France entry requirements, by passport
France visa requirements at a glance: 51 of the 81 passports VisaRadar tracks can enter France without arranging a visa beforehand — visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an electronic travel authorization. The other 30 must obtain a visa before they travel.
Which passport do you hold?
We'll take you straight to the entry requirements for France for your nationality.
What we've verified for France
Beyond the yes/no matrix, we've checked these against an official primary source (last checked 2026-08-18). The specifics depend on your nationality — open your passport's row in the table for the detail that applies to you.
- Typical processing time
- Required documents (4)
- Required vaccinations
- Health-insurance rules
- Customs limits (cash, alcohol, tobacco)
- Overstay penalties
- Airport transit rules
Sources: france-visas.gouv.fr (official visa portal); interieur.gouv.fr and ofii.fr (Office Français de l'Immigration et de l'Intégration, official immigration authority); europa.eu/youreurope (EU alcohol/tobacco allowances entering from outside the EU, and cash declaration threshold — Regulation (EU) 2018/1672, checked 18/08/2026); the €90 Schengen visa fee is NOT included in tasa_real since it couldn't be verified against france-visas.gouv.fr/en/web/france-visas/fees (403 error to automated tools) — only mentioned as an unverified figure in the sistema_autorizacion note.
France is a founding member of both the Schengen Area and the European Union: visa-exempt passports fall under the standard Schengen short-stay regime of up to 90 days within any 180-day period. France's overseas territories (such as Martinique, Guadeloupe, or French Guiana) are not part of the Schengen Area even though they are French territory — this page refers only to metropolitan France.
This table summarizes the exact entry mechanism for every passport we track — the difference between entering visa-free, with an electronic authorization, with an e-Visa, or with a traditional visa is explained in visa, e-Visa, and electronic authorization: what's the difference. How we verify every row before publishing it is on methodology.
Base entry rules refreshed 2026-09-17. Published: 2026-08-18.
| Passport | Requirement | Max. stay |
|---|---|---|
| Free movement | ||
| Austria | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Belgium | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Bulgaria | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Croatia | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Czech Republic | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Denmark | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Finland | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Germany | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Greece | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Hungary | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Iceland | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Ireland | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Italy | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Malta | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Netherlands | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Norway | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Poland | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Portugal | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Romania | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Spain | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Sweden | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Switzerland | Free movement (EU/EEA/Switzerland) | No limit (tourism)* |
| Visa-free | ||
| Argentina | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Australia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Brazil | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Canada | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Chile | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Colombia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Costa Rica | Visa-free | 90 days |
| El Salvador | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Georgia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Guatemala | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Honduras | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Israel | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Japan | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Malaysia | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Mexico | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Moldova | Visa-free | 90 days |
| New Zealand | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Nicaragua | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Panama | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Paraguay | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Peru | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Singapore | Visa-free | 90 days |
| South Korea | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Ukraine | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United Arab Emirates | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United Kingdom | Visa-free | 90 days |
| United States | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Uruguay | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Venezuela | Visa-free | 90 days |
| Visa required | ||
| Algeria | Visa required | — |
| Bangladesh | Visa required | — |
| Bolivia | Visa required | — |
| Cape Verde | Visa required | — |
| China | Visa required | — |
| Cuba | Visa required | — |
| Dominican Republic | Visa required | — |
| Ecuador | Visa required | — |
| Egypt | Visa required | — |
| Equatorial Guinea | Visa required | — |
| Gambia | Visa required | — |
| Ghana | Visa required | — |
| India | Visa required | — |
| Indonesia | Visa required | — |
| Jordan | Visa required | — |
| Kenya | Visa required | — |
| Mali | Visa required | — |
| Morocco | Visa required | — |
| Nigeria | Visa required | — |
| Pakistan | Visa required | — |
| Philippines | Visa required | — |
| Russia | Visa required | — |
| Saudi Arabia | Visa required | — |
| Senegal | Visa required | — |
| South Africa | Visa required | — |
| Sri Lanka | Visa required | — |
| Thailand | Visa required | — |
| Tunisia | Visa required | — |
| Turkey | Visa required | — |
| Vietnam | Visa required | — |
* EU/EEA/Switzerland free movement: no stay limit for tourism; after 90 days of residence you must register with the destination country's local authorities.
Staying in France? Work out your Schengen 90/180-day limit with our calculator →
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The overseas territories: what changes
None of France's territories outside Europe are part of the Schengen area, so a Schengen visa does not get you into Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna or the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. If your trip covers one of those territories and European France as well, France-Visas requires two separate visas: the Schengen one and a national visa for the territory. Some nationalities are visa-exempt in those destinations, but the exemption is decided territory by territory and is not inherited from Schengen.
Source: france-visas.gouv.fr/en/la-france-dans-l-espace-schengen (comprobado 18/09/2026)
Do you need a different visa for Paris, Nice, or Lyon?
No. France sets the requirements, so entering through Paris asks for the same as entering through Nice or Lyon. If you're arriving overland or through a small border post, check that separately: some countries apply their own rules to specific crossings.
With one exception, explained above: the rules for The overseas territories are not the rules for the rest of France.
What does change is where you file the application when a visa is needed, and that depends on the country you live in rather than the city you're travelling to.
What draws travelers to France
France allows for very different trips depending on the region. Paris and its surroundings — with Versailles at the gates — are enough for a first city trip. The Loire valley strings together Renaissance châteaux (Chambord, Chenonceau) an hour away by train. The south-east combines Provence (Avignon and its Palais des Papes, the villages of the Luberon, the lavender fields in July) with the Côte d'Azur. The Atlantic west runs from Bordeaux and its vineyards to the prehistoric Dordogne, Brittany and Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, which draws more than three million visitors a year. And the Alps, from Chamonix to Annecy, for the mountains. France has around forty-nine UNESCO World Heritage sites, counting its overseas regions. A week covers Paris and one more region — the Loire or Provence — not a crossing of the country. May to June and September travel best: in August the south fills up and, though quieter, Paris sees part of its shops close for the holidays.
Sources for this section: france.fr (Atout France, the official tourism development agency); UNESCO World Heritage List (whc.unesco.org, 49 sites in France and its overseas regions); UK FCDO travel advice for France. Accessed 31 August 2026.
Things to see and do in France
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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Where can France passport holders travel visa-free? →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.