France Student Visa from Saudi Arabia 2027: Campus France KSA, VFS Global and Funds in Riyals

Admitted to a French programme and living in the Kingdom? This is the full route from your admission letter to a validated residence document: the Études en France file Campus France KSA asks for, the interview in Riyadh or Jeddah, the France-Visas form, the VFS appointment, the money to show in riyals, and the steps after you land.

Which French visa do you need to study from Saudi Arabia?

For any programme longer than three months, the answer is the VLS-TS.

Campus France in Saudi Arabia describes two visas for students. The choice depends only on how long you will stay in France:

A full degree programme always means the VLS-TS. It must be validated online within three months of arrival. If your studies continue beyond its validity, you then apply in France for a student residence card; after one year in France you can obtain a multi-year card covering the years left in your study cycle (Service-Public F2231).

Does your passport or your iqama decide the procedure?

Campus France KSA serves everyone who lives in the Kingdom.

Your residence does. The Études en France page of Campus France KSA is addressed to every resident of Saudi Arabia, and its pre-consular guide states that the procedure is aimed at Saudi or foreign students residing in the Kingdom. An Indian, Egyptian, Pakistani or Filipino student who lives in Jeddah therefore files with Campus France KSA, not with the office of their home country.

For expatriates, the iqama matters in two places. It is one of the identity documents Campus France asks you to scan with your passport, and you will bring it to the interview and to the visa centre. Check that it stays valid until your departure date: if it is due for renewal during the procedure, renew it first.

The Saudi procedure, from admission letter to visa centre

Nine steps, and the order matters: VFS comes last.

Campus France KSA publishes a pre-consular guide (dated September 2022) for students who already have an admission. Its steps, in order:

1. 1
   Open your Études en France account

   Register on the Études en France portal, choose Campus France Arabie Saoudite, activate the account from the email you receive, then choose “I already have an admission” and the category “I received my acceptance letter directly from the university in France and I’m not an exchange student”.
2. 2
   Describe your study project

   Enter the programme name, location, start date and level, upload the admission letter and explain why you chose this programme.
3. 3
   Upload your personal documents

   Passport and ID or iqama card, a recent photo, CV, motivation letter, transcripts, last diplomas and a language certificate. Every document must be in French or English, scanned in PDF or JPG, at most 300 KB each.
4. 4
   Submit and wait for validation

   Campus France checks the file and messages you if anything is missing. Once it is validated, you are asked to pay.
5. 5
   Pay the fee

   SAR 300 by bank transfer according to the 2022 guide, with the reference “EEF” followed by your file number (for example EEFSA21-20394). Confirm the current amount in your account before paying.
6. 6
   Attend the Campus France interview

   Book the slot online once payment is validated. Interviews take place at the French Embassy in Riyadh or the Consulate General in Jeddah. Bring your ID, the payment receipt, the originals of every scanned document and your invitation letter.
7. 7
   Download your EeF certificate

   After the interview, the certificate of pre-registration appears in your account under “1-Finalize the procedure”.
8. 8
   Fill in France-Visas

   Create your visa application on france-visas.gouv.fr, enter your EeF number in the “your stay” section, then print and sign the application form and the France-Visas receipt.
9. 9
   Lodge at VFS Global

   Book through VFS and submit the file in Riyadh, Jeddah or Al Khobar, with the admission letter and the EeF certificate. Campus France KSA indicates an answer within 15 days.

What goes into a Saudi student visa file?

Each document has a stage where it is checked.

Saudi public documents can carry an apostille: Saudi Arabia acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention on 8 April 2022 and it entered into force for the Kingdom on 7 December 2022, according to the HCCH status table. France is also a party. Ask whether a certified copy is required before paying for one.

Our visa guidance page explains how AI2 helps admitted students prepare this file, from admission to arrival.

How much money must you show, in riyals?

€877.50 a month is about SAR 3,660 at the end of October 2026.

France sets the minimum in euros: at least €877.50 a month, on top of tuition (Service-Public F2231). The riyal is pegged to the US dollar, so the riyal value of that minimum moves with the euro against the dollar. Conversions use the European Central Bank euro reference rate of 28 October 2026, USD 1.1133 per euro, and the riyal’s peg of SAR 3.75 per US dollar (in place since 1986, according to the IMF’s 2025 Article IV report on Saudi Arabia), which gives about SAR 4.17 per euro. Amounts are rounded to the nearest SAR 10.

Two points that trip up applicants. First, an AI2 scholarship lowers tuition but does not count towards the €877.50 a month, as the AI2 scholarships page states. Second, the resources must still be there after tuition is paid. Our guide to proof of funds for a French student visa shows which bank statements, sponsor letters and blocked accounts work, and student accommodation near Paris helps you budget housing.

When should you start for a 2027 intake?

Count backwards from your start date, not forwards from today.

Two clocks run in parallel: your school’s admission calendar and the Campus France and visa steps, which cannot begin until you hold an admission letter. For AI2, the dates published for the first 2027 intake are:

For May or September 2027, work back the same way from the start date. Leave margin for an incomplete scan, a missing translation or a holiday period, since each correction sends the file back for checking.

Seven details that slow Saudi files down

All of them come from the official guide or the visa rules, and all are avoidable.

• A wrong payment reference: the transfer must carry “EEF” followed by your file number, or Campus France cannot match it.
• Scans over 300 KB or unreadable: the guide warns that incomplete or poorly scanned documents take longer.
• Arabic documents without a French or English translation.
• An iqama about to expire during the procedure.
• Booking VFS before the Campus France interview: the EeF certificate you download after the interview is required for the visa application.
• A France-Visas form without the EeF number in the “your stay” section.
• Funds that only cover tuition: the €877.50 a month comes on top.

If you are still choosing a programme, our guide to studying AI in France from Saudi Arabia covers entry requirements by Saudi qualification, and master’s in France for Saudi students covers postgraduate options and funding.

What do you do after landing in France?

Three steps keep your status valid.

1. 1
   Validate your VLS-TS online

   Within three months of arrival, through the online service linked from Service-Public, and pay the €100 tax. Validation keeps you in legal residence and lets you re-enter the Schengen area (Service-Public F2231).
2. 2
   Start work only within the limit

   The student permit allows up to 964 hours of paid work a year, counted from the validation of the VLS-TS (Service-Public F2713). See working while studying in France.
3. 3
   Renew in time

   If your programme lasts beyond the visa, request the residence card between four and two months before it expires. After one year in France, a multi-year card covering the rest of your cycle costs €150 (Service-Public F2231).

Studying at AI2 from Saudi Arabia

An admission letter that fits the Saudi pre-consular route.

AI2, the Applied Institute of Artificial Intelligence, teaches 100% in English on its campus at the Hub Nikola Tesla in Écouen, 22 minutes from Paris Gare du Nord by Transilien line H. No French is required for admission; English at B2 is (IELTS 6.0, TOEFL iBT 72 or equivalent, or English-medium education). Selection is a file review and an online interview, and AI2 issues the admission letter you upload to Études en France. Visa guidance from admission to arrival is included in tuition.

All fees and scholarship rules are on the AI2 tuition fees page; the amount in your admission letter is the one that applies.

📘 Related guides: Study in France in English for Saudi students · Cost of studying in France for Saudi students (SAR budget).

Frequently asked questions

Apply to AI2 for February, May or September 2027. The admissions team reviews your file, holds an online interview and sends the admission letter you upload to Études en France. Priority deadline: 30 November 2026.

Apply nowRead the visa guidance