The France Visa Proof of Accommodation requirement goes hand in hand with the financial requirements for the Long Stay France Visa. Other countries, like Italy, require you to have a signed lease before you even apply for the visa. However, France is a lot more reasonable with their proof of accommodation requirement and only requires you to show proof if you would like to show less money for the financial requirement.
It’s a bit complicated, so let’s get into the specifics.
France Visa Proof of Accommodation Requirements
Here’s how the France Visa Proof of Accommodation requirement works together with the financial requirement for the visa:
The Long Stay Visa France Financial Requirement is 120 euros per day. If you provide proof of accommodation through a hotel (or Airbnb) then this requirement goes down to 65 euros per day.
If you have a hotel booking BUT it doesn’t cover the full 365 days, then you have to provide 65 euros per day for the days with a booking and the full 120 euros for the other days.
If you can find someone in France who agrees to “host” you for the whole year (they can say they will but you don’t actually have to stay with them) then the amount per day goes down to 32.50 euros per day.
When you finish filling out your online application for the France visa, it will show you a list of the requirements for your visa.
Under the “Proof of Accommodation” section, it shows that you can provide a property title deed, tenancy agreement or any other supporting document. Or proof that accommodation will be provided by a person residing in France, or if not, a document explaining the accommodation arrangements planned for France.
So basically, if you have proof of accommodation, it will bring down the financial requirement for the visa. But if you don’t have proof of accommodation, then that number will be higher but you can just provide a document that says you plan to find accommodation once you get to France.
France is quite reasonable when it comes to this requirement, so just present as much proof as you can (an Airbnb booking, for example) and then write a letter stating what your plan is for your accommodation once in France.
What I Used for My Proof of Accommodation for the Long Stay France Visa
In order to bring down the financial requirement for the visa, I wanted to have as much proof of accommodation as possible.
I booked an Airbnb for 1 month, had a friend who was living in France be my “host” for 6 months, and then wrote a letter explaining that I would look for accommodation for the rest of the time in France.
In this case, I only needed to show 26,355 euros since I provided 2 different types of proof of accommodation and then only had to provide the full amount for the last 6 months of my stay.
So here is how the math works in this specific scenario:
This is 65 euros x 30 days = 1,950 euros
32.25 euros x 180 days = 5,805 euros
120 euros x 155 days = 18,600 euros
Total = 26,355 euros
Using Airbnb as Proof of Accommodation
In order to use Airbnb as your proof of accommodation, I would first print out the reservation page. Then, you can scroll down in your reservation and click on “Get a PDF for visa purposes.”
It will then ask you to put the names of the travelers. Make sure you type in the name that matches your passport. If you are traveling with other people, you will need to print out a copy of this PDF for each application.
You can choose the language for the PDF, I chose French since I also had my bank statements translated to French and all of my letters were written in French.
The PDF will show the dates that you plan to travel and the names of the travelers.
If you don’t have a lot of money in savings and want to bring down your financial requirement, you can book a refundable Airbnb or Booking accommodation and cancel after you get your visa.
I wouldn’t recommend doing that with an Airbnb, since it would hurt the host’s chance to get actual bookings at their Airbnb. However, if you find a hotel that is 100% refundable, that would be a better option for your proof of accommodation.
Using a Host for Proof of Accommodation
If you want to use a host for your proof of accommodation, there are a few different ways to do this.
The official France visa website says you need to get a letter from the local town hall where your host lives. However, I didn’t do this and it still worked.
Instead of getting that letter, I got a copy of their French ID, their lease/deed for their house, plus a copy of their utility bill in their name. I also wrote a letter on their behalf saying they would be hosting me for 6 months.
To be clear, I had no intention of actually staying with them. This doesn’t actually matter, France just wants to know that if you were out of money, there are people who would be responsible for you.
So if you want to use a host, make sure you get these things from them:
- a picture of their signature (to add to their signed letter)
- a copy of their French ID
- a copy of their lease or deed
- a copy of their utility bill
You can write the letter for them and then add their signature, I have those letters pre-written which you can download below.
In order to add a signature, when you open the PDF on a Mac you can go to “View” and choose “Show Markup Toolbar”, then click on the signature icon. You can take a picture of the signature and add it digitally here.
What Does the Official France Visa Website Say About Proof of Accommodation?
In the Q&A section of the official visa website, it talks about the requirements if you plan to use a host as your proof of accommodation. If you have more savings and don’t plan to use a host, you don’t need to worry about this part of the application process.
The second part covers how you can use your proof of accommodation to prove that you have the financial ability to travel and cover the expenses of your trip.
Lana
Tuesday 11th of October 2022
Hello. Very clear and helpful! :) Does this also apply for a tourist visa? If it does, is a hotel reservation enough to make the financial evidence number drop down to 65 euros? (so a refundable booking, just for visa purposes, without having paid the actual amount).
Dayna Brockbank
Friday 14th of October 2022
Hey Lana! So are you referring to the 90-day Schengen visa? I don't have experience with that visa, but as long as you show the reservation and don't mention the part about it being refundable, it should work. But if you are coming to France, you should have some of your accommodation booked ahead of time and you'll be able to show that. Or you can have a host with a valid French ID and that will bring down the amount as well. Good luck!
Holly
Monday 22nd of August 2022
Hi, do you know what your host can use instead of a lease or a deed?
admin
Wednesday 24th of August 2022
Utilities in their name would work! That's what we used along with the deed but they seemed to care more about the utilities bill. We used their electricity bill.
Angelina
Sunday 31st of July 2022
Hi! I'm applying for long stay visitor visa the renewable one. Is it necessarry to provide return flight? I know it is for short stay. but for long stay do i need to provide a flight itinerary for it? My bf and i are not sure when i'll fly back plus we plan to get pacsed also. please advise. Thank you so much!
admin
Friday 5th of August 2022
Hey Angelina! No, for us it wasn't necessary to show a return flight, just the flight there if you already have bought it! It helps them get you your visa faster if they know you've already bought the flight and they have a hard deadline. Good luck!!
Rachael Anderson
Wednesday 29th of June 2022
So this covers applying for the visa. When you get enter France it sounds like you need to have a hotel or someone your staying with for the whole period of the visa. Is that correct?
admin
Monday 4th of July 2022
This goes over what you need to apply and get approved for the visa, what you actually have to do once you get there is find an apartment if you plan to stay long-term. You have 90 days once you arrive in France to validate your visa with your official French address that you plan to stay at for the year. You have to validate the visa, but if you don't plan to renew at the end of the year, then you can use whichever address your Airbnb or host where you'll be staying the majority of the year. We found an apartment in those 90 days and validated our visa using our apartment address. It didn't matter that it wasn't the same as the host I said I was going to stay with.
Karen
Friday 10th of June 2022
Hi! So glad I found your blog! Thank you for all your hard work! I recently fell in love with Aix-en-Provence and decided to move there. I booked an Airbnb for 6 months. I was told by an immigration attorney I couldn't use Airbnb as a place to live to obtain a long stay Visa. I think he was wrong based on what you are saying! So if I print out the pdf for Visa purposes and it shows 6 months, then I have to show $33,300 based on your calculations. I make more than that in income (double) and I will continue to run my business there plus I can show savings (the savings will be $20,000) do you think it's possible? Or do they need to see $33,300 in savings only? Thank you!!!! Karen
admin
Monday 27th of June 2022
Hey Karen! It definitely will depend on where you are applying, but you don't need an immigration attorney for this application. I was able to use an Airbnb booking and a "host" in LA. I think that looks about right! You can also add any credit amounts that you have on credit cards, or have a parent/relative say they'll send you $1,500 per month to help finance your trip. Good luck!!