Visa Information
Do you need a Visa to enter France?
There are several factors that determine whether a visa is waived:
- the nationality of the foreign national;
the holding of a residence document in France or another country adhering to the Schengen Agreement;
the length of stay;
and which part of the territory of the French Republic the foreign national is to visit. As far as visas are concerned, legislation divides the territory of the French Republic into the following three sections, where different regulations apply:
the European territory of France, which is part of the Schengen area;
the territory of Overseas Departments (Réunion, Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana);
Overseas territorial communities: French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Mayotte, French Southern and Antarctic Territories.
1. The European territory of France
The European territory of France is part of the Schengen area. The Schengen area includes the territory of the following European Union countries and associated countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.
1.1. Short stays (under 90 days in the Schengen area)
A short stay is a stay in the Schengen area under 90 days or multiple stays totalling less than 90 days in a period of six months.
For short stays, European regulations determine the list of countries from which citizens are not required to have a visa to enter the Schengen area.
A visa is waived for:
citizens of the following countries: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bermuda, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela;
holders of passports from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China and the Special Administrative Region of Macao of the People’s Republic of China;
holders of a valid residence document in France;
holders of a residence document issued by a country which adheres to the Schengen Agreement;
holders of a travel document issued by a country which adheres to the Schengen Agreement.
What do you need to apply for a visa?
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;
[A visa application form] duly completed and signed;
A maximum of 3 photographs meeting the EU requirements. (Click here for the French example)
Application fee for the Visa application forms.
