Going to France
Most Chateaubriand Fellows need to apply for a long stay visa if they plan on spending more than 90 days in France. Visas are obtained by first completing an online application on the France-Visas website, which is then followed by a visa appointment at any VFS Global Center regardless of your personal residence. For a list of the VFS Global Centers, consult the Whom should I contact? list on the France-Visas website.
For general information on visas, you can refer to the France-Visas website.
Chateaubriand Fellows usually obtain one of the following types of visas:
Campus France USA is a service of the Embassy of France to promote study in France to students and institutions in the United States. Their website provides information on the student visa, life in France, resources for learning French, as well as the Etudes en France application for the student visa.
Information on housing and life in France for researchers can also be found through the Fondation Kastler and Science Accueil. For Chateaubriand fellows going to Paris, the Cité Internationale Universitaire may be an option for housing.
The Ministry of National Education, Higher Education and Research also provides additional information in French on the scientific visa here: Mobilité des chercheurs et des enseignants-chercheurs along with a guide on hosting foreign researchers: Accueil des chercheurs étrangers.
Dual Degrees
Obtaining a dual PhD degree or cotutelle involves joint supervision of your thesis and enrollment in both your French and American universities. Students must comply with the PhD procedures for both universities and generally at least 30% of the student’s time must be spent in the second university. Discussions about cotutelle agreements should include your co-advisors and the administrations of both universities. A cotutelle is not required for the Chateaubriand program or to obtain your visa. For more information, you can visit Campus France’s article on Double and Joint Degrees.
Citing the Chateaubriand Fellowship
STEM Chateaubriand Fellows are asked to use the following wording to acknowledge support from the Chateaubriand Fellowship in presentations and publications: “This material is based upon research supported by the Chateaubriand Fellowship of the Office for Science & Technology of the Embassy of France in the United States.”
Logos
Fellows can download our logo for use on posters/presentations below.
Taxes
In the US:
Chateaubriand Fellows are responsible for determining their responsibilities for US taxes for their fellowship. The IRS provides tax information on Scholarships, Fellowship Grants and Other Grants here: http://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc421.html
In France:
Regardless of your nationality, you may be required to complete a “tax declaration” if you reside in France for more than 183 days (6 months) per calendar year. Completing a tax declaration does not mean that you will pay taxes, but you must declare what you have earned or received as a scholarship even if you do not owe taxes. Your host institution should be able to provide more information, especially any international student department.
