Must I come to France on the exact start date of my visa?
You can arrive early as long as you already have the visa sticker in your passport
I plan to move to France on a long-stay visa which I’m hoping will start on October 7. Do I have to travel from the UK into the Schengen area on that exact date?
Immigration law expert Marta Nahay of Exilae confirmed that it is not necessary to enter France on the exact start date of the visa. She said there is no problem coming a little before, under the 90/180 days rule, as long as you already have the visa sticker in your passport.
As for coming later, the main consideration is that you will have less time on the visa and if you are moving to settle in the country you will have less time to ‘validate’ the visa or to apply for a residency card (depending on the type of visa).
“In practice, there’s no obligation; you must just come before the visa expires,” Ms Nahay said.
She said your proof of entry into France, afterwards, is provided by the combination of an entry stamp in the passport, and the visa sticker.