Arrival checklist
What to do in your first week in France
Most international students don't fail French admin because the steps are hard — they fail because they do them in the wrong order. Here's the first-week sequence that unlocks everything else.
Why order matters
French student admin is a dependency chain: bank → phone → social security → titre de séjour → CAF. Skip the RIB and CAF fails. Skip a French number and ANEF/Ameli SMS codes stall. The roadmap tool personalises this; this page is the fixed first-week spine.
First-week checklist
- Open a French bank account — get a RIB. Almost every later step needs it.
- Get a French phone number — eSIM or prepaid is fine for SMS codes on government sites.
- Pay CVEC (if required) — download the attestation before enrolment finalises.
- Start Ameli / social security once you have a RIB (and usually a phone).
- Note your titre deadline (non-EU) — typically three months from arrival via ANEF. See also the ANEF/OFII timeline.
What runs in parallel
- Visale / guarantor — start before you sign a private lease.
- Housing search + CAF APL later, once bank + social security (and usually a lease) are ready.
- City quirks: Paris, Lyon, Toulouse.
Wrong order blocks everything else
Bank → phone → Ameli → titre → CAF is a dependency chain. Answer three questions and get your sequence.
Build my roadmap →Frequently asked questions
What should I do on day one?
Prioritise a French phone number and starting a bank account that issues a RIB. Note your titre validation deadline if you are non-EU.
Can I apply for CAF in week one?
Usually not usefully. CAF needs a French account and typically social security details plus an eligible lease.
Is CVEC part of the admin chain?
CVEC runs parallel for enrolment. Pay it early so school registration is not blocked, but it does not replace bank or Ameli.
Where do I get a personalised order?
Use the free roadmap tool — three questions, ordered steps, live titre deadline.