR 99 (approx) (INR 9,209) |
| Temporary residence permit | EUR 19 |
Can You Extend the France Seasonal Work Visa?
Yes. You can apply for a visa extension for seasonal work in France. The long-term work visa (seasonal workers) are required to apply for a residence permit within 2 months of reaching France. This residence permit is valid for up to 3 years. However, the condition is that you can only work for 6 months in 12 months within these 3 years. If you receive a seasonal work visa for less than 6 months a visa extension can be applied. However, this application must be made at least 2 months prior to the visa exprity.
Rights of a Seasonal Work Visa Holder
Below we have provided some of the rights of a seasonal work visa holder:
- During the validity of your residence permit, you can go in and out of the country. You do not need to apply for a visa. However, a work permit is requested at the border
- You do not have the right to family reunification as a seasonal worker
- Also, you cannot apply for a EU long-term residence permit.
Things to Keep in Mind Before Applying for a France Seasonal Work Visa
Before applying for a France seasonal work vis, you must know certain things about the visa. Knowing this thing can help in smooth visa application process.
- Your employer must apply for a work permit and send you the same. The authorisation de travail or the work permit is the first step of the application process.
- You need to apply for a seasonal work visa and get a residence permit within 2 months of reaching France
- The seasonal work at least takes 3-4 months. Generally, employers in France do not hire for less than 3 months of seasonal work.
- If the employer wants to hire you for another year, or you want to work for another employer you need to start a new contract and apply for a work permit again. The contracts of seasonal workers are temporary.
- You need accommodation in France to apply for a work visa. The accommodation detail is requested as a part of the visa application. This can be hotel booking, accommodation provided by the employer, etc.
Top Websites to Find Seasonal Work in France
A France seasonal work visa can only be obtained if you have a job offer letter, and a work permit. For this, you need to apply for jobs Below we have listed some popular online platforms where you can look for seasonal work>
- Pôle Emploi
- Indeed France
- Adecco
- ANETT
- Manpower France
- Mon-Job-Étudiant
- Qapa
- Jobaviz
FAQs
Decide the seasonal work you are interested in, and then apply for jobs. Get a work permit from the employer to work in France, and apply for a work visa.
You can get a France work visa researching jobs, internships, seasonal work, self-employment, etc. You can apply for the job, get selected, and receive an offer letter, and a work permit. After that, you can apply for a work visa or a long-term visa.
Yes. France offers working holiday visas for applicants of 18 and 30 years of age. However, working holiday visas are not available to Indians. Nationals of Canada, Australia, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, etc can apply for this visa
We hope you now understand all about the France seasonal work visas. Want to apply for a Visa for your study abroad journey? Drop us a comment in the section below, or you can connect with a visa expert at Leverage Edu, and we will guide you on your dream journey!
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