France visa requirements for Bolivian citizens

Embassy of Spain in La Paz or Consulate General of Spain in Santa Cruz, on behalf of France, through BLS International

A Bolivian needs a Schengen visa for France, but in Bolivia France does not handle it. Under a representation agreement, applications for short-stay visas (tourism, family or private visits) and airport transit visas are examined by Spain, according to the department of residence. Residents of Santa Cruz, Beni, Pando or Tarija apply at the Consulate General of Spain in Santa Cruz; residents of La Paz, Oruro, Potosí, Chuquisaca or Cochabamba, at the consular section of the Embassy of Spain in La Paz. In both cases BLS, Spain's external provider, receives the file, with appointments booked on its website. The Embassy of France in La Paz only handles long-stay visas and those for spouses of French nationals. Only residents of Bolivia can apply there, at the earliest six months before travel, and at least 15 days should be allowed between the complete application and the decision.

Official application site →

What the visa centre can and can't do →

The overseas territories: different entry rules

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)

Fee

€90

The €90 is the short-stay Schengen visa fee, set by Article 16 of the Visa Code (Regulation (EC) 810/2009) as amended by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1415, in force since 11 June 2024. It is not a fee set by France: the same amount is paid at any Schengen consulate. Children from the age of 6 and under 12 pay €45, and children under 6 are exempt. Travellers entering without a visa pay no fee at all.

Processing time

Where the trip requires a Schengen visa, the consulate must decide within 15 calendar days of an admissible application being lodged. That period may be extended to a maximum of 45 calendar days in individual cases, particularly where the application needs closer examination; in justified urgent individual cases the decision is taken immediately (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 23). An application may not be lodged more than six months before the intended trip and, as a rule, no later than 15 calendar days before it; where the consulate requires an appointment, it is normally given within two weeks of being requested (Art. 9).

Required documents

• A valid passport or travel document, issued within the previous ten years and valid for at least three months beyond the date you plan to leave the Schengen area (Regulation (EU) 2016/399, Art. 6(1)(a))
• A valid visa, if your nationality requires one. It is not needed if you hold a valid residence permit or long-stay visa issued by a Schengen State (Art. 6(1)(b))
• Documents justifying the purpose and conditions of the intended stay: an accommodation booking or a declaration of invitation from your host, and a return or onward ticket (Art. 6(1)(c) and Art. 6(3), which points to the non-exhaustive list in Annex I)
• Proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the whole stay and for the return to your country of origin, or of being in a position to acquire such means lawfully. They are assessed according to the duration and purpose of the stay, by reference to average prices for board and lodging in budget accommodation (Art. 6(1)(c) and 6(4)). Cash, traveller's cheques, credit cards and declarations of invitation or of sponsorship all count as proof (Art. 6(4))

How much money you need to show

€120 per day without a hotel booking, €65 per day with one, and €32.50 per day with an attestation d'accueil

If the hotel covers only part of the trip, it is €65 for the booked nights and €120 for the rest. The attestation d'accueil is the certificate of accommodation that your host requests from their town hall when you stay in their home.

What each Schengen country asks for →

Source: European Commission, Annex 25 to the Practical Handbook for Border Guards (reference amounts notified by each State), version of 8 June 2026, and France-Visas (page on arriving in France). Checked on 1 November 2026.

Health insurance

Mandatory to apply for the Schengen visa: minimum coverage of €30,000, valid across the whole Schengen area and for the entire length of the stay (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 15).

Which policies meet the €30,000 requirement →

When travel insurance is mandatory → Travel insurance policies ↓

How long you can stay

Schengen rule: a maximum stay of 90 days within any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area.

Calculate your available Schengen days →

Why isn't your passport being stamped? The EES system →