New Regulations for obtaining a long stay French visa:

Starting June 1st 2009, a long stay French visa holder will be allowed to reside in France for up to 12 months according to the validity of their visa and purpose of stay. They will no longer be required to obtain a residence permit ("carte de séjour") from the French local authorities ("Préfecture") as long as their visa is valid.
 
However, long stay visa holders (3 to 12 months stay in France) will have to register with the French Office of Immigration and Integration (OFII) during the first month of their stay in France.
 
ATTENTION : Because of the new procedure, the processing time to obtain the long stay visa at the French Consulate will be longer
 
When the applicant comes for his appointment at the Consulate to obtain his visa, he will need to bring an additional form called OFII FORM with the documents requested on our website. The applicant needs to fill out the top part of the OFII form. The bottom part of the form will be fill out and stamped by the Consulate and return to the applicant with his visa in the passport. The validated OFII form will be needed for the mandatory registration in France.
 
Please go to the following site to see the procedure an applicant will need to follow once they arrive in France:
http://consulfrance-chicago.org/spip.php?article1045
 
If your have any questions about this new procedure, please contact:
laurence.geannopulos@diplomatie.gouv.fr