- Campus France Kenya calls the Études en France platform a mandatory step for any student going to a French institution, including students already admitted.
- If you already hold an admission letter, the platform fee is KES 1,999 (KES 7,999 if you apply to institutions through the platform), paid by M-Pesa once your documents are validated.
- Visa files are lodged by appointment at TLScontact in Westlands, Nairobi, the only centre for residents of Kenya and Somalia; the French Embassy in Nairobi decides.
- Show resources of at least €877.50 a month, on top of tuition.
- Once in France, validate your visa on the ANEF portal within three months of arrival.
Getting a French student visa from Kenya in 2027? You go through Campus France Kenya on the Études en France platform, then lodge your long-stay student visa at TLScontact in Nairobi. Here is each stage, what it costs in shillings where the fee is published, and how to time it for a 2027 intake at AI2.
This guide is for Kenyan residents who have applied to, or been admitted by, AI2 for an English-taught Bachelor or MSc near Paris. It relies on what Campus France Kenya and France-Visas publish. Fees, centres and hours change, so check the official pages before every payment or booking.
🎓 Next step: read our guide to the master’s in AI in France taught in English, and see where to study AI in Europe in English.
Step by step from Kenya
Apply to AI2, attend the online interview and receive your admission letter.
Log in to the Études en France platform and complete your application as an admitted student; Campus France Kenya then validates your documents.
Pay the KES 1,999 fee by M-Pesa when Campus France Kenya sends you its payment message.
Follow any further instruction from Campus France Kenya, including an interview if you are invited to one; practise with our Campus France interview questions.
Complete the long-stay student visa form on France-Visas and book an appointment on the TLScontact website.
Lodge your file and biometrics at TLScontact in Westlands, then wait for the embassy’s decision.
In France, validate the visa online within three months and register with the French health insurance.
Campus France Kenya: the Études en France stage
Mandatory, even with an AI2 offer
Campus France Kenya states that the Études en France platform is a mandatory step for any student who wishes to pursue higher education in a French institution, and that students holding an admission letter must still create an account. Once accepted into a programme, you log on, complete your application, and the Campus France team validates your documents.
The fee: KES 1,999 for admitted students
Campus France Kenya charges KES 7,999 to students who apply to institutions through the platform, and KES 1,999 to those who already have an acceptance letter from a French institution. AI2 applicants fall into the second case once their letter is issued. Payment is made through M-Pesa, after your documents have been validated: you receive a detailed message asking you to pay the administration fee.
Where to find the office
Campus France Kenya is at the Alliance Française of Nairobi, on the first floor, in the library. Visiting hours are Tuesday to Friday, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and the office answers at nairobi@campusfrance.org. If you live in Mombasa, Kisumu, Eldoret or Nakuru, combine trips to Nairobi where you can, because the visa centre is in the capital too.
Do not confuse the two calendars
Campus France Kenya also publishes deadlines for students applying to French universities through the platform, for example a 31 January 2027 deadline for Bachelor Year 2 or 3 and Master’s applications for September 2027. Those dates concern students who are still choosing an institution. As an admitted AI2 student, your timing depends on your intake and on the visa appointment, not on that admission calendar.
TLScontact Nairobi and the French Embassy
France-Visas states that visa applicants residing in Kenya and Somalia are received strictly by appointment at the French embassy’s service provider, TLScontact, at 9 West Building, 4th floor, Ring Road Parklands, Westlands, Nairobi. Appointments are booked on the TLScontact website. Files are then processed by the visa section of the French Embassy in Nairobi, which takes every decision. There is no other centre in the country, so applicants from outside Nairobi travel to Westlands for biometrics.
At the appointment, France-Visas asks you to bring the printed appointment confirmation, the passport whose number matches the one on that confirmation, your documents in the same order as the official checklist, and the payment for the visa. Fingerprints and a photograph are taken unless your biometrics can be reused from a recent Schengen visa. Processing takes at least 15 days from submission, so book early.
| Stage | Where | Cost or timing |
|---|---|---|
| Études en France file | Online, validated by Campus France Kenya | KES 1,999 with an admission letter, by M-Pesa |
| Document validation and any interview | Campus France Kenya, Alliance Française of Nairobi | Before you book TLScontact |
| Visa application form | France-Visas portal | Visa fee shown on France-Visas |
| File and biometrics | TLScontact, Westlands, Nairobi | TLScontact service fee shown when booking |
| Decision | Visa section, French Embassy in Nairobi | At least 15 days after submission |
Documents to prepare in Kenya
- Passport valid for your whole stay; the same passport number as on your TLScontact booking.
- AI2 admission letter and, once the deposit is paid, the enrolment certificate.
- Academic documents: KCSE certificate and results, and any diploma or degree certificates and transcripts.
- Proof of resources of at least €877.50 a month: a bank certificate in your name, a sponsor’s attestation with proof of income, or a scholarship letter.
- Accommodation for your first weeks in France: see student accommodation in Paris.
- Travel insurance until you join the French health insurance.
- English proof or a medium-of-instruction certificate; read study in France without IELTS.
Keep a full set of clear scans as well as the paper originals: the same documents are uploaded to Études en France, then presented again in the order of the checklist at TLScontact.
What the VLS-TS gives you
The long-stay visa valid as a residence permit, VLS-TS “étudiant”, lets you study in France for four months to one year. Campus France Kenya lists what it entitles you to: travel within the Schengen Area, work of up to 964 hours a year alongside your studies, access to VISALE, the free rental guarantee for students, and the possibility of extending your stay beyond the permit’s validity by applying for a residence permit in France. A multiple-entry VLS-TS lets you leave and return during the first three months even before validation; after that, an unvalidated visa means applying for a new one to come back.
A realistic calendar from Nairobi
| Intake | Apply to AI2 | Campus France and TLScontact | Arrive |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2027 | By the 31 October 2026 priority deadline | Complete visa file by 30 November 2026 | Early January |
| May 2027 | November 2026 to February 2027 | As soon as your letter arrives | Late April or early May |
| September 2027 | January to May 2027 | Spring to early summer | Late August or early September |
AI2 advises starting six to eight months before your intake. Appointment waiting times at TLScontact depend on the season and slot availability, so France-Visas recommends applying well in advance.
After you arrive
Validate your VLS-TS on the ANEF portal within three months and pay the €100 tax online. Then register with the French health insurance, which is free for students, and open a French bank account. The first weeks near the Écouen campus are described on life in France.
Avoid a refusal
Unclear funds, a study plan that does not follow from your background and a weak interview are the usual causes. Read the most common reasons for a French student visa rejection. Visa guides by country: Nigeria.
Sources checked in October 2026: Campus France: countries using the Études en France procedure · Campus France Kenya: Études en France is mandatory · Campus France Kenya: platform fee · Campus France Kenya: paying by M-Pesa · Campus France Kenya: application calendar · Campus France Kenya: the VLS-TS student visa · Campus France Kenya: office and hours · France-Visas: Kenya, TLScontact Nairobi (version of January 2026) · Service-Public: student visa, resources and validation
Frequently asked questions
Do Kenyan students have to use Campus France?
Yes. Campus France Kenya describes the Études en France platform as a mandatory step for any student going to a French higher education institution, including students who already hold an admission letter.
How much is the Études en France fee in Kenya with an AI2 offer?
KES 1,999 for students who already have an acceptance letter from a French institution, paid by M-Pesa after Campus France Kenya validates your documents. Applicants choosing institutions through the platform pay KES 7,999.
Where do I submit my French student visa in Kenya?
At TLScontact, 9 West Building, 4th floor, Ring Road Parklands, Westlands, Nairobi, by appointment booked on the TLScontact website. It is the centre for residents of Kenya and Somalia.
Can I work in France with a student visa from Kenya?
Yes. A student visa or residence permit allows up to 964 hours of work a year alongside your studies, about 20 hours a week.
Does an AI2 admission guarantee a visa?
No. AI2 provides the documents and guidance, but the decision belongs to the visa section of the French Embassy in Nairobi.
Also read: study AI in France from Kenya · study AI in France from Nairobi · visa guidance.
Apply online: the academic team reviews your file and invites you to an online interview.
