Required documents (items in bold)

  1. The convention d'accueil (Hosting Agreement) is a two-page document that confirms you have been employed and are being hosted as a paid researcher. This is the most important document when applying for a visa.
  2. The application form is to be completed online. Create an account and login at https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/web/france-visas/. Fill in your personal details. For postdoctoral applicants, choose "Talent Passport" from the "Your plans" section, and "Scientist/Researcher" from the "Main purpose of stay" section. This form requires the hosting institute's address as well as the address of the accommodation document (item 3 below). You will be given an application number once you have completed this stage.
  3. The accommodation document is a letter from someone who lives in France, or a reservation for a hotel, hostel, or bnb.
  4. The translation of your identity and birth documents in either French or English.
  5. A flight ticket reservation
  6. Two photos, no more than 6 months old, white background, 3.5 x 4.5 cm in size, with 70 percent to 80 percent covered by the face of applicant. Keep in mind that your photo must comply to all of these requirements.
  7. CV, and a short description of your research topic.

In my case, I didn't charge any visa processing fees because I handed in the convention d'accueil. I only paid 40€ to the agency (VFS Global) in charge of transferring documents to the embassy.

The passport was delivered by post after 26 days. I'm aware of various situations where the procedure time is longer or shorter.