You have arrived!

Airport pickup is included in the CISabroad program fee, but we cannot guarantee airport pickup for anyone that arrives outside of the designated arrival times. To help us make sure we meet you at the airport, please submit your travel information via your CIS Abroad Participant Portal if you have not done so already.

When you arrive in France, you first will need to clear immigration, get your bags and clear customs. It is a good idea to become familiar with the customs and quarantine laws of France prior to packing. If you have given your flight information to CISabroad, and arrive before 12 pm on the arrival date, you will be met at Marseille Provence Airport by an IAU staff member holding the CISabroad flag. They will then bring you to the shuttle that will take you to Aix-en-Provence to meet your host families!

Don’t panic, however, if someone is not there to meet you right when you step off the plane. You will first have to get your luggage and clear customs before entering the area in which a staff member from IAU can meet you.

If there is no one to receive you within 30 minutes once you have cleared customs, please call Christelle Le Gar’s phone number at +33 04 42 23 02 82, find her using the same phone number via WhatsApp, or send her an email at christelle.legars@iaufrance.org. 

Airport reception is only available to students who arrive on the designated arrival date and times. Students outside those dates/times must arrange their own transportation to their accommodation. If you cannot find Christelle and cannot connect to her via phone or email, please call the CISabroad 24-hour Emergency Phone at: (1) 413-210-7091 or IAU’s phone number at: (1) 06 82 59 64 51. 

You will then take a shuttle from the airport to Aix-en-Provence where you will be met by your host family or an IAU representative who will assist you in reaching your homestay location. Note: French cars tend to be smaller than American cars!  For this reason, please limit your packing to smaller luggage.

Your bags may decide to take a later flight (don’t panic). If the airline loses your luggage you must file a report with the airline while you are still in the baggage area. It is much more difficult to file this report once you’ve left the baggage claim area.

If your flight is delayed, please make sure to call the CISabroad Emergency phone so that we can inform our onsite team of your delay. We will do everything we can to pick you up from the airport, even if your flight is delayed, but if we cannot meet you there, we will provide you with detailed information on how to take transportation to your housing.

A Pre-Arrival sheet will be emailed to you 1-2 weeks before you arrive onsite. This will contain more detailed information on your arrival as well as specific phone numbers and contact information if there are any issues with your flight or airport pickup.

For extra information on airports around the world, including maps and estimated arrival times, check out the website, Flightstats.com.