All You Need To Know About France Visa Requirements

Travelling abroad to one of the most popular tourist destinations, like France, is definitely thrilling! However, before the thrill, there’s the challenge of getting a visa approval. If you wish to travel to France, you might know by now that searching for France Visa requirements on the internet can be a pretty daunting task, as the information is pretty much scattered everywhere. Don’t worry! You’ve, luckily, landed on the right page that contains everything you need to know about France Visa requirements. So, before applying for a French Schengen Visa, make sure that you’ve read this comprehensive article and get everything set for your visa application.

GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT FRANCE VISA REQUIREMENTS:

Since France comes under the Schengen area, you will need a Schengen visa to travel to France. If you’re unsure what a Schengen visa is, don’t worry. It is, simply answered, a visa that can be commonly used for travelling to any European country that comes under the Schengen agreement. This means, if you have a visa for France and you’ve also included some other countries in your travel itinerary, you don’t need to have a separate visa for each Schengen country—just one Schengen visa would suffice!

While applying for a Schengen visa, you can either opt for a short stay visa or a long-term visa, depending on the purpose and duration of your visit. Short-stay visas are mostly tourist visa or business visa, which are not more than 90 days. Any visit prolonging more than 90 days requires a long-term visa, such as a student visa or job visa.

Since France Visa requirements are similar for both short-term and long-term visas, we’ve included all the documents you’ll need to apply for a short-term visa, such as a tourist visa or a business visa. For additional France Visa requirements for obtaining a long-term visa, you can know more about it using this link.

MANDATORY DOCUMENTS AND OTHER FRANCE VISA REQUIREMENTS:

As with any other visa application process, the interview with the diplomatic office or embassy of the country is important for the visa application to France too. The first thing you need to ensure is to make arrangements for the interview before visiting the embassy and to arrive at least 15 minutes prior to the meeting. You should also be ready with all the necessary France Visa requirements. Here are all the documents that you’ll need to submit before the interview:

1) A duly completed application form for French Schengen Visa: The visa application is, of course, one of the most important France Visa requirements. You can either fill out the visa application after taking a printout of the application form or you can choose to fill it out online. If you choose to fill the form online, you need to take a printout of the completed application form, sign it, and submit it along with the rest of the documents.

2) Two passport-sized photographs: You must ensure that the photographs are taken recently. Also, the face should cover at least around 75-80% of the photograph, and should have a light background.

3) A valid Passport: There are three important things you need to note regarding your passport:

• It should have a validity that exceeds at least 3 months beyond your return date.
• The issue date of your passport should not be more than 10 years old from the date of your visa application.
• Finally, there should be a minimum of two blank pages for the arrival and exit visa entries.

4) Local address proof: The proof of your permanent address should be included, along with the other documents. It can be a lease agreement or the deed of the applicant’s house. Bills, such as the electricity bill and water bill are also accepted as a proof.

5) Proof of a round-trip flight itinerary for visa: Embassies and immigration offices need to ensure that you will return to your country after the tour. So, you’ll need to submit either the booked return tickets or the flight itinerary for visa from your travel agency.

6) No objection letter: Also known as NOC, the No Objection Letter is a document, which states that your employer (or university/school, in case of students) has no objection to you travelling to France. It is also an assurance that you will be returning to your home base after the tour, as you have certain obligations and responsibilities in your home country.

7) Travel insurance: There are a lot of challenges, such as being sick or injured, during an international tour. So, the embassy should have a confirmation that you have the means to afford to pay for the medical expenses, and that you will not be a burden to their country. That’s why, the travel medical insurance is one of the inevitable France visa requirements. The travel medical insurance should cover a minimum of 30,000 EUR, and should be valid in all the Schengen countries.

8) Proof of civil status: It is a document declaring your civil status in the society. It gives information, such as whether you are married or not. In case you are married, you will be asked to provide a marriage certificate, child’s birth certificate, or spouse’s death certificate, whichever is applicable. Ration card is also applicable as a proof of civil status.

9) Covering letter: Covering letter states the purpose of your visit and also shows a glimpse of your whole travel program. If you’re a businessman and the purpose of the visit is related to business, the letter may require your company’s letterhead. The letter should include the details of your visit, such as the duration of your trip, the places you plan on visiting, the places reserved for your stay, and the means of transportation.

10) Proof of hotel reservation for visa: If you’re planning to stay in a hotel, you need to submit the documents of hotel reservation, along with the duration of your stay at the hotel. For staying at a friend’s or relative’s home, you may need the letter of sponsorship from the host.

11) Means of subsistence: We can’t emphasise how important it is to submit the proof showing that you have the necessary funds for your travel. This document is for the consulate to ensure that you can successfully complete the trip and you won’t require any further financial assistance. Your bank statement for the past 3 months, duly signed and sealed from the bank, along with your Income Tax Returns documents for the past two years, should be sufficient.

Remember that you need to submit all these documents, along with a photocopy of important documents like front & back pages of your Passport and local address proof, for getting your visa approved. Depending on certain situational differences, you may also be asked to furnish additional documents.

Once you’ve collected all these important France Visa requirements, neatly arrange these documents according to categories, pin them together and hand it over personally at the French diplomatic office, consulate, embassy, or to the French representative in your home country.

During your visa application process, if you need any assistance with the aforementioned France Visa requirements, such as obtaining a flight itinerary for visa or a travel insurance, all you need to do is, simply contact us. Our amazing support staff members can guide you through each step of your visa application process, so that you can get your visa without a hassle!