VISAHJELP

Spouse of French national — Conjoint(e) de Français(e)

Long-stay visa (VLS-TS « vie privée et familiale ») for a Vietnamese national married to a French citizen. The canonical national-policy source is service-public.gouv.fr F1764. The defining pre-step — mandatory before the visa application can be filed — is transcription of the foreign marriage into the French état civil by the Service Central d'État Civil de Nantes (SCEC). Without transcription the marriage does not exist in French civil-registry law and the consular post cannot issue the visa. On arrival the holder validates the VLS-TS on ANEF within 3 months; after 1 year on the VLS-TS they apply at the préfecture for the 2-year carte de séjour pluriannuelle (F2209); after 3 years total they may apply for the 10-year carte de résident (F2208). Legal basis: CESEDA L.312-1 and L.312-1-1 (visa-side anchors per F1764) and L.423-1 to L.423-6 (residence-permit conditions).

LAST VERIFIED · 2026-05-14 SOURCE: France-Visas · Independent · not affiliated

From the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs

“Decisions by the Embassy of France in Hanoi or Consulate-General in HCMC. VLS-TS « vie privée et familiale » issued when all four F1764 conditions are met. Post-arrival: ANEF validation within 3 months of arrival. Year 1 → 2-year carte pluriannuelle at préfecture (F2209). Year 3 → 10-year carte de résident at préfecture (F2208). EES does NOT apply.”
— French Ministry of Foreign Affairs · French consulates

What you need

  • Per F1764, four cumulative conditions: (a) communauté de vie with the French spouse maintained since the marriage and intended to continue in France; (b) the French spouse has retained French nationality; (c) marriage celebrated abroad has been transcribed to the French état civil via the SCEC Nantes BEFORE the visa is filed; (d) non-polygamy. Cerfa 14571-05 via france-visas interactive assistant. Vietnamese civil documents must follow the Vietnam → France legalisation chain: notarisation → Vietnamese MoFA authentication → French embassy/consulate authentication (not apostille — Vietnam has not acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention).

Checklist

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  • Long-stay visa application form (Cerfa 14571-05) — completed via france-visas assistant, printed, signed *
  • Two recent identical biometric photos (35mm × 45mm, ICAO standard) *
  • Original passport (validity covering the planned stay + 3 months; 2+ blank pages; issued ≤ 10 years ago) *
  • Passport copies — bio-data page + all visa/stamp pages *
  • French acte de mariage transcrit — issued by Service Central d'État Civil de Nantes (SCEC) *
  • Vietnamese marriage registration certificate (giấy đăng ký kết hôn) — original + notarised + sworn translation + legalised *
  • Communauté de vie evidence — genuine shared life with the French spouse *
  • French spouse identity document — current French passport or carte nationale d'identité *
  • Vietnamese applicant birth certificate (giấy khai sinh) — notarised + sworn translation + legalised *
  • Accommodation evidence in France — French spouse's residence (lease, utility bill, or taxe d'habitation) *
  • International health insurance covering France for the initial stay *
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Fees

  • Visa fee — verify current amount on france-visas (historically exempt or reduced for spouse of French national) *
  • TLS Contact service fee — EUR 25 per applicant *
  • TLS Contact appointment confirmation (Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City) *

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