France Visa Requirements: French visa application form information on France visas for travel, tourist visa, visitor / transit visa, student visa. French embassy address, information...
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Traveler's Guide

France Visa Information



Learn4good provides general information on study, travel, work visa and business visa requirements and the addresses of embassies worldwide. You should contact your local embassy or consulate for the most up-to-date information or visa forms.

Who requires a visa?
The type of visa required to enter France depends on the duration of and reasons for the planned stay, except in the following special cases:

  • for stays of less than or not exceeding 90 days (3 months), you need to apply for a short-stay "Schengen" visa;
  • for stays exceeding 90 days (3 months) you need to apply for a long-stay visa suited to the duration of and reasons for your stay.

Once the visa holder has entered the French territory, no visa modification or change of status may be obtained. In addition, exercising a salaried occupation is subject to specific procedures that require getting a work permit prior to applying for a visa. As regards French overseas territories, the rules applicable may differ from those applying to the territory of metropolitan France. Applicants are required to specify their destination and flight details very accurately.
If you are a national of a European Union (EU) Member State other than France, of the European Economic Area (EEA) or of Switzerland, or a family member of a national of an EU Member State other than France, the EEA or Switzerland, specific provisions of EU law apply:

  • Nationals of EU Member States, the EEA or Switzerland are not subject to the entry and stay visa requirement, whatever the duration of their stay;
  • members of the family of a national of Member States of the EU, EEA or Switzerland (spouse, children under 18 or dependent children, dependent parents) are subject to the same regulations governing the movement of persons as other foreigners of their nationality. Family members of a Union national who does not require a short-stay visa, or holding a residence permit for family members of Union citizens, do not require an entry and stay visa, whatever the duration of their stay.

Short stays (less than 90 days in the Schengen Area)
A short stay is a stay in the Schengen Area lasting less than 90 days or a succession of stays totaling less than 90 days in any period of 180 days. For short stays, European regulations specify the list of countries whose nationals are exempt from visa requirement to enter the Schengen Area.
Exempt from visa requirement for France’s territory in Europe are:

  • Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland;
  • Nationals of the following countries, whatever the reason for their stay: Albania *, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina *, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Malaysia, Mauritius, Monaco, Nicaragua , New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Holy See, Seychelles, Taiwan (passport bearing identity card number), Uruguay, Montenegro*, FYROM* and Serbia* ;*bearers of biometric passports only
  • Nationals of the following countries: Australia, Brazil, USA, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea Venezuela. If you are gainfully employed, the exemption only applies if you can produce a work permit;
  • Holders of a valid residence permit for France ;

Holders of a residence permit issued by a state applying the Schengen Agreements ;-  holders of certain travel documents issued by an EU Member State ;-  holders of a British National (Overseas) passport.

Special cases
Certain nationals remain subject to short-stay visa requirements in the following cases :

  • Nationals of the United States: journalists on assignment.

Long stays (over 90 days in France)
Only nationals of the following countries are exempt from entry and long-stay visa requirements: Member States of the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA), Andorra, Monaco and Switzerland.

Overseas Departments (DOM)

  • Réunion
  • French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique (the three French Departments of the Americas)

Short stays
A short stay is a stay under 90 days in an Overseas Department.
A visa is waived for:

  • Albania *, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Bosnia *, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Malaysia, Mauritius, Monaco, Nicaragua, New Zealand , Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis San Marino, Holy See, Seychelles, Taiwan (passport bearing No. identity card), Uruguay, Montenegro *, * FYROM, Serbia *

*bearers of biometric passports only

  • Nationals of the following countries: Australia, Brazil (except for French Guiana), Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, United States, Venezuela. This exemption does not apply in the case of gainful employment in a DROM ;

Bearers of passports of the Hong Kong special administrative region (People’s Republic of China) and the Macau special administrative region (People’s Republic of China). This exemption does not apply in the case of gainful employment in a DROM;

Long stays
Citizens of the following countries are not required to have a long-stay visa: Member States of the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland, Monaco and Andorra.

Other territories of the French Republic located overseas
They include:

  • French Polynesia
  • New Caledonia
  • Wallis and Futuna
  • Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  • Mayotte
  • French Southern and Antarctic Territories

Short stays
A short stay is a stay under 90 days.
A visa is waived for the citizens of the following countries:

  • Albania *, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Brunei, Bolivia, Bosnia *, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Solomon Islands, Israel, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Malaysia, Mauritius, Micronesia, Monaco, Nauru, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Palau ° Panama, Paraguay, Papua New Guinea (only for New Caledonia), Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Holy See, Western Samoa , Seychelles, Taiwan (passport bearing the number of the identity card), Tonga, Tuvalu, Uruguay, Montenegro *, * FYROM, Serbia *;

*bearers of biometric passports only

  • Nationals of the following countries: Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, United States, Venezuela. This exemption does not apply in the case of gainful employment in a CTOM;

Bearers of passports of the Hong Kong special administrative region (People’s Republic of China) and the Macau special administrative region (People’s Republic of China). This exemption does not apply in the case of gainful employment in a CTOM;

Long stays
Citizens of the following countries are not required to have a long-stay visa: Member States of the European Union and the European Economic Area (EEA), Switzerland, Monaco and Andorra.

Submitting and processing visa applications:
Regulations on entry to and staying in the French territory differ whether you hold a regular passport, a diplomatic passport or an official duty passport. Your passport must be valid long enough to cover your stay in the Schengen Area. Application or “visa” fees are payable on submitting your application; these application fees are not refunded if the visa is refused. When the visa application is being processed, certain formalities such as the making of appointments or submission of the application may be entrusted to service providers. You should allow additional costs for this. Information is available from the relevant French consulate.

You must tell the visa official the precise reasons for your journey to France. This is because the type of visa required to enter France depends on both the length of your stay and your reasons ; except for special cases :

  • for stays equal to or shorter than 90 days, the visa to be issued is a short-stay visa, often known as a “Schengen visa”; 
  • for stays longer than 90 days, the visa to be issued is a long-stay visa appropriate to the duration of and reasons for your stay.

This information must be accurate, because:

  • once you are in France, you cannot have your visa modified or change your immigration status ;
  • in addition, exercising a salaried activity is subject to specific procedures that require getting a work permit before getting a visa. This applies to all employees, including artists and sportspeople.

In the French overseas territories, the rules applicable may vary from those applied in Metropolitan France. When applying for a visa, you must carefully specify the destination and details of your flight.

What documents will be required?
To apply for a Schengen short-stay visa, you are required to present one visa application per person, including the following items:

  • A passport which is valid for at least 3 months after the date of the requested visa;
  • duly completed and signed;
  • A maximum of 3 photographs meeting requirements;
  • Application fees. Visa application forms for a child under 18 years of age must be signed by a parent or legal guardian

If any of the items you provide do not fulfill our criteria, consular personnel will not accept your application and will ask you to present items which do. If you insist on submitting your application anyway, your application will be recorded but a visa will not be issued and the other items in the application will not be studied.

Proof

  • Proof of the purpose of your stay in the Schengen area;
  • Proof of your means of support during your stay and accommodation;
  • Proof of travel and repatriation insurance;
  • Guarantees of repatriation to your country of residence (return ticket or adequate personal means to purchase one);
  • For children under 18 years of age, specific proof;
  • Any documents helping to convince the consular authority of your intention to leave the Schengen area when your visa expires.

Certain diplomatic and consular authorities that issue visas on ordinary passports may include more detailed information taking local specificities into account. These items providing proof that are are required are to be presented to the consular authority.

The consular authority will accept your application as provided by you and will make his decision on the basis of the guarantees and proof attached to your application. If you have failed to attach the proof included in the list, the consular authority will assume that you are unable to do so unless you effectively explain why such proof was omitted in a separate letter attached to the application.

How much does a visa cost?
Application fees are:

  • 60 euros for a short-stay visa (one or more stays totaling to less than 3 months per period of 6 months in the Schengen Area) except for nationals of certain countries who benefit from a special rate agreed with the European Union (Bosnia, Moldavia, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia).
  • 99 euros for a long-stay visa.

These application fees are not refunded if the visa is refused.

Visa processing time
Processing time varies according to the nationality of the applicant and local conditions of the issuing department. Please consult the consular website. For certain types of visa that require verification or consultation with the French authorities (visas for a stay of more than 3 months in France, adoption visas, for example), response times may be much longer.

Visa appeal procedure:
You may appeal against a decision to refuse you a visa by applying to the Commission de recours contre les décisions de refus de visa d’entrée en France (Board of Appeals against decisions to refuse an entry visa to France) within 2 months of the date of notification of the refusal. If your visa is refused, you may also submit a new visa application immediately and at any time.

Embassy contact information:
Embassies & Consulates of France to Other Nations
France French Courses in Chamonix



Disclaimer: The contents of these pages are provided as an information guide only, in good faith. The use of this website is at the viewer/user's sole risk. While every effort is made in presenting up-to-date and accurate information, no responsibility or liability is accepted by the owners to this website for any errors, omissions, outdated or misleading information on these pages or any site to which these pages connect or are linked.

Source & Copyright: The source of the above visa and immigration information and copyright owner/s is the:
- Ministère des Affaires étrangères, France - URL: www.diplomatie.gouv.fr
- Consulat General of France in Washington - URL: www.consulfrance-washington.org

The viewer/user of this web page should use the above information as a guideline only, and should always contact the above sources or the user's own government representatives for the most up-to-date information at that moment in time, before making a final decision to travel to that country or destination.