Travel abroad: for which country should a Frenchman apply for a visa?

Verified 01 August 2022 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

To travel in Europe, in the European Economic Area (EEA) and in Switzerland, no visa is required (whether you are an adult or a minor).

However, to travel in the Most other foreigner countries, you need a short-stay visa (whether you are an adult or a minor). And you need to present a valid passport. Attention: some countries require that your passport is still valid several months after the planned return date in France.

To find out if your destination country requires a visa, you can consult the country card at the Travel Advice section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs websiteTravel advice.

You can also inquire at the consulate or embassy of the country concerned in France.

A visa is a document that certifies that you are permitted to travel to a foreigner country for a specified period of time.

It is issued by the competent authorities of the country and may be either free of charge or payable.

The website or the consulate or the embassy of the country concerned in France will inform you, among other things, about the following:

  • Procedure to be carried out on the spot, by post or via the Internet
  • Type of visa
  • List of documents to be provided
  • Possible cost of the procedure
  • Time limit for issue

The time to obtain a visa depends on the country.

The period of validity of the visa shall be indicated on the visa itself.

It varies according to the legislation of the host country and the length of time requested.

In general, the duration ranges from a few days to 3 months.