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France Visa Policy

Familiarize yourself with the visa policy of France and discover visa requirements for your nationality.

Visa Policy for France

The visa policy is a set of regulations and requirements established for foreign citizens who want to travel to France.

The visa policy to visit France depends on whether the citizen resides in a country that is part of the Schengen passport-free zone or not.

If the foreign citizen belongs to the list of Schengen countries, they enjoy freedom of movement in France and do not need to obtain a visa. These travelers may enter the country by air, land or sea using a National ID card.

A number of foriegn citizens are also currently able to gain entry to France and the other Schengen Area countries without a visa for short stays, as long as the visit does not exceed the 90 days allowed and is for one of the permitted visa-free purposes.
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However, in 2025, these same visa-exempt citizens will be required to pre-register for an electronic travel authorization (ETIAS) in order to gain entry to France and the Schengen Area. This online visa waiver is being introduced to pre-screen travelers before they arrive in France.

Additionally, France’s visa policy currently states that citizens of around 150 countries are required to obtain a travel visa for the country no matter the purpose or length of the intended stay.

At the moment, this must be obtained through a French government overseas diplomatic office, either an embassy or a consulate, as France does not currently offer a visa on arrival or eVisa application.

Since numerous types of embassy visa for France are available, the applicant must specify the type of visa they want when filling out a consular visa application form. This may be either a tourist visa, business visa, work visa, student visa, or visa for transit, among other types of visa option.

The period of stay will depend on that permitted by each visa type. A French embassy visa may be issued as a single or multiple entry document, depending on nationality and the purpose of the stay.

Find further information about the different types of visa for France below.

Tourist Visa Policy for France

Any citizen of an eligible country may visit France for tourist reasons. At the moment, some travelers are able to enter without the need to obtain a visa or travel authorization for tourism, others will have to obtain an embassy visa.

The French tourist visa policy identifies up to 95 countries that do not need a visa to visit France for tourism, including all citizens of Schengen Area countries, who are granted freedom of movement in the country.

However, in 2025, all visa-free citizens not belonging to the Schengen Area will be required to obtain an ETIAS visa waiver online before they can travel to France as a tourist.

This multiple-entry electronic travel authorization is being established to increase the security of the Schengen country borders and will allow the holder multiple short stays in France for tourism once approved.

However, all foreign citizens who are not visa-exempt for France must obtain a visa from a French embassy or consulate to visit the country for tourism.

Find below further information about French visa requirements for your nationality.

ETIAS for France

The ETIAS visa waiver for France is an electronic travel authorization that will allow multiple entries to all of the Schengen countries for tourism, business, transit, or medical treatment during its validity.

An approved ETIAS authorization will allow the holder to enter France and all of the Schengen member states for 90 days with each entry, within every 180-day period. It has a total validity of 3 years from the date of issue.

The protocol of obtaining a French ETIAS will require the applicant to fill out a simple online form with personal data, passport and travel information, as well as to answer a few questions related to health and safety issues.

Once the application has been completed, it will be necessary to provide valid credit or debit card details to pay the ETIAS fee, as well as an active email address at which to receive a copy of the approved visa waiver.

All applicants for an ETIAS France will be required to have an eligible passport with a minimum validity of 3 months from the date of arrival. As the approved ETIAS will be electronically linked to this travel document, it is necessary to use the same passport when traveling to the Schengen zone.

Any foreign citizen eligible for an ETIAS who wishes to travel to France for a purpose other than those discussed above should contact a French embassy or consulate for more information.

Embassy or Consular Visa Required

Although there are currently up to 95 nationalities worldwide that do not require a visa for France for short stays, French visa policy determines that citizens of 150 countries need to obtain a visa through an overseas diplomatic mission, no matter the expected length or purpose of the visit.

The protocol of applying through for a French visa from the nearest embassy or consulate requires the applicant to make an appointment several weeks in advance of travel.

As a general rule, the traveler should print and complete an embassy visa application form to bring along to the approved consular interview.

It is also necessary to provide a range of supporting documentation, depending on the type of French embassy visa requested.

When completing the application form, the applicant should indicate the type of visa they require, as a French consulate visa can be issued for a variety of purposes.

An approved embassy visa for France may function as either a tourist visa, business visa, transit visa, work visa, student visa, or resident visa, depending on the traveler’s needs.

The maximum period of stay permitted, and whether the visa is issued for single or multiple entry, depends on both the applicant’s nationality and the motives for travel.

Browse the list below to discover if a French embassy visa is required for your nationality.

Embassy or Consular Visa Required: Country list

  • Afghanistan
  • Aland Islands
  • Algeria
  • American Samoa
  • Angola
  • Anguilla
  • Antarctica
  • Armenia
  • Aruba
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bahrain
  • Bangladesh
  • Belarus
  • Belize
  • Benin
  • Bermuda
  • Bhutan
  • Bolivia
  • Bonaire
  • Botswana
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cambodia
  • Cameroon
  • Cape Verde
  • Cayman Islands
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • China
  • Christmas Island
  • Cocos Islands
  • Comoros
  • Congo
  • Cook Islands
  • Cuba
  • Curacao
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Djibouti
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • Egypt
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Eritrea
  • Ethiopia
  • Falkland Islands
  • Faroe Islands
  • Fiji
  • French Guiana
  • French Polynesia
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Gibraltar
  • Greenland
  • Guadeloupe
  • Guam
  • Guernsey
  • Guinea
  • Guinea Bissau
  • Guyana
  • Haiti
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Iran
  • Iraq
  • Isle of Man
  • Ivory Coast
  • Jamaica
  • Jersey
  • Jordan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Kuwait
  • Kyrgyzstan
  • Laos
  • Lebanon
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Maldives
  • Mali
  • Martinique
  • Mauritania
  • Mayotte
  • Mongolia
  • Montserrat
  • Morocco
  • Mozambique
  • Myanmar
  • Namibia
  • Nauru
  • Nepal
  • New Caledonia
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Niue
  • Norfolk Island
  • North Korea
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Oman
  • Pakistan
  • Palestinian Territory
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Philippines
  • Pitcairn Islands
  • Puerto Rico
  • Qatar
  • Reunion
  • Russian Federation
  • Rwanda
  • Saint Barthelemy
  • Saint Helena
  • Saint Martin
  • Saint Pierre and Miquelon
  • Sao Tome and Principe
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Senegal
  • Sierra Leone
  • Sint Maarten
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  • South Sudan
  • Sri Lanka
  • Sudan
  • Suriname
  • Svalbard and Jan Mayen
  • Swaziland
  • Syrian Arab Republic
  • Tajikistan
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Togo
  • Tokelau
  • Tunisia
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • Uganda
  • United States Virgin Islands
  • Uzbekistan
  • Vietnam
  • Wallis and Futuna
  • Yemen
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe
Get Embassy Info

Visa Not Required

French visa laws currently state that individuals from roughly 95 territories that can visit France without a visa or a travel authorization.

All citizens of the member countries of the Schengen Area are permitted freedom of movement to France,simply by presenting a valid National ID card at a border immigration checkpoint.

Travelers from all other visa not required countries are required to have a passport with a minimum validity of 3 months from the date of arrival in France.

At the moment, all visa-exempt foreign citizens for France from outside of the Schengen Area are able to visit the country visa-free for tourism, business, or transit purposes, for periods not exceeding 90 days.

However, this will change when ETIAS for France is introduced in 2025. ETIAS, which stands for European Travel Information and Authorization System, is being implemented to increase security within Schengen zone borders. Please see above for further information.

Below you will find a full list of the countries whose citizens do not require a visa to travel to France.

Visa Not Required: Country list

  • Albania
  • Andorra
  • Antigua and Barbuda
  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Bahamas
  • Barbados
  • Belgium
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina
  • Brazil
  • Brunei Darussalam
  • Bulgaria
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Dominica
  • El Salvador
  • Estonia
  • Federated States of Micronesia
  • Finland
  • Georgia
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Grenada
  • Guatemala
  • Honduras
  • Hong Kong
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Kiribati
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Macau
  • Macedonia
  • Malaysia
  • Malta
  • Marshall Islands
  • Mauritius
  • Mexico
  • Moldova
  • Monaco
  • Montenegro
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Nicaragua
  • Norway
  • Palau
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Republic of Cyprus
  • Romania
  • Saint Kitts and Nevis
  • Saint Lucia
  • Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
  • Samoa
  • San Marino
  • Serbia
  • Seychelles
  • Singapore
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • Solomon Islands
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan
  • Timor Leste
  • Tonga
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tuvalu
  • Ukraine
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Uruguay
  • Vanuatu
  • Vatican City
  • Venezuela
Get Embassy Info

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