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✔️ 20 hrs/week part-time work allowed
✔️ 1–2 year post-study work visa (APS)
✔️ Government housing subsidy (CAF)
✔️ English-taught programs available
📚 Entry Requirements:
IELTS/TOEFL 6.0–6.5 | MOI accepted | French not mandatory
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For Thai citizens, the prospect of visiting France—whether to marvel at the Eiffel Tower, conduct business in Lyon, or pursue studies in the halls of the Sorbonne—requires navigating the structured gateway of the Schengen visa process. As France is a key member of the European Schengen Area, securing a visa involves a meticulous procedure governed by European Union regulations, French consular authority, and specific bilateral considerations. This guide delves beyond the basic checklist, offering a detailed exploration of the types, processes, requirements, and strategic insights for a successful French visa application from Thailand.
Understanding the Schengen Framework
First, it is crucial to contextualize the "French visa" within the larger Schengen Agreement. A short-stay visa issued by France is, in fact, a Schengen visa. It grants the holder the right to enter and travel freely within the entire 27-country Schengen Area for up to 90 days within any 180-day period. The pivotal rule here is the "First Entry" or "Main Destination" principle. You must apply at the consulate of the country where you will spend the most nights. If visiting France and Germany equally, apply to the consulate of your first point of entry. For a purely French itinerary, the application is lodged with France.
Visa Types: Aligning Purpose with Permission
Selecting the correct visa category is the foundational step. The French embassy in Bangkok distinguishes between:
Short-Stay Schengen Visa (Type C): The most common category for tourists, business visitors, and those visiting family/friends.
Tourist Visa: For leisure, sightseeing, and cultural visits.
Business Visa: For attending meetings, conferences, negotiations, or training. Requires an invitation from a French company and often proof of commercial ties between the inviting and applicant's companies.
Visitor Visa (Family/Friend Visit): Requires a formal attestation of accommodation (attestation d'accueil) issued by the host's local mairie in France, or detailed hotel bookings.
Cultural/Sports Events: For participants or attendees of specific events.
Long-Stay Visa (Type D): For stays exceeding 90 days. This is effectively a French national visa, not a Schengen visa, and is required for purposes such as:
Study Visa (VLS-TS Étudiant): For university enrollment. Requires proof of admission, financial means, and accommodation. It must be validated online upon arrival in France.
Work Visa: Highly regulated and contingent on prior approval from the French labor authorities (DIRECCTE). The employer in France typically initiates this process.
Family Reunification: For joining a spouse or family member who is a legal resident in France, subject to stringent income and accommodation requirements.
Talent Passport: A multi-year residence permit for highly skilled workers, investors, researchers, and artists meeting specific criteria.
The Application Ecosystem: TLScontact
Since 2011, France has outsourced the administrative and logistical aspects of visa applications in Thailand to a specialized partner: TLScontact. The French Embassy in Bangkok sets the policy and makes the final visa decision, but all applicants must interact with the TLScontact Application Centre in Bangkok.
The Step-by-Step Journey:
Online Pre-Application (France-Visas Portal): The process begins on the official French government portal, France-visas.gouv.fr. Here, you complete a detailed digital application form, which generates a unique reference number and a checklist of required documents.
TLScontact Account & Appointment: Using your France-Visas reference, you create an account on the TLScontact Thailand website, fill in any additional details, and book a mandatory in-person appointment at their Bangkok center. Appointment slots can be in high demand, especially before peak travel seasons, so planning at least 3-4 months in advance is prudent.
Documentation Dossier: This is the core of your application. The standard required documents include:
A valid Thai passport (issued within the last 10 years, with at least two blank pages, and valid for at least three months beyond your intended date of departure from the Schengen Area).
Completed Schengen application form.
Two recent, biometric-compliant photographs.
Proof of travel medical insurance covering a minimum of €30,000 for emergencies, repatriation, and hospital care across the entire Schengen Area.
Detailed travel itinerary: round-trip flight reservations (not initially paid tickets if avoidable), day-by-day plans, and confirmed accommodation for the entire stay.
Proof of financial means: Recent 3-6 month bank statements showing consistent, sustainable funds. The French consulate unofficially looks for a minimum of €65-120 per day of stay, depending on accommodation status. For employees, a guarantee letter from employer, leave permission, and salary slips. For business owners, company registration and tax documents.
Proof of socio-professional and familial ties to Thailand: This is critical to demonstrate your intention to return. This includes property deeds, marriage/birth certificates, evidence of enrollment in studies, or a letter from a Thai employer stating your return to work.
Category-specific documents: Business invitation, attestation d'accueil, university enrollment certificate, etc.
Biometric Enrollment: At your TLScontact appointment, you submit your documents, pay the visa fee (€80 for adults for short-stay; different for long-stay), and provide your fingerprints (biometric data), which are stored for 59 months.
Processing and Decision: TLScontact forwards your application to the French Embassy's Consular Section. Standard processing is 15 calendar days, but it can extend to 30 or even 60 days for further scrutiny, especially for long-stay visas or complex cases. You can track the status via your TLScontact account.
Strategic Insights and Common Pitfalls
The Story is Key: Your application should tell a coherent, logical story. A bank account suddenly flooded with a large deposit, a vague itinerary, or mismatched dates between flights and hotel bookings raise red flags. Consistency across all documents is paramount.
Ties to Thailand: For young, single, or first-time travelers, proving strong ties is essential. A detailed cover letter explaining your travel purpose, your life in Thailand, and your plans to return can be very effective.
Financial Proof: The funds must be accessible and belong to you. Sponsorships are possible but require notarized letters and the sponsor's own substantial financial proof.
Long-Stay Specifics: The process for long-stay visas (like study visas) involves more steps, including potential visa interviews and the mandatory OFII validation process post-arrival in France.
Post-Brexit Note: The UK is not part of the Schengen Area. A France visa does not allow entry to the UK, and vice-versa.
The Future: ETIAS
A significant change on the horizon is the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), expected in 2025. This is not a visa but a pre-travel authorization for visa-exempt nationals. Importantly, Thai citizens will still require a Schengen visa. ETIAS will apply to other nationalities (e.g., US, UK passport holders), but for Thai travelers to France, the visa process outlined here will remain mandatory.
Conclusion
Securing a French visa from Thailand is a process that rewards meticulous preparation, transparency, and an understanding of the underlying principles of immigration control: purpose, means, and intent to return. It is an administrative journey that begins on digital portals and culminates in a consular decision. By thoroughly respecting the requirements, presenting a credible and documented application, and utilizing the mandated TLScontact system correctly, Thai applicants can confidently navigate this pathway, unlocking the doors to the rich experiences that await in France. Always begin by consulting the official sources: the France-Visas portal and the website of the French Embassy in Bangkok, as regulations are subject to change.
If you’ve been planning to stand before the Eiffel Tower, shop along the Champs-Élysées, or enjoy fresh pastries from a local bakery, a Fran
After a nice nap on the bus, we were in for a history lesson at one of the most famous, expensive wine selling shops in France (“most prestigious wine negotiants”) – in the Chateau de Beaune (pronounced bawn). Our guide, Cecile Blanchardon took us inside and underneath the royal fortress of Beaune. Originally, it was a castle in rebellion of the king where they built the fortress with a city inside in a good location to protect. It was torn down by the king so nobody could question his rule again. At some point, it was partially restored by a wealthy vineyard owner because the parts below ground were perfect conditions to store wine and it was a very good investment. The walls are 5 to 8 meters thick and 10 meters below ground so the temperature is kept perfectly between 13-15 degrees Celsius. They formed the cellar in sections perfect for storing and organizing the wine bottles. As of now there are wines over 100 years old still kept in good condition down there – labeled and organized. During the war, apparently a more recently found piece of information was that one of the German commanders’ father was a wine expert and he carefully asked his son to not destroy this particular wine cellar and that’s how most of the wines survived. Also, I asked a lot of questions about recorking – it happens manually in a laboratory under carbon dioxide conditions so no oxidation occurs. It is done by hand because the glass bottles are so old they were handblown and a machine would break. Also, in terms of making a cork, it is composed of glue with small plastic bullets, natural cork and carbon dioxide supercritic. These are specially designed to a voide the risk of “corking”
Then, we had a wine tasting. A VERY nice wine tasting. She had handouts for us with the names and years of the wines so we could take notes. We tried 3 reds and then 3 whites and she explained why reds were first (even though the last 3 wine tastings had been white first…?) But I missed writing down the explanation… So we tried first a 2012 Monthelie which I have written down was smooth, rounded, oaky, “closed” (not so expressive). Then we tried a 2011 Beaune du Chateau which was “well-blended, symbolic of “Bouchard” easy to pair, well-balanced, complete. Last was the 2011 Volnay Caillerets which was much more powerful, fresh, energy-filled, acidic?
Next were the whites. We tried a 2013 Pouilly-Fuisse which was a negotient wine (?) tasting of minerals, apple or lemon and citrusy/earthy. Then a 2012 Beaune Clos Saint-Landry from 2012 Apparently 2012 was a really good year in terms of weather and wine sales. This one was the class favorite it was powerful, deeper in maturity, it had a higher alcoholic content because of the good conditions…? And last was also a 2012 Meursault Genevrieres. It had hints of vanillya and honey, hazelnut. Maybe acidic, tangy or sweet(>) lots of debate around that descriptive word. After, welooked at the gardens (always pristinely tcared for and with quite a view. People ran back inside to buy some wine. Then wit was time for lunch!
The 6 of us (perfect group) sat down at the perfect café with fast service (1st time in France actually) and was deemed the best Crème Brulee!!! Because it had vanilla and bourbon in it as well. We walked around a few shops and on this one counter was a little fluffy dog who just licked my hand for like 2 minutes straight it was so cute! Then we went on to the next event was the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy which is now the Wine museum. I had asked them about doing my rsearch paper on the evolution of the technology of wine-making. And this was the place to be. With all of the old tools and carrying devices it was impressive. Except for the fact that it was all in French.
Last, we visited the hospital, which was beautifully preserved and still makes money because this one wealthy family donated lots of vineyards to the hospital to produce income, which it still does. And the wine made from them goes on auction to very wealthy people around the world. The hospitals were built inside a church so they could pray. There was a poor and a wealthy room as well as a kitchen, pharmacy and other additions. We got to see the Tryptic by Roger… depicting St. (Michael?) weighing the souls and heaven on one side and hell on the other. I saw a magnifying glass and asked our professor who speaks French if there were controls anywhere. She asked the guard who reached for the remote control! For a split second I thought he might give it to me but he asked where I wanted to look and I said Michael’s face. And then a little around that and then Christ’s hands which had the slits from the nails. And then he went over a few more faces it was very cool. Of all her years there Kathy never knew that was there – felt pretty good for asking!
On the ride home, we drove past all of these famous vineyards. I may have fallen asleep in between because we had just been on our feet the whole day. But halfway through I did watch the rest of the landscape pass. At parts, it could’ve been home. One area looked just like driving to church past the fields and the mountain on west portal.
When we got back, we freshened up and grabbed our cameras to hike up to the top of our mountain to see all of Cluny in the setting sun! Tiring day so on the way back, we stopped at the Italian restaurant “Le Forum” for a homemade true Italian meal! Sean ordered lasagna and I ordered this mixed (French) cheese pizza and we split half of each and they were amazing! The desserts were fantastic looking but we could barely finish the meal so we will have to come back and eat less next time! Then as we were finishing, I saw someone have a limoncello shot for dessert. And I bought a round for our table (sortof). It turned out to be way more expensive than it should have but it was fun and we got Pango and well nobody really had tried it before and they all really enjoyed it! 2 people got another round! Made for a fun night of friends. We had a little white wine with dinner earlier but 1 house carafe of white wine only gets you about half a glass per person. So really not that much.
Up early to travel around! We started our day by the vineyards of Pouilly-Fuissé in the region of Maconnais. The lines of grapevines are beautifully straight and perfect. And at the top of all the slopes, the Roche de Solutré. It is this huge prehistoric rock where different types of monarchs claimed over the years. After a brief and windy cold discussion of the landscape and it’s unique properties for these wines, we walked through the town comparing and contrasting to Cluny and hopped back on the bus to continue the day.
It was brutally cold outside – cloudy and windy and we were high up in the mountains. We talked about the differences between the patches of land and the angle of the hills and how much sun/rain and the seasons! Then we walked down through the town where most of the grape growers/wine producers live built up and situated around the medieval church.
Then we hopped back on a bus and continued to Sonia’s vineyard where her and her husband run a vineyard and a modern winery. She explained how they prune (what’s the more accurate word for that?) the all but one of the branches in the winter and tie them down and push the dirt up around it to protect it in the cold. Then now, they are either spreading some herbicides or if organic, picking weeds. We saw where all the grapes are gathered (machine picked). The green grapes go into a machine that presses everything and squeezes the juice out and then separates the juice from the leaves and branches. The red grapes go into a vat and are macerated for about 10 days before it is separated and transferred to another vat where it is fermented in the second stage.
Then we all bought one thing to share with the class as a picnic and all tasted some of Sonia’s wines. The name of her place is “P…” and it is the name of the author who wrote little red riding hood and so the pictures on their wine bottles are little red riding hood and the big bad wolf and Granny and the huntsman. I want the labels! Well picnic was after wine tasting. My sausage thing was a hit! Made a nice sandwich baguette and enjoyed some more wine!
Then, we hopped back on the bus and went to an agricultural high school where the train students hands on how to make cheese and wine from every aspect of growing the grapes and raising the goats. It was really fun! Everyone was getting a kick out of the goats because they hadn’t been fed yet and they were really friendly. There was 180 and they were all pressed against the fence sticking their heads out and bleeting at us! Then we saw this year’s babies and last year’s babies! And there was this really friendly dog – loving the animals! And then we got to the cheese making part and this was the simplest method where you get the milk to the right temperature and let it sit and start to curdle and then you pour it into the mold. The water drips off and its then flipped and it dries more. Then we went into the wine-making area where it was similar to the process we learned about at Sonia’s except less modern and different names because it was a different region. Then we tasted everything! 2 goat cheeses and 2 white wines!
Next, we headed up a tiny road weaving back and forth up this steep mountain to visit a Dutch lady who has a small farm with a bunch of goats and she mixes flavors in her cheeses to create some popular artisan cheeses sold at the farmers markets around here locally! Last Thursday, her one goat surprised her and had a baby which they named “devil” translated from Dutch which was her phrase for something about a surprise. She makes all her cheeses in a specific part of her house, which is kept at a certain temperature and then stored at another temperature. She had some creative ideas for spices and shapes. They were a little too much for me though. The one was super spicy and another was really strong.
This weekend was my first real opportunity to travel, so I was eager to plot out something. Our school plans an integration weekend each semester because there truly are so many exchange students. This semester's integration weekend was to the French Alps with skiing and clubbing included. It literally sounded so fun but for anyone who knows me, my head is a gravity magnet and likes to hit itself off of objects during numerous inopportune occasions. I’ve been in ski school and private lessons for skiing out West with my family but haven't skied somewhere legit in almost four years now so I was nervous because most typically gravity wins with me and my head breaks the falls.
As a result of that rather long logic, I decided to meet up with my roommate and some friends from Penn State and head to Amsterdam for the weekend!
I left my apartment around 930 am to catch the longer bus to the airport (because I couldn't find the express stop the day prior). I met a couple from Sweden who helped me out because they were heading to the airport as well. I, sure the bus system is simple to someone who lives in and speaks French, but to me it is a crammed mad house and other than going to school, I've yet to figure them out. On a positive note, the bus cost 1 euro and a taxi would have cost around 60 Euros so it was definitely worth it to cram on board.
Once at the airport, I had a lot of down time because I over estimated how long the bus would take. I grabbed a quick breakfast, which included a croissant. I never thought I'd jump on that bandwagon but French croissants are fresh, fluffy and fabulous.
After waiting for a while, I boarded my flight to Barcelona. Once in Barcelona I had mad downtime. I shopped around because they had two stores I love--Zara and La Perla! I didn't buy anything but shopping always entertains me.
After killing some time, Laura got to the airport! It was so nice to see her that I can't even describe in words. After living together for the last two years, not seeing each other for a while feels weird.
As best friends do, we headed to the bar to toast our reunion. Laura speaks Spanish pretty well and asked him for our drinks "strong" and I was a little scared by the amount of vodka he poured in our drinks. After a few sips, I saw some of our guy friends from state! I didn't know they were going to Amsterdam, too, so that was a pleasant surprise.
Then plane seemed to be filled with Barcelona study abroad students venturing to Amsterdam for the weekend. It’s always really funny because you can tell when other people are in Greek life. Some kids from IU that most definitely are synonymous to my guy friends at school surrounded me. They were definitely equally as pumped as we were for the trip.
There were also friends in KD going and staying in the same hostel, so that comforted me. I booked my hostile after Laura and her roommates, and wasn't guaranteed to be in the same room as them. I've never stayed in a hostel before and don't really know but to expect, so I'm a little nervous and hoping I can end up in a room with some people I know or I'm doubtful ill be able to get sleep. Well have to see what Amsterdam has in store for me--fingers crossed.
Things have become more routine starting my third week at Skema, yet surprises still exist in the world of high school musical. The first comes with Jans, my teacher for advertising. I literally can barely understand a word of his English, so I feel especially bad for the students who use English as their second, third or often fourth language. After he went on some rant about Brad Pitt, we persuaded him to show the Brad Pitt Chanel commercial (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oF8NAyqxGfk) which always makes me laugh. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it and the SNL parody of it out (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTGDde7rhJE).
After ad, I had my speech class. The class is counting for my CAS (Penn State required speaking class) but I think it would better relate to an ESL (English as a second language) class. One student brought their dog to class and I chilled with it pretty much the whole time. I am a FIRM believer that dogs can sense human emotion and I think it sensed how much I miss my puppies!
The teacher showed Obama’s speech for the inauguration, which was cool because we don’t have a TV to watch anything like that on---and, I guess the future of our country is of somewhat importance. We finished off the class pronouncing the seven common words French people mispronounce. All together! Heat, eat, seat…yup..that happened.
On Wednesday morning, I have my history class. I have always loved history and if I read, it’s usually books linked to historic events or figures. But, I’m also a believer that your perception of events can be greatly influenced by your teacher and the way writers write books. A lot of history teachers are fairly opinionated, and I think the best ones keep you guessing on their true opinions. This is not the case with my teacher. After the first class, I could tell he was an atheist that still goes to church as result of rebelling from his upbringing: an extremely catholic mother and attending a Jesuit high school. When he talks about the Vatican or great schism, he more often sounds like he is ripping on Catholics than teaching. Interesting to learn about the same events from different teachers.
During my break, I ventured to the CEA office to print some boarding passes and miscellaneous information. My advisor encouraged me to check where the bus stop to the airport was and I’m thankful she did. There are two buses, one is a direct bus for nine euros, and one is a longer, at times crowded, bus for one euro. I wanted to find the direct bus so I wouldn’t worry.
This is where not speaking French or having a working phone was not in my favor. I literally walked what I predict to be at least four miles all over Antibes, circling around and checking every stop. In addition to the unplanned exercise, it also conveniently started to rain. I was so frustrated and kept trying to ask questions in my broken French but couldn’t understand the responses anyways. Once my umbrella broke and I was drenched, a young boy must have felt sorry for me because he offered to walk me to the stop. After a long silent walk he took me right back to a stop I had been over twenty times that was right near my apartment. Even better is that it was not the right one. I was wet dog status and my moral was defeated. I opted for the 1-euro bus and called it quits.
My roommate and I headed for a pick me up coffee and a Nutella filled Panini (sorry body) before heading back to Skema for our photography class. That night I went out to dinner with some girl in my program! We split steak fondue, and I may have undercooked mine #nuffsaid.
I packed my bag and prepared for my trip the next morning. I’m glad I created the ‘optional” French class for my Thursday mornings.
Is there something that will always agitate you and put you in a certain mood? Well, for me, I'm guaranteed to shift into one of two very distinct moods when I'm beyond tired. In the first situation, I get slap happy and laugh at everything but for the second, I hate life and become a silent human with a face resembling a five year old child who didn't get their dream Christmas present. Unfortunately, Saturday night my mind took form of the second.
After our excursion during the day, we had plans to go out to a very nice club in Cannes called Baoli (we went there last Saturday as well). Before going, instead of pre-gaming with alcohol--like any normal person would-- we decided espresso shots were a better choice to help us recover from the exhaustion of traveling all day. We took three... and my hands were basically shaking.
It was still raining on our way to Cannes, so as we went past the ocean, the waves were so close and splashing onto the road, which was really cool to see during a storm.
Baoli was a good time, but like I said, when I'm exhausted I sometimes suck. I would dance for a little, check the time and freak out knowing I had to stay out until at least five. The trains don't really run from ten pm to five am, so often times we go with friends. I took a selfie of my exhaustion and think it pretty much describes my mood for the night. If my eyes had been on my side, I would have have had a great night, but I actually felt like the guy from rat race who constantly falls asleep while moving.
Midnight...
Three am...
5 am..
On a positive note, we got to meet one of our guy friends girlfriends and she is so awesome! She has spent a lot of time in the states so had really good English and was able to help us understand conversations and questions when we couldn't understand.
After a long night, we had a lazy Sunday but finally made moves and booked our spring break. Ours is a lot earlier than other programs taking place at the end of February and it seems like everyone else was ahead of the game. We found a few good deals, and decided to go to Marrakech and Lisbon. I'm really excited for it because those are two places I'm not sure i'll be able to get to again.
Since it was Sunday, pretty much everything is closed. The two boys in our program have been begging us to cook dinner (I think they've been struggling) so we invited them over so long as they bring food and wine. We made a pesto salmon pasta and it was actually pretty good.
After dinner I talked Danielle and Kirstin into watching the bachelor week two episode. Again, wasn't that great. Maybe it's because it's right after Emily's season which was great. Or, it could be that girls are a lot more annoying than guys, and when the guys fought it was funny, but the girl drama is just straight lame. I'm looking forward to seeing how the one really psycho girl gets pushed down the stairs, though.
Monday I took a very long walk and talked to my dad. It was really nice because he knows me very well and because he grew up so differently than I have, can always put situations and opportunities into perspective for me. I'm so blessed to have the opportunity to explore the world and learn other cultures and customs. Since I've traveled a good amount inside the states and out, I think I overestimated my speed of transition. Living in New York alone this summer was definitely good prep for this, because essentially that place is chaos, but living in another country isn't as easy as I thought it would be. Luckily, I have so much support and am grateful for it.
