Do I need a visa?

[kentclub]

Hello, I am a turkish citizen actually studying in France with a residence permit. I would like to go to Edinburgh to visit a friend for a week, so I went to the department where I've been given my residence permit to ask them if I needed a visa.
They said that I did not, but now I'm having secound thoughts as the UK border agency website tells me otherwise...

Could anyone who has experience about this tell me if my residence permit is actually enough (like I've been told in the prefecture) or if I indeed need a visa?

As far as I understand a visa application will require me to go all the way to Paris and pay 5 times the price of my plane ticket...

Thank you !

[Greenie]

You will need to apply for a visit visa. A student residence permit issued by the French authorities does not allow you to travel to the UK.

The fee for a visit visa is £78 so unless you have a very cheap plane ticket you are looking at the wrong visa.