Your arrival in France

Whether or not you need a visa, entry into the Schengen area of third-country nationals must comply with a certain number of conditions, as provided for by the European and national regulations in force.

The following supporting documents must be presented at the request of the Border Police upon your arrival in France:

A valid passport issued less than 10 years before and valid for at least 3 months after the envisaged departure date;
A valid visa, if required;
Proof of accommodation covering the whole duration of the stay (hotel reservation and/or certificate of staying with a relative validated in the town hall);
Sufficient financial means. The means of subsistence shall be assessed according to the duration and purpose of the stay and by reference to the average prices for accommodation and food in the Member States;
Your return ticket or the financial means to acquire one at the envisaged return date;
Any document providing details on the profession or the capacity of the traveller as well as on the establishments or organisations located in France which are expecting you, if you are on a professional trip.
You must have an insurance certificate covering all medical and hospital expenses for which you may be liable for the duration of your stay in France, as well as medical repatriation costs and expenses in the event of death.

For travellers in transit, you must be able to present proof of satisfying the entry conditions in the final destination country (conditions of stay and accommodation during transit, continuation ticket and visa for the destination country).

You must have an insurance certificate covering all medical and hospital expenses for which you may be liable for the duration of your stay in France, as well as medical repatriation costs and expenses in the event of death.

If you are staying in a hotel, you will need to provide a hotel booking as well as a minimum amount per day of stay that differs depending on the Schengen country visited.

For France, this amount is:

65 euros per day of stay in the case of presentation of a hotel booking;
120 euros per day in the case of non-presentation of a hotel booking;
In the case of a partial hotel booking: 65 euros per day for the period covered by the booking and 120 euros per day for the remainder of the stay.

If you are hosted by an individual, you must provide a certificate of staying with a relative validated in the town hall at the request of the person who invited you (note: at the border crossing you must also prove that you have, in addition to this certificate, a minimum amount per day of stay - this minimum amount is €32.50 per day).

You are exempted from presenting supporting documents at the border if you belong to one of the following categories:

You hold a valid French residence permit or a movement document for foreign minors (DCEM) or a French identity certificate (TIR);
You are spouse of a French citizen;
You hold a long-stay visa marked with “residence permit must be applied for upon arrival in France”;
You are the holder of a document attesting to one of the following functions:
- Member of diplomatic missions and consular posts taking office in France;
- Member of parliament;
- Official, officer or agent of foreign public services, carrying an assignment brief from your government;
- An official of an intergovernmental organisation of which France is a member, carrying an assignment brief from that organisation;
- Ships and aircraft crew members engaged in service travel.

What you need to do in France

Upon your arrival in France, you will be subject to administrative obligations to transform your visa into a regular residence permit. These formalities will also allow you to access the services and benefits provided by the French administration. They differ depending on the visa issued to you.

If the visa issued to you is a long-stay visa indicating an obligation to apply for a residence permit, you must complete this process within two months of arrival and contact the prefecture of your place of residence .

If you live in Paris, you must go to police headquarters;
If you live in another department, you must report to the prefecture or sub-prefecture of your department. For more information, consult the procedures for foreigners in France (in French only).

Before you go to the prefecture, consult the website of the prefecture of your place of residence in order, in particular, to find out what documents need to be provided. Some prefectures offer you the chance to make an appointment online.

You must attend your appointment at the prefecture in person and have the originals of the supporting documents for your documents. You may be asked to have purchased a tax stamp to pay for your visitor's tax.

You MUST validate your VLS-TS within three months of arriving in France.

If you fail to do so, you will no longer be legally present in France and will be unable to re-enter the Schengen Area.

The validation procedure is now completely online. To begin, please visit the following website:

https://administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr/particuliers/#/

You will need to provide:

The information on your visa;
The date on which you entered France;
Your residential address in France;
Your credit card to pay online the issuance fee for the appropriate residence permit or electronic stamp for your circumstances, which you can purchase at any newsagent.

The OFII (French Office for Immigration and Integration) reserves the right to call you for a meeting to carry out further formalities, have a medical check-up and/or sign an integration contract.

NB: if you wish to remain in France for longer than the validity period of your VLS-TS, you must apply for a residence permit at your local prefecture within the two months prior to the expiry date of your long-term visa. For further information, see the website of your local prefecture, or https://www.service-public.fr/

A support unit has been set up at the Directorate-General for Foreign Nationals in France, phone number: 0806 001 620 – e-mail: dgef-support@interieur.gouv.fr

For more information on the preparation of your trip, the steps to take upon arrival and when settling in France, consult the Living in France information booklet (pdf [1,48 MB]) published by the French Ministry of the Interior.