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Visa France

Europe · Europe de l’Ouest

France-Visas is the French Republic's interministerial portal for visa applications, run by the ministère de l'Intérieur (ministry of the interior) and the ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères (ministry for Europe and foreign affairs). It describes a five-step process: find out about your situation, complete the application online, book an appointment, file the application, then track the application and collect the visa. The portal distinguishes the short-stay visa, the long-stay visa and the airport transit visa, and states the processing times.

The information on this page helps prepare a case. Only the competent authority decides; always check the official source before filing an application.

Machine-assisted draft, reviewed by a person on 23 September 2026. Only the authority cited is authoritative.

Published on 23 September 2026 · Reviewed by vg_admin on 23 September 2026 · Sources consulted on 17 September 2026

At a glance

Authority
Ministère de l'Intérieur (ministry of the interior) and ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères (ministry for Europe and foreign affairs) — France
Submission channel
Online entry on France-Visas, then filing of the application by appointment with the consulate or, in most cases, with an external service provider
Electronic visa
Not stated on the portal consulted; the application is entered online but the filing of the application and the taking of biometric data are done in person
Portal language
French; the portal also offers English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic and Russian

Do you need a visa?

Choose a nationality to see the recorded entry rule. No answer is shown until reviewed data exists.

Documented visa types

Short-stay visa, known as the "uniform Schengen" visa
According to the portal: issued by a member country of the Schengen area for transit or for a stay, for a maximum of 90 days in any 180-day period; it may be valid for a single entry or for several entries. Purposes cited: tourism, business, family visits. Official page (new tab)
Long-stay visa
According to the portal: required for any stay of more than 90 days, with a duration of between 3 months and one year. There are three: the visa serving as a residence permit (VLS-TS), the visa endorsed "carte de séjour à solliciter dans les 2 mois" and the temporary visa (VLS-T). Official page (new tab)
Airport transit visa (VTA)
According to the portal: it concerns travelers remaining in the international zone of the airport while waiting for a connection to a destination outside the Schengen area. There are three types — single, double and multiple — and it does not authorize entry into the Schengen area. Official page (new tab)
Specific visa for France's non-European territories
According to the portal: the Schengen visa does not give access to these territories; a specific visa must be applied for, and a stay including both one of these territories and the European territory of France requires two separate visas. Official page (new tab)

Where and how to apply

The portal states that the application is completed online on France-Visas, and that the file is then submitted at an appointment. In most cases, consular services use service providers to receive applicants and take in applications; the portal states that consular services retain in all cases full responsibility for examining applications and for the decisions taken.

Information on booking an appointment, on particular cases, on fees and on the accepted means of payment appears, according to the portal, on the page of the country of filing, reachable from the "Prendre rendez-vous" (Book an appointment) section.

Steps in the procedure

  1. Step 1 — Find out about your situation: check whether a visa is required, identify the supporting documents to provide and the applicable fee, then identify the body responsible for handling the application.
  2. Step 2 — Complete the application online, having to hand the travel document, the photographs and the supporting documents matching the purpose of travel.
  3. Step 3 — Book an appointment, allowing for the time needed to obtain the appointment and for the application to be examined, relative to the start date of the trip.
  4. Step 4 — Submit the file at the appointment, with the CERFA form and the receipt; the service provider or the consulate checks the file, collects the fees, takes the biometric data and keeps the passport and the copies of the supporting documents to forward them to the consulate.
  5. Step 5 — Track the application and collect the visa: tracking is handled by the visa center where the application was filed, and a notification invites the applicant to come and collect the passport.

Documents mentioned by the authority

The exact list depends on the visa type and on the situation; only the official page is authoritative. The portal warns that documents written in a language other than French or English may be required to be translated into French.

Stated fees and processing times

The amount of the fees is not stated on the pages consulted: for the applicable fee and the accepted means of payment, the portal refers to the page of the country of filing. It states that the fees are collected by the service provider or the consulate at the appointment.

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-17, decisions on visa applications are generally taken within 15 days, and this period may be extended to up to 45 days in particular cases if examination of the application warrants it.

After the decision

The portal states that the applicant receives a notification inviting them to come and collect their passport at the center where they filed it, and that in some countries the passport may be sent by mail.

For long stays, the portal states that the holder of a VLS-TS must validate their visa within the 3 months following their arrival in France, on the portal of the Administration numérique des étrangers en France (digital administration for foreign nationals in France), and that the holder of a visa endorsed "carte de séjour à solliciter dans les 2 mois suivant l'arrivée" (residence card to be applied for within 2 months of arrival) must report to the préfecture within that period. The portal publishes a frequently asked question on what to do in the event of a refusal, which was not read for this draft.

Published procedures

No reviewed and published procedure for France to date. We prefer an empty page to an invented requirement.

Explore procedures

Frequently asked questions

Is a visa required to travel to France?

It depends on nationality and on the purpose of travel; the rule reviewed by VisaGuideline is shown with the nationality selector on this page. Always check with the authority.

Where is the application filed?

The application is completed online on France-Visas, and the file is then submitted by appointment with the consulate or, in most cases, with an external service provider.

Is there an electronic visa?

Not stated on the portal consulted. The application is entered online, but the filing of the file and the taking of biometric data take place in person.

What processing time does the portal state?

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-17: generally 15 days, and this period may be extended to up to 45 days in particular cases.

Does the Schengen visa allow travel to the French overseas territories?

According to the portal, no: these territories are not part of the Schengen area and a specific visa must be applied for. A stay including both one of these territories and the European territory of France requires two separate visas.

Is it necessary to appear in person?

The portal states that all visas issued by France are biometric and that every applicant over 12 years old must appear in person for a first application; an exemption is possible if fingerprints were taken for an application less than fifty-nine months old.

Consulted sources

Official pages read to write this guide, with the date they were read. A page may have changed since: check it before taking any step.

What this guide does not know yet

Points the official source does not specify and which this guide therefore left blank. Ask the competent authority about them before filing an application.

Prepare my case

This method is the same for every destination. It does not list any document as an official requirement: only the authority’s source is authoritative.

  1. Describe your situation

    Nationality, residence, purpose and dates. The checker tells covered routes apart from situations that are still unknown.

  2. Check at the source

    Open the destination’s official source and compare it with your situation before starting a procedure.

  3. Track what is left to do

    Your space keeps your answers and your declared checklist. A complete checklist does not announce a favorable decision.

Check my route Open my case

The information on this page helps prepare a case. Only the competent authority decides; always check the official source before filing an application.