Living in Paris for a year without a long stay visa

[snowpart]

Hi,

I am a 22-year-old United States citizen, will be living in Paris for a year, beginning in September, and will not have a long stay visa.

I will not be working in Paris and will not (I hope) be renting an apartment (I hope to be apartment-sitting for a friend).

I know this is illegal. Is it also very dangerous/risky?

I'd be grateful for any comments or suggestions.

Thank you,

Eric

[Mapiki]

Why don't you try to get a long stay visa?

[snowpart]

Thank you, I tried, but had to leave the States for Northern Ireland before the French Consulate could schedule an appointment--and, in addition to lacking sufficient funds to fly back to the States for an appointment, I don't think I would be able to obtain a long stay visa, as I am without a proof of residence (where I'll be staying is still up in the air), and as my bank account is not very impressive, to say the least.

[yankeegirl]

Are you legally in Northern Ireland on some form of visa, or just as a visitor?

[snowpart]

Just as a visitor--

[sunnyday]

I think you could get your long stay visa after your 3 month allowance. It's called carte sejour or something like that. Go there and stay for 3 month, try to work or save, then apply for a language course, then get your carte sejour.

One thing though, what if the immigration officers at the custom asked you to present your return ticket?

[SYH]

You will not be working in Paris but you have no money to fly back to the US or an impressive bank account.
How do you expect to survive in Paris

[snowpart]

Thanks so much, I will look into getting a carte de sejour.

Is it necessary that one have already bought a return ticket? Couldn't it be, as is the case for me here in Northern Ireland, that I don't intend to stay more than three months, but I'm also not sure just when exactly I'll be leaving, so I'm waiting to purchase a ticket.

And as for flying back to the States--I will be in Paris on a couple of fellowships which will give me time to read and write. Both are rather small though, so I will have to live very cheaply, and flying back to the States would simply cost too much, I think.

Thanks again,

Eric

[camorra11]

You CANNOT apply for a carte de sejour after being in France for three months. That is not what a carte sejour is.

If you arrive in France on anything other than a tourist visa (ie, like the long stay visa Eric would apply for, or a student visa) and you intend to stay more than three months, then you must go to the local prefecture (this is like the police office) and there you apply for your carte de sejour. You must go within the first two weeks you're there (I think) -- or perhaps sooner if you're living in Paris.

If you go to the prefecture after your three months are up on a tourist visa and tell them you want a carte de sejour, they will most definitely throw you out of the country. You're basically turning yourself into the police and saying "I plan to overstay illegally."

Please, if you want to stay illegally, keep out of the prefecture's way, keep out of the police's way, and just mind your own business. That's the easiest way to not get caught.

[Wanderer]

If you go to the prefecture after your three months are up on a tourist visa and tell them you want a carte de sejour, they will most definitely throw you out of the country. You're basically turning yourself into the police and saying "I plan to overstay illegally."

Please, if you want to stay illegally, keep out of the prefecture's way, keep out of the police's way, and just mind your own business. That's the easiest way to not get caught.

Based on my experience of France I'd imagine you'd need perfect French to deal with these guys! I wonder how the OP's French is?

I know my schoolboy French was well received in the French villages etc, but the Paris my attempts caused sniggering and even one woman in the Ecole Millitaire Metro Ticket Kiosk threw my money at me because I couldn't remember the the French word for 'day'. Yeah, I know it's 'jour' but my mind went blank! I wanted a Day Ticket! Billet de Jour, I knew it had 10 tickets in it (this was 1985) and I kept saying Trois Billet de, err, err des dix', Arrghh.

I've never been to France since after that experience - the gf wants to go but my heart sinks thinking about it...

OP should be aware, I'd imagine things haven't changed if you try and speak French in the Capital!

[SYH]

The 10 ticket set is carnet pronounced like CAR Neigh.
Anyway, bad idea to try to get a carte de sejour after you get into france, this will be a circular argument with the authorities
Frankly I dont think it is that expensive to get a ticket back to the states to sort the visa out

In any case, I used to live in france and plenty of americans are there on a long term basis without visas. We are just not on the hitlist to be weeded out of France. You will have issues without a permit in terms of getting a bank account and you really should have one because the way how purchases are made are amenable to it. Or have an ATM card from the usa that doesn't charge you for each withdrawal and you will fine

You say you are on fellowship, I dont know if that means if you are getting monies from the sponsor but if you are it will have to be deposited in a bank account to get the money. YOu can't go to the bank and provide id and cash it. NOT allowed.