Foreigners in France

The France-Visa digital portal is now fully deployed

Publié le 07 août 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

Depending on his nationality and the length of his stay, a foreigner may need to apply for a visa before traveling to France. The France-Visas portal gathers the necessary information to guide it in its approach; it also makes it possible to realize all the dematerializable events of this procedure in a single tool (entry of information, filing and follow-up of the application...). This has been implemented in stages. It is now fully functional.

The portal France-Visas is being rolled out gradually since October 2017. Over time, experiments have been carried out in particular to enable the complete digitization of files relating to certain types of visas.

Now, on France-Visas you can:

  • apply for a visa to France, whatever the type of visa (short or long stay, visa for business reasons, tourist visa, visa to study...);
  • monitor the progress of your visa application;
  • find general information about visas to come to France.

New features must be added to these in the future. The device shall in particular allow eligible companies and institutions to submit invitations for their foreigner partners subject to the visa requirement.

Please note

On the France-Visas portal, general information content is available in 6 languages:

  • French ;
  • English ;
  • Arabic ;
  • Chinese ;
  • Spanish ;
  • Russian.

How to make your request on the France-Visas portal?

When you wish to obtain a visa to come to France, you must:

  • check whether this official stamp is necessary for your project (the visa assistant tool lets you know, based on your situation, whether you need a visa, what type of visa, the associated fee and the supporting documents you need to provide)
  • create an account on France-Visas;
  • complete the visa application form (this form must include proof of your situation and reason for travel, 2 recent identity photos in accordance with recommendations);
  • make an appointment at a visa center (you can find information on France-Visas where to file your application depending on the country you are in);
  • show up for the appointment you made, in order to submit your complete file (the consulate service provider checks your file, collects the application fee, collects your fingerprints, then keeps your passport and your documents for transmission to the consulate);
  • keep track of your visa application on the dedicated area of the France-Visas portal. You receive a notification inviting you to pick up your passport at the center where you have deposited it (the processing time is usually 15 days, but it can be longer, especially if the examination of the application justifies it). In some countries, your passport is returned to you by post.

Reminder

France does not issue a visa upon arrival. You must therefore present yourself in the country with a visa.

If you wish to renew or extend your visa in France, you must contact the prefecture of your place of residence.

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