Mont-Saint-Michel reflected in the bay at sunrise, Normandy, France

Who needs a visa for France?

Western Europe · Paris

Photo: Lynx1211 / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Of 198 nationalities, 93 enter France with no paperwork at all. The rest: 105 must be approved before they travel.

Government fee
€90
Typical decision
15 days
Stay permitted
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period, across the whole Schengen area
Apply on the official France government site

This is the government's own portal. We are not paid to send you there.

Checked 19 September 2026 — read the fees and rules on home-affairs.ec.europa.eu

What France asks for

  • Passport valid for at least three months beyond your intended departure, issued within the last 10 years, with two blank pages
  • Completed and signed Schengen visa application form
  • One recent photograph to the published specification
  • Medical insurance covering emergency medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation
  • Evidence of where you will stay for the whole trip
  • Return or onward ticket, or evidence of your travel plans
  • Proof of funds for the length of the stay
  • Evidence of your employment, studies or business

Worth knowing

  • One Schengen visa covers all 29 member states. You do not need, and cannot buy, a separate visa for each country.
  • Medical insurance is a legal condition of the visa, not an optional extra. It must cover emergency care, hospitalisation and repatriation.
  • Consulates charge the same €90 wherever you apply. Where a consulate uses an external centre such as VFS or TLS, that centre's service charge is separate and is not the visa fee.
  • Ireland is not in the Schengen area, and neither is the United Kingdom. A Schengen visa does not cover either.

Photo requirements

Visa photo: 35-40 mm wide. france-visas.gouv.fr · read France passport photo, for its own citizens: 35 x 45 mm. service-public.gouv.fr · read Every photo rule for France

Resize a photo in your browser. It is never uploaded.

How long your passport must be valid for France: see passport validity by country.

What do you need?

Who needs what

Visa free 93

Nothing to apply for and nothing to pay before you travel.

Visa required 105

You must apply and be approved before you travel. Airlines will refuse to board you without it.

Guides for France

About France

Region
Western Europe
Capital
Paris
Population
68,720,337 2025 · 23rd of 197
Size
551,695 km² 48th largest of 199
Density
125 per km²
Language
French
Currency
Euro EUR

Capital, area, languages and currency from the open country dataset, pulled 21 September 2026. Population from the World Bank, series updated 13 July 2026. Density is calculated from the two figures above.