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Entry requirements in France


Entry requirements in France

View of Mont Saint Michel from the causeway carpark, Normandy, Northern France
View of Mont Saint Michel from the causeway carpark, Normandy, Northern France
Yachts moored in Honfleur, Normandy, Northern France
Yachts moored in Honfleur, Normandy, Northern France
The French impressionist painter Claude Monet's house in Giverny, Normandy, Northern France
The French impressionist painter Claude Monet's house in Giverny, Normandy, Northern France
Interior of Bayeux Cathedral, Normandy, Northern France
Interior of Bayeux Cathedral, Normandy, Northern France
Half-timbered facades in old town Strasbourg, Alsace, Northeastern France
Half-timbered facades in old town Strasbourg, Alsace, Northeastern France
The cathedral at Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, Northeastern France
The cathedral at Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, Northeastern France
The coast at Quiberon, Brittany
The coast at Quiberon, Brittany
Place de la République in Rennes, Brittany
Place de la République in Rennes, Brittany
Boats in the harbour at St Malo, Brittany
Boats in the harbour at St Malo, Brittany
Saumur, Pays de la Loire
Saumur, Pays de la Loire
The main street of old city of Le Mans, Pays de la Loire
The main street of old city of Le Mans, Pays de la Loire
The Saint-Julien Cathedral in Le Mans, Pays de la Loire
The Saint-Julien Cathedral in Le Mans, Pays de la Loire
The Saint-Michel gate in Guerande, Pays de la Loire
The Saint-Michel gate in Guerande, Pays de la Loire
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre in Nantes, Pays de la Loire
Cathédrale Saint-Pierre in Nantes, Pays de la Loire
France is a member of the Schengen Agreement. There are no border controls between countries that have signed and implemented the treaty - the European Union (except Bulgaria, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania and the United Kingdom), Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. Likewise, a visa granted for any Schengen member is valid in all other countries that have signed and implemented the treaty. But be careful: not all EU members have signed the Schengen treaty, and not all Schengen members are part of the European Union. Airports in Europe are thus divided into "Schengen" and "non-Schengen" sections, which effectively act like "domestic" and "international" sections elsewhere. If you are flying from outside Europe into one Schengen country and continuing to another, you will clear Immigration and Customs at the first country and then continue to your destination with no further checks. Travel between a Schengen member and a non-Schengen country will result in the normal border checks. Note that regardless of whether you are travelling within the Schengen area or not, many airlines will still insist on seeing your ID card or passport. Nationals of EU and EFTA (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland) countries only need a valid national identity card or passport for entry - in no case will they need a visa for a stay of any length. Nationals of non-EU/EFTA countries will generally need a passport for entry to a Schengen country and most will need a visa. Only the nationals of the following non-EU/EFTA countries do not need a visa for entry into the Schengen Area: Albania*, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina*, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Macedonia*, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montenegro*, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, San Marino, Serbia*/**, Seychelles, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan*** (Republic of China), United States, Uruguay, Vatican City, Venezuela, additionally persons holding British National (Overseas), Hong Kong SAR or Macau SAR passports. These non-EU/EFTA visa-free visitors may not stay more than 90 days in a 180 day period in the Schengen Area as a whole and, in general, may not work during their stay (although some Schengen countries do allow certain nationalities to work - see below). The counter begins once you enter any country in the Schengen Area and is not reset by leaving a specific Schengen country for another Schengen country, or vice-versa. However, New Zealand citizens may be able to stay for more than 90 days if they only visit particular Schengen countries - see for the New Zealand Government's explanation. If you are a non-EU/EFTA national (even if you are visa-exempt, unless you are Andorran, Monégasque or San Marinese), make sure that your passport is stamped both when you enter and leave the Schengen Area. Without an entry stamp, you may be treated as an overstayer when you try to leave the Schengen Area; without an exit stamp, you may be denied entry the next time you seek to enter the Schengen Area as you may be deemed to have overstayed on your previous visit. If you are unable to obtain a passport stamp, make sure that you retain documents such as boarding passes, transport tickets and ATM slips which may help to convince border inspection staff that you have stayed in the Schengen Area legally. Note that
  • while British subjects with the right of abode in the United Kingdom and British Overseas Territories citizens connected to Gibraltar are considered "United Kingdom nationals for European Union purposes" and therefore eligible for unlimited access to the Schengen Area,
  • British Overseas Territories citizens without the right of abode in the United Kingdom and British subjects without the right of abode in the United Kingdom as well as British Overseas citizens and British protected persons in general do require visas.
  • However, all British Overseas Territories citizens except those solely connected to the Cyprus Sovereign Base Areas are eligible for British citizenship and thereafter unlimited access to the Schengen Area. Further note that (*) nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia need a biometric passport to enjoy visa-free travel, (**) Serbian nationals with passports issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate (residents of Kosovo with Serbian passports) do need a visa and (***) Taiwan nationals need their ID number to be stipulated in their passport to enjoy visa-free travel. Citizens of Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Holy See, Honduras, Israel, Macedonia, Mauritius, Monaco, Montenegro, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, San Marino, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Seychelles, Taiwan and Uruguay, as well as British Nationals (Overseas), are permitted to work in France without the need to obtain a visa or any further authorisation for the period of their 90 day visa-free stay. All other visa-exempt nationals are exempt from holding a visa for short-term employment if they possess a valid work permit, with limited exceptions. However, this ability to work visa-free does not necessarily extend to other Schengen countries. For more information, visit . Foreign nationals who are not visa-exempt (e.g. South Africans) must make a 'declaration of entry' (déclaration d'entrée) at a police station or to border inspection personnel if they arrive in France directly from another country of Schengen Area (e.g. Italy), unless they hold a long-term visa or residence permit issued by a Schengen member state. Their passports will be endorsed by the authorities to prove that such a declaration has been made. This government webpage (in French) provides more information. If you intend to stay in France for longer than 90 days, regardless of purpose, an advance long-stay visa is always required of non-EEA or non-Swiss citizens. It is almost impossible to switch from a "C" (visitor) entry status to a "D" (long-stay) status from inside France. As of 2009, certain categories of long-stay visa, such as "visitor", "student", "paid worker", and "short-term worker", do not require persons to obtain a separate residence permit (carte de séjour) for the first year of the stay in France; however, the long-stay visa must be validated by the OFII upon payment of a tax (€55 for most categories, but €340 for visitors) within the first three months of entering France to be valid for longer than those three months. The validated visa will serve as a residence permit and, likewise, allow travel throughout the other Schengen countries for up to 90 days in a 6 month period. After the first year, however, and for many other visa categories, a carte de séjour is required. Note that French overseas departments and territories are not part of the Schengen Area and operate a separate immigration regime to metropolitan France.

    The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about France

    Minimum validity of travel documents

    • EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, as well as non-EU citizens who are visa-exempt (e.g. New Zealanders and Australians), need only produce a passport which is valid for the entirety of their stay in France.
    • Other nationals who are required to have a visa (e.g. South Africans), however, must have a passport which has at least 3 months' validity beyond their period of stay in France in order for a Schengen visa to be granted.

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    France Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.

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