Hello.

I'll be visiting France, Switzerland and the UK this fall. I plan on being gone for a year or more. The question is this: Does anyone know if I(a US citizen) can apply for a French long stay visa in the UK?

I'm not sure, but I might be staying in France for longer than 90 days. I'd like to not have to apply before I leave because I'm not sure if I'll want to stay in France for longer than 90 days. Also, I posted this question to the French Consulate but I haven't had a reply.

I can't speak about France in particular, but do want to write in case someone tells you that it won't be possible, because I believe it should be. Many people are under the misimpression that you must apply for a visa at the embassy in your home country of citizenship, and that is simply not the case. I hold a US passport, and have applied for a long term visa for Switzerland while living in Hong Kong. I have lived outside the US for 17 out of the last 20 years and have applied for business and tourist visas for India, Indonesia, Russia, the PRC, Vietnam and many other countries as well, and all these applications were made to the consulates of those countries outside of the US.

In most cases, it is irrelevant what country you are IN when you apply for a visa, the only issue is what passport you hold, as that makes the difference in the rules which apply to you in whether or not you will be granted a visa.

It is very common for people to apply for visas when they are visiting or living in a third country. For example, many people apply for tourist visits for Nepal or Burma when they are tourists in Thailand. Many thousands of people apply for tourist and business visas to the PRC when they are living or tourists in Hong Kong.

Yes, you can apply to the French Embassy in London for a long stay visa.

Carolena

<<<Many people are under the misimpression that you must apply for a visa at the embassy in your home country of citizenship, and that is simply not the case>>>

Some countries (eg the UK) require you to apply for visas in your home country or a counrry where you are legally resident.
Some countries require you to apply from your home country regardless of where you live
Some countries (eg India) allow you to apply at any of their embassies.

And all of the above depend on your nationality and the country you are aplying to.

In short there isn't one clean "you don't have to apply from home" answer

And to round it all off, just because the rules say one thing it doesn't mean the rules will always be followed - eg for the UK individial embassies MAY handle applications from non-citizens/residents at their discretion

Thank you for the information. It makes sense. I'm still waiting for an official answer from the French Consulate as I have not been able to find this specific information online. So thank you again for your input.