Practical Information
To know before your arrival in Nantes
For the VISA :
Documents you need depend on your nationality and your situation.
Then for all your administrative procedures, you’ll need before to come in France (or when you arrive) :
- your VLS-TS (visa)
- your ID card or passport
- ID photos
- your birth certificate with filiation, translated by a sworn translator
- original diplomas
- a proof of your payment for the CVEC
- your student card or proof of enrollment for the current year
- an attestation of housing in France
- a letter from your guarantor for your accommodation + proof of his identity
This Visa allows you to stay in France for more than 3 months, it’s mandatory if you want to come to study in France if you’re from one of this countries : Algeria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kuwait, Laos, Lebanon, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Peru, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vietnam.
You need to validate your visa within 3 months of arriving in France at the very latest.
To do that, you need a bank account, a home address and an email address.
Then you just have to go on this site.
Yes you need to have your birth certificate translated with ‘‘légalisation’’ or "apostille", depending on your nationality (this document must be translated into French and stamped by an official translator).
Legalization of a foreign document may be required to apply in France. The legalization process is done at the French embassy or consulate established in the country issuing the document. The document must be translated beforehand if it is written in a foreign language. Contact your embassy for more information.
It’s mandatory to enroll in Oniris, it’s a payment of 100 euros to contribute to the student's social life.
If you have a scholarship, you don’t have to pay for it but you have to do the procedure like the others.
You have to register on messervices.etudiant.gouv.fr and then connect on cvec.etudiant.gouv.fr where you will be able to download your attestation.
There are many options to find an accomodation, but first you will need a financial guarantor who has to live in the European Union. If it’s not possible, you can ask your bank in France to do it for you. You can also check for example this website :
Then to find an accomodation :
You can search for private apartments you’ll have to rent on some websites like :
You can also live with a French family, have your own room in their apartments.
There is another solution which is an university residence managed by CROUS :
Finally, you can search for student residences managed by private companies mike for example :
Life in Nantes
Yes, you have to register for universal healthcare when you arrive in France, it’s absolutely mandatory.
It will reimburse 70% of the price of a consultation.
Then for the other 30% you have to subscribe to complementary health insurance.
It’s not mandatory but strongly recommended, it’s a lot easier to pay for everything, and also to benefit from assistance like housing assistance or others.
https://www.campusfrance.org/en/getting-a-bank-account
An accomodation insurance is mandatory when you live in France. It covers fire, flood damage and personal liability.
It must be taken with a French Insurance Company, or some banks can do it too.
For example : https://www.assurances-etudiants.com/en
No matter your status, Civil Liability Coverage is required by French law and is often included in private health and housing insurance.
It’s an insurance to help to refund the damages caused by you to another person, non intentionally.
You may qualify for a rent subsidy. If you do, the CAF (France’s family assistance fund) will pay you a subsidy under one of two national programs (APL, Aide Personnalisée au Logement; or ALS, Allocation de Logement à caractère Social).
If you came to France with a visa, you must hold the VLS-TS (long-stay visa and residency permit) in order to qualify for CAF assistance.
Everything can be done online. Don’t hesitate to do an online simulation to learn whether you’re eligible and find out how much assistance you might be able to receive each month.
To live in France, and mainly in Nantes, you have a monthly budget of 600 to 800 Euros to cover food, transport and housing expenses. Of course, this amount varies depending on the location or type of accommodation of the student.
It also varies depending if you have some assistance like housing aids or others.
https://www.campusfrance.org/fr/preparer-budget-etudiant-France
We have to let you know that you’ll not have a lot of time to work, your studies will take all of your time and it will be really tiring to do both.
Moreover, you have to speak french to hope to find a job in Nantes.
For employment opportunities, you may consult the CROUS job board at:
What can I do in Nantes as cultural and entertainment activities?
- visit museums
- go to the cinema
- go to the theatre
You can also go out with friends, there are many bars to take a drink or to dance in the city center.
You can visit the surroundings of Nantes too, there is the beach 20-30 minutes by train or car for example.
Oniris
- Libraries : you can borrow and read scientific books and magazines, print, copy or scan documents.
- Universitary restaurants : with the crous card.
- Sports team : rugby, basketball, tennis, football… Contact the BDE (student’s office) for more informations.
- Other clubs like artistic clubs for example.
CROUS / IZLY CARD
Contact the Registrar’s office where they can check if your CROUS Card is defective. If it is, the Registrar’s office will give you a new CROUS Card, free of charge. Do not forget to block your account via the CROUS website while waiting for your new card to be issued.
Yes, at any time up to six months after it expires.
