France is the most visited country in the whole world and it is expected that over 97.3 million international tourists will visit her by 2025. If you want to be one of those visitors & need to get a France Schengen visa for the same, then this article is for you.
We will cover the whole process of getting your Schengen visa the easy way without much hassle. If you want us to handle your visa processing
Here we will cover all the topics in chronology that you will have to do to get your France Schengen visa.
- Ensure that your visa type and jurisdiction match.
- Book an appointment for France Schengen visa (either with third party or the consulate website)
- Create a travel Itinerary (for tourist & business visas)
- Create a cover letter with the travel itinerary, purpose of travel, documents you will submit for your visa.
- Get Flight itinerary or ticket and proof that you have a place to stay (proof of accommodation)
- Get Schengen-approved travel insurance.
- Fill France Schengen visa Application form.
- Collate all the documents needed for France Schengen visa
- Reach the consulate at the time of your appointment
- Submit your documents and wait for your visa approval
At any point if you need help, then you can use our France visa consultation service to help you.
According to your trip, should you apply for France Schengen visa ?
You can apply for France Schengen visa only if France is the main theme of your trip, which means either you are spending more time in France than any other Schengen country or if the number of days are equal between other countries then France must be the first country of your visit.
- Are you spending most of your trip in France ?
- If equal number of days, then are you entering France first ?
If the answer to any of the above is YES, then you need to get a French Schengen visa.
Types of Short-stay visas
There are several short-stay visas, which allows you to stay in Europe for a maximum of 90 days based on your travel purpose.
- France Transit Visa : If you have a stopover in one of France’s airports, you might need a transit visa.
- France Tourist Visa : Do you want to hike across the French Alps? Then you can get a tourist visa that lets you stay in the country for up to 90 days.
- France Visitor visa : This visa is intended for individuals who have a familial or social connection with a resident of France.
- France Business visa :In order to participate in trade fairs, see clients, or engage in any business-related activities in France, it is necessary to obtain a France business visa.
- France Diplomat visa : for official visits of national delegations or government officials.
- France Medical visa : If you want to get some surgery or medical treatment in France.
- France Student Visa : France has some of the best business schools in the world, so if you want to study there you need a Student visa.
- France visa for Sports, Film Crew : If you are attending any football event or shooting a movie ? then you need to get a France culture/sports visa.
- France Spouse Visa : If you want to join your spouse who either is a citizen or has a work permit for France.
So look at the list to figure out what kind of Schengen visa for France you need. In the next step, we’ll make an appointment for a France Schengen visa.
Have your passport and those of your co-applicants ready.
Booking a France Visa Appointment
Once you are sure you have to apply with the France consulate (or a designated third party) as it is your main destination of travel, you need to book a visa appointment.
This is a crucial step as there is a shortage of visa appointments everywhere
Without an appointment
Through one account we can book up to 5 Schengen visa Appointments. But dates for everyone to get the appointment on the same day might not be possible.
What details should I enter book the appointment?
We will need enter the details like Full name, passport number, expiration date passport issue date, etc. The applicant can either manually enter this information in or else you can send us a photo of their passport, after that the complete process we will take care of.
From one country to the next, the consulate requires different information. So we will be in touch with you for additional information.
Once the booking of an appointment for France Schengen visa is completed, where the applicant will get an ARN (appointment reference number ), they have to take a printout of it, and should submit it as part of your France Schengen visa documentation.
To know more about Schengen visa appointments, visit here.
Documents needed for France Schengen visa
The next step is to prepare the documents required for your France visa and there depend on several factors such as type of visa, age of the applicant & work status.
In summary the minimum documents you need for Schengen visa are:
- Schengen visa application form
- Covid Vaccination Certificate
- Two Photographs as per Schengen visa specifications
- Passport
- Previous visa copies (if any)
- Travel Itinerary
- RoundTrip Flight Itinerary
- Schengen Approved Travel Insurance
- Proof of accommodation in France
- Proof of Sustenance
- Proof of civil status
- Sufficient Financial Fund
Additionally, the documents needed depends on an applicants work status so these documents may need to be provided as well.
Are you employed ?
- Employment contract
- Copy of latest bank statements of atleast 6 months. These needs to be signed by the bank.
- Leave approval letter from your company.
- Income tax Returns (ITR ) forms.
Are you self-employed ?
- A copy of your business registration like Tax or Company TIN or PAN
- Copy of latest bank statements of atleast 6 months. These needs to be signed by the bank
- Latest Income tax Proofs (ITR)
Are you a Student ?
- Proof of Enrollment
- No objection certificate from School or college.
Are you retired ?
- A copy of your pension order for last 6 months
- Bank statements signed by the bank.
Is the visa applicant a minor ?
* Birth certificate of the minor travelling to Spain.
* Spain Visa application form signed by both parents.
* Family court order. In cases where only one parent has full custody of the child.
* Certified copies of ID/passport of both parents
* Consent from the Guardianship Authority. If the minor will be travelling with only one parent, or alone with another person
If your main income is from a different source ?
- Any other proof of regular income such as rental certificate.
You will also need to submit additional documents based on the type of visa that you are applying for.
Additional Documents for France Tourist Visa
- A Travel itinerary explaining your day wise travel plan.
- Proof of accommodation such as hotel, hostel or an invitation letter.
- Flight itinerary for visa or a fully refundable flight ticket.
Additional Documents for France Business Visa
- An invitation letter from the company that is inviting you to Europe.
- A leave approval letter from your current employer stating both the approval of your leave/travel as well as reason for your travel.
- Business Bank Statement of the last 6 months.
- Memorandum of Association (MOA) copy of the original certificate.
- Trade licensing Approval (if any)
- Proof of Trip Sustenance : A clear letter from the employer stating who is responsible of the expenses of the trip. If the payment is done to the employee and the employee will be reimbursed later. It needs to be mentioned in the letter.
Additional documents for France Medical Visa
- Evidence of payment for therapy (if any)
- A letter from your own nation’s hospital declaring the necessity for treatment in the visiting country.
- Letter of support for the treatment (if any)
- Appointment with a hospital in a foreign country (if any)
- A letter from the Ministry of Health indicating that they would cover your costs (if any)
Additional documents for France Student Visa
- Evidence of enrollment in the institution
- Certificate of no objection from your current college
Additional Documents for France Visitor Visa
The visitor visa format will be as follows:
- An invitation letter is now required in the visa requirements section.
- You should get an original and copy of the “Attestation d’Accueil” which host has to request at the City Hall in France, It is known as Mairie.
- If visiting and staying with friends or family in France (without financial sponsorship):Invitation letter from the host, the letter must clearly identify the host and the invitee (name, address, birth date, official identification number, occupations and permanent residence); the purpose of the visit; length of stay and accommodation status (where the invitee stays and who pays for it). Copy of the host’s passport and proof of residence.
- If visiting and staying with friends or family in France (with financial sponsorship):If your visit is supported and paid for by a sponsor residing in France, an electronic affidavit which can be obtained by the host from the nearest aliens police in France is required.
- In some cases you might be asked to provide an “Electronic Guarantee Letter“ This service is free of charge and provided by the local aliens police. The authority dealing with your EVE will forward the information to the Austrian Embassy within 48 hours. You will receive an ID-number which the visa applicant should provide at the interview.
Additional Documents for France Transit Visa
- Flight ticket to the ultimate destination.
- A visa to the target country is necessary (if required)
Additional Documents for France Sports, Culture Visa
- Event Information. As:
- Invitation letter from the relevant body in Austria with details upon the nature of events or activities that are to be held in Austria.
- Entry tickets to the event.
- Enrolment conditions.
- Detailed program of the event in Austria.
- Other documents that present the Names of the applicants (crew members) and other relevant information about the event.
- Proof of previous performances. Participation in previous festivals and ceremonies (cultural, religious), sports competitions, winners certificates, proof of world/international ranking (sports).
Additional Documents for France Spouse Visa
When applying to get an Austrian visa as the spouse of an Austrian citizen, you must provide the following additional documents:
- Proof of Austrian citizenship (ID card or consular card or certification of Austrian nationality or naturalization order).
- Austrian marriage certificate.
- Austrian family record book.
You must include the following information in the visa requirements part of the letter:
- There are two application forms.
- Marriage certificate copy
- Copy of Spouse’s Passport and Residence Permit
Who requires an France Schengen visa ?
- People from EEA (European Economic Area), EU (European Union) member states, and Switzerland can enter the Republic of France and French territories without a France Schengen visa.
- If you are US Citizen, you can also enter the France without having France Schengen visa, Since France and US has mutual agreement. And you can stay up 90 days, if you want to stay more than 90 days, then you need to apply for France Schengen visa to enter France. But if you are green card holder in US, then you need to apply for the France Schengen visa to visit France.
- If you citizen of other nation or if you are non EU/EEA citizen, then you need to apply for France Schengen visa at your local embassy or consulate or VAC (Visa Application Center) to visit France.
Is flight itinerary mandatory to apply for France Visa ? Can you use a flight itinerary ?
When applying for France Schengen visa, Flight itinerary is one of the essential document. Having fully paid flight ticket is not safe. Thus you should have temporary booking or Here is the complete information on flight itinerary for visa purposes. Once your visa get approved, you can book your flight ticket and all.
The way we create flight itinerary for our customers is using FlightGen App and you can use the app. To know more about using flight itinerary for visa.
What does a travel itinerary mean when applying for France visa ?
A travel itinerary is a day-to day wise travel plan of what you intend to do in France if your visa gets approved. All these information has to be added in your cover letter or visa letter which will then be used by the consulate to decide on your visa approval.
To know more about creating cover letter or visa letter for France Schengen visa.
Is a cover letter needed when applying for France Schengen visa ?
Yes. If you are planning to visit France, then you need to apply for France Schengen visa. To apply for France Schengen visa, you need lots of documents, among them cover letter is also a mandatory document.
As per the VFS website you need to bring a cover letter during your Schengen visa appointment in which it clearly mentioned that the purpose of trip and few important information which is also mentioned in visa application.
Creating cover letter is always differs from purpose of trip as well as it differs from country to country. Therefore here you can use same cover letter for all countries.
If you find difficulties to create cover letter, then please contact us or fill the form where we will help you create the cover letter for your France Schengen Visa.
Is the travel insurance mandatory for Schengen visa application ?
Yes. A travel insurance is mandatory for any Schengen visa application including France Schengen visa and the insurance must cover the whole travel duration. This insurance is nothing but health insurance which is mandatory for foreigners or other national citizens to enter France.
As of 2022, this France travel insurance must cover COVID and also provide medical coverage of at least $50,000 & repatriation of about 1 million . Also the insurance must be 0 deductible. You can buy your insurance below.
You can get your travel insurance for less than $1 per day from visitorscoverage.com .
How to apply for France Schengen visa ?
Here are few important steps, follow these steps to apply for Schengen Visa:
- fill out the details correctly in France visa application form
- Gather all important France Schengen visa required documents
- Book an appointment for France Schengen visa to proceed with your France visa application
- Once all your documents are accepted by embassy officials, you will be called for visa interview
- Then wait for the France visa application response.
Once you have booked your appointment and have the documents ready, it is vital that you double check your documents once more. Verify that you have provided all the flight and accommodations to the destinations mentioned in the cover letter. Also check if the dates mentioned in the France visa application form matches with the done in your cover letter.
A cover letter is a very important document during the visa process as it is the first document that the visa officer will read and it is the only place where you can personally speak to the visa officer .
You can create cover letter for your visa application for just $5 using BlinkDocs App. Next, take two set of print outs of all the documents that you have created and arrange it in the order mentioned in the checklist.
On the day of the interview, carry with you two blue pens, a soft copy of all the documents , cash (as some visa consulates only accept cash) and be dressed formally. You will be asked to submit your fingerprints and if any issues are found on your documentation, you will be given a few minutes to fix them and get back so do not be nervous.
If you have taken our consultation service you can ping your assigned visa expert and they will handle your queries for you.
Where to Apply for France Schengen visa ?
Here you can apply for France Schengen visa:
- French Consulate
- French Embassy
- The designated Visa application center
- Another Schengen Country embassy or consulate which is outsourced by France for France visa submission.
Applying France Schengen visa would depend on your country and jurisdiction, in some nations the French embassy handles the visa applications whereas in others a third party Vis Application Center (VAC) such as VFS Global , BLSS and other Contact may be given the authority to collect the visa application on the French consulates behalf.
So pay special attention of this fact and make sure you know who handles the visa in your city. Even if there is an embassy of France in your location they may not handle your visa application.
How long does it take to approve my France visa Application ?
After submitting your documents and after attending the interview, it can take up to 15 working days to approve your visa, this period can be extended up to 45 to 60 days in some extreme cases. Since Schengen visa appointments are open for 2 months at a time, so you need to apply for France Schengen visa 2 months before your trip.
What is the fee for France Schengen visa ?
The fee for France Schengen visa is as below:
| France Visa Type | France Visa Fee (Euro) |
| Airport Transit visa | 60 |
| Normal Transit Visa (Short Stay ) | 60 |
| Long stay Visa | 99 |
| Student visa | 50 |
| Visa for Children (short stay between 6 to 12 years) | 35 |
| Visa for children (below 6 years) | Free |