Staying in France for Six Months as an American: The 90-Day Limit, the Visitor Visa and What Counts as Residence (2026)

An American can stay in France without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and for a stay of about six months needs a long-stay visa: the visitor visa if you do not work. There is no visa-free stay of six months, and moving to another Schengen country does not restart the count. This guide compares the options, shows what each official page says and flags the points that catch people out: how the days are counted, what the visitor visas allow, when to apply, and when a long stay starts to matter for tax. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Rules change, and your situation may differ: always verify current requirements with the relevant French authorities or a licensed professional.

The Short Answer

If you are going to work, study or settle, a different visa applies: how to move to France from the US starts from your reason for the stay.

Why Six Months Is Not a Visa-Free Stay

The visa-free allowance is 90 days in a 180-day window, and it is a Schengen-wide count. The European Commission’s short-stay calculator page says that in any country of the Schengen Area you are usually allowed a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period, and that you count back 180 days from each day of your stay and make sure the total does not exceed 90. France-Visas says the same for American passport holders: no visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and a visa for anything longer.

Two consequences follow from those pages. A trip to Spain or Italy in the middle does not give you a new 90 days, because the count covers the whole area. And the window rolls: your allowance on a given day depends on the previous 180 days, not on the calendar year. The 90/180 guide for Americans works through the count with examples, and the guide to scouting trips shows how several shorter trips add up. How entries and exits are recorded at the border is covered in the EES guide.

The same Commission page adds that if you hold an EU residence permit or a long-stay visa you are not subject to the 90/180 rule, because those documents let you stay longer than 90 days. That is why the visa below changes the picture: the visa-free rule does not apply to you while you hold it.

The Visa That Fits a Stay of About Six Months

For a private stay of more than 3 months with no professional activity, France-Visas says you apply for a long-stay “visitor” visa. It describes two forms of it:

• VLS-TS, a long-stay visa serving as a residence permit. It is subject to an online validation after you arrive in France. Service-public says a VLS-TS is valid from 4 to 12 months, that you validate it within 3 months of arriving, and that you pay a tax on top of the visa fee.
• VLS-T, a temporary long-stay visa. France-Visas says it can be issued, where appropriate, to people who are certain they will not extend their stay beyond the duration of the visa. Service-public says it lasts more than 3 months and at most 12, can be issued to a visitor who must be able to live on their own resources (among other cases), and exempts you from applying for a residence card while it is valid.

Neither page says you can choose between the two.

What the Temporary Visa Does Not Give You

Service-public is specific about the VLS-T: at the end of its validity you must return to your country of origin, and the visa does not allow you to work or to receive social benefits. If your plan could turn into a longer stay, ask yourself which form your plan fits before you apply, because the page describes the VLS-T for people who will not extend.

What You Must Show and Agree To

France-Visas says the documents depend on your country of residence or nationality and are listed in its visa wizard. For this visa you must prove your socio-economic situation (leave, retirement and so on), your resources, your accommodation and your medical cover in France, and you must formally agree not to engage in any professional activity during your stay. The guides on proving income for a long-stay visa and on proof of accommodation go through the evidence, and the long-stay visa guide covers the whole application.

Working Remotely

The pages above do not describe the situation of an employee who keeps a US job while in France. What they do say is that the visitor visa requires an agreement not to engage in any professional activity, and that the VLS-T does not allow work. The question of remote work on this visa is treated separately in working remotely in France on a visitor visa.

When to Apply

The page of the consulate for US applicants on France-Visas says applications cannot be submitted more than 6 months before the departure date for short-stay visa applications and more than 3 months before the departure date for long-stay visa applications. The same page says there is no expedite procedure, that the visa section cannot influence the timeline, and to allow at least 15 days for visa processing. The TLScontact appointment guide covers the booking step.

After You Arrive

With a VLS-TS, the validation online within 3 months of your arrival is the step to plan, and the OFII validation guide walks through it. With a VLS-T, service-public says you do not need to apply for a residence card in the prefecture during the validity of the visa.

When a Long Stay Becomes a Tax Question

Staying long in France can raise a French tax question that is separate from immigration. The impots.gouv.fr page “Résident de France” (modified 27 January 2026) says you have your tax domicile in France if one of three criteria is met: you have your home there or, if you have no home, your main place of stay, determined from your effective presence in France; you carry on a professional activity there, unless it is ancillary; or you have the centre of your economic interests there. It adds that these criteria are assessed for each member of the household, and that if another state also considers you domiciled there, the tax convention decides which state you are resident of, using in principle four criteria in order: permanent home, centre of vital interests, habitual abode and nationality. That page sets no number of days, but service-public’s page on how to determine your tax domicile (verified 1 January 2026) gives the main place of stay as the place where you stay at least 183 days in the year, so more than six months. A stay of about six months therefore sits close to that marker, and each criterion stands on its own. The guide on when you become a French tax resident sets out the tests and the treaty tiebreaker. For the US side, see your ongoing US filing obligations from France.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Counting only the days spent in France. The 90 days count across the Schengen Area.
• Expecting a second country to restart the count. The Commission page describes one rolling window for the whole area.
• Planning a six-month stay as a visa-free trip. France-Visas says all American passport holders need a visa for more than 90 days.
• Applying too early. Long-stay applications cannot be submitted more than 3 months before departure on the consulate page.
• Planning to work on a visitor visa. The visa requires an agreement not to engage in any professional activity, and the VLS-T does not allow work.
• Ignoring the tax criteria. One criterion is enough, and service-public gives at least 183 days in the year as the marker for the main place of stay.

Practical Checklist

• Is my stay more than 90 days, counted over any 180-day period and across the Schengen Area?
• Will I work, even remotely? If so, which visa fits?
• Do I have the evidence of resources, accommodation and medical cover that the France-Visas wizard asks for?
• Is my departure within 3 months, and have I allowed at least 15 days for processing?
• Have I checked the validation step for a VLS-TS, or the end-of-stay rule for a VLS-T?
• Have I looked at the tax criteria for my situation?

When to Get Help

Most visitor-visa files can be prepared from the official pages. A professional is worth consulting when a stay might be extended, when you plan any work, or when the stay could shift your tax residence, because the immigration and tax answers depend on each other. Our Navigator sequences the visa, the arrival steps and the first months in one plan.

FAQ

Can an American stay in France for six months without a visa?

No. France-Visas says American passport holders need no visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period and that all of them need a visa to spend more than 90 days in France. For a stay of about six months, the visa is the long-stay visitor visa if you do not work.

Can I spend 90 days in France and 90 days in Spain?

Not as two separate allowances. The European Commission describes a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period for a stay in any Schengen country, so days in Spain count in the same window as days in France.

Which visa do I need to stay in France for six months?

For a private stay of more than 3 months without professional activity, France-Visas says you apply for a long-stay visitor visa. It is issued as a VLS-TS, validated online after arrival, or, where appropriate, as a temporary VLS-T for people who will not extend.

Can I work remotely during a six-month stay?

The visitor visa requires you to formally agree not to engage in any professional activity, and service-public says the VLS-T does not allow work. See the guide on remote work on a visitor visa for how that applies to a US employer.

Do I need a residence card for a six-month stay?

With a VLS-T, service-public says you are exempt from applying for a residence card in the prefecture during the validity of the visa, and that you must return to your country of origin when it ends. With a VLS-TS you validate the visa online within 3 months of arrival.

How early can I apply for the long-stay visa?

The page of the consulate for US applicants on France-Visas says a long-stay application cannot be submitted more than 3 months before the departure date, and to allow at least 15 days for processing.

Do the days on a long-stay visa count against the 90 days?

The European Commission’s short-stay calculator page says that if you hold an EU residence permit or a long-stay visa you are not subject to the 90/180-day rule, because those documents allow you to stay longer than 90 days.

Conclusion

Six months in France is a long-stay visa, not a long visit. Up to 90 days in any 180, counted across the whole Schengen Area, needs no visa for an American. For more, France-Visas points to the long-stay visitor visa, in its VLS-TS or temporary VLS-T form, with proof of means, accommodation and medical cover and an agreement not to work. Apply within 3 months of departure, plan the validation or the end-of-stay rule that goes with your form, and check the tax criteria if the stay may grow. For the rest of the move, see the 90/180 guide for Americans.