The stages of your trip

To make your research trip a success, it’s best to prepare as early as possible, well before you arrive in France. We recommend you start preparing around 4 months before you arrive in Lyon.

• Register with the EURAXESS database for researchers and PhD students at the Université de Lyon, unless you are studying or working at the Université Jean Monnet Saint-Etienne.
• Request the documents you need for your visa application, depending on your situation in France (hosting agreement, PhD enrollment);
• Submit a a visa application at the French consulate of your place of residence (only for those who require a visa);
• Gather the documents you need for your trip;
• Find Look for accomodation at least on a temporary basis, for your arrival;
• Check your health insurance

• For nationals of a country outside the EU, depending on your type of visa (short stay, long stay or VLS-TS), there are different procedures to complete when you arrive. For more information, please read the pages specific to your situation:
  • Researcher
  • PhD student
  • Family of a scientist
• IDepending on your healtcare cover, find out what health insurance you need
• Open a bank account: having a French banck account will make everything easier
• Find long-term accommodation if this has not already been done
• Take out insurance for yourself and your accomodation: civil liability insurance will be required as well as home insurance for your accommodation.
• File your taxes: each year between April and May
• If you would like to integrate more easily, learn french and take part in activities.

• Accommodation: respect your notice period and organize your outgoing inventory
• Terminate your contracts (electricity, gas, telephone, Internet, water, etc.)
• Inform the public authorities: Local health service office (CPAM), tax office, social welfare office (CAF), unemployment office (Pôle Emploi), supplementary health insurance company, etc.
• Close your bank account
• Employment: request your end-of-contract documents

Find letter templates and useful information on our help page.
Are you leaving Lyon or Saint-Etienne but remaining in France?
You can inform the public authorities of your move online on the website: Service-Public.fr

If you want to come to Lyon or Saint-Etienne for your PhD studies but have not yet secured funding, there are several possibilities available to make your plans a reality:

• The scholarships programs on Campus France or CampusBourses,
• Information about completing and funding your PhD in Lyon or Saint-Etienne

If you want to come to Lyon or Saint-Etienne to teach or for your research but do not yet have the funding in place, there are several possibilities available to make your plans a reality:

• Information about research or teaching posts and opportunities for research trips in Lyon or Saint-Etienne
• EURAXESS offers you tools for your mobility and career development: employment, funding and hosting opportunities