How to apply for a France Tourist Visa

To visit France as a tourist a visitor requires a short stay visa. The short-stay or a France tourist visa is also known as “Schengen” visa or “C” visa. This Schengen visa is valid not only for France but for all the 26 countries in the Schengen Area. This visa is issued for a maximum duration of 90 days per period of 6 months from the date of first entry to the Schengen Area. This visa may be issued for a single entry or for multiple entries.

Apart from tourism, this visa is also applicable for business travel or family visits. The holders of this visa can also come to France to pursue short training courses or internships, to take up a salaried occupation, subject to obtaining a temporary work permit or to transit through France.

Lourve museum, Paris, France tourist visa — Lourve museum, Paris

You will be required to apply with a French Consulate under the following conditions:

You intend to visit only France.
You want to visit the several Schengen States. However, you intend to spend the maximum amount of time in France during your visit.
You plan to visit several of the Schengen States, with an intention to spend an equal amount of time in each country, but France is your first point of entry.

Eligibility Criteria for France Tourist Visa

In order to meet the eligibility criteria for obtaining a France tourist visa, you will need to fulfil the following conditions:

You must have a valid passport with a validity of 6 months beyond the expiry date of your short stay visa
Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years ago
Your passport must contain at least two blank pages for the visa and the French entry and exit stamps
You have enough financial resources to pay for your expenses during your stay in France
You intend to leave France and the Schengen Area when your visa expires
You will have to provide detailed information regarding your flight booking, such as the dates, time of travel and flight numbers. You can provide a copy of air ticket or PNR (booking printout)
You intend to visit the Schengen Area purely for the purpose stated by you in your visa application

Steps to follow to apply for France Tourist Visa

Before you apply for France tourist visa, read complete information on the visa document requirements, application fee and the processing time required for the visa to be issued. Applicants from India can get detailed information by going through the common information sheet. Once you are aware of all the details regarding the application, you can go ahead with the following procedure:

Step 1: Download visa application form

You can download the visa application form from here.

Step 2: Fill out the application form

Fill the application form correctly. Note that you will be allowed into the visa department only if you present a properly completed and signed visa application form.

Step 3: Gather your documents

Make a check list and gather all the documents needed for your visa application. You must arrange the documents in the order given in the information sheet for the visa application. Note that you will have to provide the required photograph as per the exact specifications. The photograph must not be more than 6 months old. You can know about the photograph specifications from here.

Step 4: Schedule an appointment

You will be required to apply for the visa in person if you are above 12 years of age. To do this, you will have to schedule an online appointment for a preferred date and time, as per the availability. You will have to carry the appointment letter on the day of your visa application submission. Note that all applicants below 18 years of age must be accompanied by one of the parents to apply for a visa.

Step 5: Submit your application

Visit the Visa Application Centre as per the scheduled appointment. Submit your completed visa application form along with all the required supporting documents.

Step 6: Pay visa application fee

Pay the visa application fee needed for processing your application. You will have to pay the visa application fee in cash. You will be provided with a receipt after your fee submission.

Step 7: Track your application online

You can track the progress of your visa application online by clicking here.

Required Fees for France Tourist Visa

Fees for Short Stay Tourist Visa

For Adults – EUR 60 (INR 4,678.58)

For Children between 6 to 12 years of age – EUR 35 (INR 2,729.17)

For Children below 6 years of age – No visa fees required

Note:

Your application fee will not be refunded if your visa application is refused.
The conversion into Indian currency is based on current conversion rates which may change.

France Tourist Visa Exemption

France exempts the citizens of several countries from obtaining a tourist visa to visit the country for a period of up to 3 months. The following is the list of the exempted countries:

NAME OF THE COUNTRIES
Albania	Andorra	Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina	Australia	Austria
Bahamas	Barbados	Belgium
Bolivia	Bosnia	Brazil (Except For French Guiana)
Brunei	Bulgaria	Canada
Chile	Costa Rica	Croatia
Cyprus	Czech Republic	Denmark
El Salvador	Estonia	Finland
France	FYROM	Germany
Greece	Guatemala	Honduras
Holy See	Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region)	Hungary
Iceland	Ireland	Italy
Israel	Japan	Latvia
Liechtenstein	Lithuania	Luxembourg
Macau (Special Administrative Region)	Malaysia	Malta
Mauritius	Mexico	Monaco
Montenegro	Netherlands	New Zealand
Nicaragua	Norway	Panama
Paraguay	Poland	Portugal
Romania	Saint Kitts and Nevis San Marino	Serbia
Seychelles	Singapore	Slovakia
Slovenia	South Korea	Spain
Sweden	Switzerland	Taiwan
United Kingdom	United States	Uruguay
Venezuela

Dos and Don’ts for France Tourist Visa Application

Follow these dos and don’ts while applying for France tourist visa.

Dos

Check the processing time required for issuing the visa for the citizens of your country as the time required is different for different countries
Apply for the tourist visa to France allowing time for visa application procedure to be completed so that you can travel as per your scheduled plan
Fill up your visa application form carefully with all accurate details
Bring along all forms and supporting documents for submitting your visa application form
Check your visa application photos to be sure that your photos match the specified requirements

Don’ts

Do not present false documents for your visa
Do not hide or misrepresent facts in your visa application
Do not use photos for your visa application that have been cut down from larger pictures

Note that in case your visa application is rejected, you may appeal against the decision by applying to the Commission de recours contre les décisions de refus de visa d’entrée en France (Board of Appeals against decisions to refuse an entry visa to France) within 2 months of the date of notification of the refusal. If your visa is refused, you may submit a new visa application immediately and at any time.