DestinationFrancia
OriginPerúVacaciones y Trabajo (PVT) visa · Peruvian citizenship
What changes for Peru: the process is in person and only at the Embassy in Lima.
Up to 12 months in France to travel and work if you want, applying from Peru. The process is in person and only in Lima, and you book the appointment online. Here is what you are asked for, in the order you will do it.
Photos: París: «Tour Eiffel depuis Trocadéro Paris 2» de Chabe01, CC BY-SA 4.0, vía Wikimedia Commons · Lima: «Cathedral of Lima, Peru 00» de Avodrocc, CC BY 2.0, vía Wikimedia Commons.
This is what the French Embassy in Lima asks for the Working Holiday visa.
From 18 to 30 years old. You can apply up to the day before you turn 31; your age is counted on the day you submit the complete file.[1]
Peruvian passport valid for more than 15 months from the day you arrive in France.[1]
A simple, short letter, in French or Spanish, handwritten or typed. Explain your project and why you want to take part; if you plan to work, in what field; and how you will find accommodation when you arrive.[1]
How to write the letter, with examples →Long-stay international health insurance valid for France, with 360 consecutive days of coverage, including illness, maternity, disability and repatriation. Before paying, check that your policy states in writing that it covers maternity and disability and a long stay in France: below we explain why it matters.[1]
Why insurance is your coverage for the whole year →It must state that you are fit to carry out a professional activity, stamped by a doctor authorized by the Colegio Médico del Perú, and be less than 3 months old on the day of your appointment. It needs no translation or apostille.[1]
Clean certificate, less than 3 months old.[1]
How to get it from the Poder Judicial →At least the equivalent of €2,500 in your personal bank account, with the balance for the last month. It can be in euros, dollars or soles. Cash and a relative's account are not accepted.[1]
How to prove your funds →Round-trip, already purchased; or a reservation plus the money to buy it, on top of the €2,500.[1]
You fill it out, sign it and hand it in with your application. The template is on the embassy's page.[1]
The visa is granted once and cannot be renewed, even if you were unable to travel.[1]
No level of French, and no job offer either: you can look for work there, and working is not mandatory.[1]
Printed France-Visas long-stay visa form: it must have the barcode at the bottom right.[1]
Passport and photo.[1]
Motivation letter.[1]
Health insurance: on the day of the appointment a quote is enough; you show the purchased insurance when you pick up your passport with the visa.[1]
Medical certificate and criminal record certificate.[1]
Bank statement in your name, for the last month.[1]
Round-trip ticket or reservation, with the full itinerary to France (layovers are fine).[1]
Signed sworn statement.[1]
Optional for accommodation: a simple sworn statement, a hotel reservation for a few days, a rental contract or an invitation letter. If a friend or relative is hosting you, their letter, a copy of their ID and a electricity, water or gas bill from less than 3 months ago.[1]
You create your account, complete the long-stay visa application online (enter an address in France, even a temporary one) and print it. Check that the barcode appears at the bottom right.[1]
Watch the dates: the medical certificate must be less than 3 months old on the day of the appointment, the criminal record certificate less than 3 months old, and the bank balance must be from the last month.[1]
It's the only channel: the embassy does not answer questions about appointments by phone or email. If no appointments show up, they are booked or the quota has been filled, and you can join the waiting list in the same application. The rule is «1 SLOT = 1 PERSON = 1 APPLICATION», and buying and selling appointments is prohibited.[1]
Visa service of the French Embassy, Av. Arequipa 3415, San Isidro. They only see the applicant, in person, with passport, form, photo and documents. If the QR code in the confirmation email gives an error, don't worry: the email is enough proof of your appointment.[1]
The embassy does not publish a response time. What it does set is when to ask for it: «at least 3 weeks and at most 6 months before the planned travel date».
That's where you show the insurance you've already bought. The visa is always valid for 12 months.[1]
You don't have to complete any immigration procedure on arrival or register the visa on the Ministry of the Interior's website.[1]
At least 3 weeks and at most 6 months before the date you plan to travel.[1]
The annual quota is limited and the embassy doesn't publish a number. As of 24/09/2026, its page says: “VVT quotas are open. They will open gradually.” There is no deadline to apply; if the year's quotas close, the embassy announces it on its page.[1]
Medical certificate and criminal record certificate: less than 3 months old. Bank balance: from the last month.[1]
It is reviewed every year.[1]
Paris has the most work and the biggest Latin community, and also the most expensive rent in France. Before deciding, compare what life is like in each city.[5]
With this visa you don't join the French public system. The embassy says it like this: “Holders of the PVT visa cannot enroll in ‘l’assurance maladie’ or get a social security number, since they have private international health insurance for their temporary stay in France.”[1]
That's why the insurance they ask for isn't just a paper for the appointment: it's your coverage for the whole year. And not just any insurance will do. The embassy clarifies that “International health insurance is different from international travel insurance,” that it must state that it covers France for a long stay of 360 consecutive days, and that travel insurance for short stays in the Schengen area does not apply. Before paying, check that the policy says this in writing.[1]
You arrive and have no immigration procedures to do: the visa is already your permit. The first thing you'll need is internet, for the map, transport and letting people at home know you've arrived.[1]
You'll need the French number (+33) soon: without it, landlords and employers won't get back to you. And in France prepaid has almost disappeared. We compare Free Mobile, Sosh and Bouygues Telecom / B&YOU. We don't have a code with any carrier yet.[3]
Once you find a job, you can work full time under French labor rules, but not on an open-ended contract. You don't have to do any procedure: your employer declares the contract and pays the contributions. Check that your job is declared.[1]
How to find work in France and how much it pays →
Where to live and how much it costs is the hardest part of the year in France.
When you start saving money, sooner or later you'll want to send some of it to Peru.
The visa can't be renewed or extended, and the embassy states that it doesn't allow you to change your immigration status while in France.[1]
During the year you can leave and return as many times as you like. In the other countries of the Schengen area you are a tourist: up to 90 days in a 180-day period, and you can't work there.[1]
The agreement covers metropolitan France and Guadeloupe, Martinique, La Réunion, Mayotte and French Guiana.[1]
No. It can only be requested at the visa service of the French Embassy in Lima, in person: you have to travel to Lima.[1]
Not necessarily. You can bring the round-trip ticket already bought, or just a reservation plus the money to buy it in your account, on top of the €2,500.[1]
No. It has to be your own personal bank account, with enough balance. They don't accept cash either.[1]
No. The minimum is still €2,500.[1]
They don't require any level of French. The embassy does say that speaking some French or another language besides Spanish makes the experience easier for you.[1]
If you submit the complete application before turning 31, yes: your age is counted on the date of submission.[1]
To the appointment, yes: a quote is enough. To collect your passport with the visa, you have to show the insurance already purchased.[1]
No. You can visit the Schengen area as a tourist, up to 90 days in 180, but the work permit is only for France.[1]
