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The American's Dossier Guide to the French Long-Stay Visitor Visa
Build a VLS-TS "visiteur" dossier a consular agent can check quickly: the exact 2026 income thresholds, what the insurance letter must say, a motivation letter that answers the questions before they are asked, the French side nobody explains (ANEF, OFII, PUMa, renewal), and the ten mistakes that get qualified applicants refused.
Get the guide · $29 · instant download 32 pages · PDF + editable Word templates · six templates, a fully written retiree's letter, the master checklist and the ten refusal patterns on one page · free updated edition when a yearly figure changes (the income benchmark is revalued every January 1, so there is no reason to wait for the 2027 figures) · 14-day refund · $29 off the dossier review for guide buyers
You're qualified. Your dossier might not show it.
Qualified Americans with enough income, real insurance and a signed lease do get refusal letters from the Washington consulate. Not because they didn't qualify, but because the file didn't prove it the way a consular agent, with a few minutes per dossier, needs to see it.
Inside, step by step
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| 1 | Is "visiteur" really your category? VLS-T vs VLS-TS, and the June 23, 2026 Interior Ministry answer on remote work for a U.S. employer, with the exact wording to reuse. |
| 2 | The backwards timeline, from T−20 weeks to your ANEF deadline, with the two hard constraints most people discover too late. |
| 3 | Money: the 2026 benchmark in euros, the 1.5× and 2× comfort levels, couples, unmarried couples, savings-only, and the one-page financial summary agents actually read. |
| 4 | Insurance: the six things the letter must say, why Medicare and travel policies fail, indicative premiums by age, the Medicare Part B question. |
| 5 | Housing proof ranked from strongest to "refusal risk", bail mobilité, renting without a French guarantor. |
| 6 | The motivation letter and the sworn statement, with the French attestation ready to sign. |
| 7 | France-Visas and TLScontact: the ten U.S. centers (use any of them), the €99 visa fee and the TLScontact service fee (about €220, charged in U.S. dollars), biometrics, the 3-month window, finding a slot. |
| 8 | Assembling the dossier tab by tab; getting each document from the U.S.; what the whole process costs. |
| 9 | If you're refused: the Nantes commission, the 30-day deadline, reapply vs appeal, the fix for each reason checked on the refusal. |
| 10 | Your first 90 days: ANEF validation (€300), OFII, PUMa, banking, tax residence, renewal; a chapter for remote employees on what is settled and what is not. |
| Bonus | Six templates (also as an editable Word file), a fully written retiree's letter, the master checklist, the ten refusal patterns on one page. |
Who it's for, who it's not
For: retirees, remote employees of U.S. companies, sabbatical-takers and couples moving to France for 12 months or more.
Not for: people moving for a French job, a French degree, or to join a French spouse; those are different visas with different files.
Questions answered inside
- How much income do I really need in 2026, per person and as a couple?
- Can I keep my U.S. remote job on a visitor visa? (The Ministry's answer, and the sentence to write.)
- Does Medicare count? (No.) What does?
- Can I book my appointment in another state? (Yes, any of the ten centers.)
- I was refused for "insufficient means": what exactly do I change?
Get the guide · $29 · instant download
FAQ
Is this up to date? 2026 edition, checked on October 16, 2026 against France-Visas, ANEF, service-public.fr and the Journal officiel. Yearly figures are flagged so you can re-check them the week you file, and every buyer receives the updated edition free.
Do you review my dossier? Not with the guide. That is the written dossier review ($199, on application); guide buyers get $29 off.
Refund? If the guide isn't useful to you, reply to your receipt within 14 days for a full refund.
Who writes this? Approved Guides is written and checked in France by one French author who compiles the official sources, the ministerial answers and the refusal patterns reported by relocation practitioners into one method. Every figure is sourced on the last page. The author is not a lawyer; this is practical information, not legal advice.
Get the yearly figures the week they move
The income benchmark, the residence-permit taxes, the consular fees, the Ministry's answers. No weekly newsletter, no spam: one email when a figure that affects your file changes.
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