Paris

Visas

There are no entry requirements for nationals of EU countries. Citizens of Australia, the USA, Canada and New Zealand do not need visas to visit France for up to three months. Except for people from a handful of other European countries (including Switzerland), everyone, including citizens of South Africa, needs a so-called Schengen Visa, named after the Schengen Agreement that has abolished passport controls among 22 EU countries and has also been ratified by the non-EU governments of Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. A visa for any of these countries should be valid throughout the Schengen area, but it pays to double check with the embassy or consulate of each country you intend to visit.

Visa fees depend on the current exchange rate but transit and the various types of short-stay (up to 90 days) visas all cost €60, while a long-stay visa allowing stays of more than 90 days costs €99. You will need: your passport (valid for a period of three months beyond the date of your departure from France); a return ticket; proof of sufficient funds to support yourself; proof of prearranged accommodation; a recent passport-sized photo; and the visa fee in cash payable in local currency.

If all the forms are in order, your visa will usually be issued on the spot. You can also apply for a French visa after arriving in Europe – the fee is the same, but you may not have to produce a return ticket. If you enter France overland, your visa may not be checked at the border, but major problems can arise if the authorities discover that you don’t have one later on (for example, at the airport as you leave the country).

Carte de séjour

If you are issued a long-stay visa valid for six months or longer, you should apply for a carte de séjour (residence permit) within eight days of your arrival in France. Students must apply in person for a carte de séjour at the Centre des Étudiants Étrangers (Foreign Student Centre; 01 53 71 51 68; 13 rue Miollis, 15e; 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Thu, 8.30am-4pm Fri; Cambronne or Ségur). Arrive early – the queues can be mammoth.

Those holding a passport from one of the original EU member-states and seeking to take up residence in France no longer need to acquire a carte de séjour; their passport or national ID card is sufficient. Citizens of any one of the 10 so-called accession countries that joined the EU in 2004 who wish to stay permanently must for the time being apply to the Service Étranger (Foreigner Service) office on the ground floor next to escalier F (stairway F) in the Préfecture de Police (01 53 71 51 68; www.prefecture-police-paris.interieur.gouv.fr, in French; 1 place Louis Lépine, 15e 4e; 8.30am-4.50pm Mon-Thu, 8.30am-4.15pm Fri; Cité) for guidance.

Foreigners with non-EU passports must go to one of two offices, depending on the arrondissement in which they’re living or staying. The offices are open from 9am to 4.30pm Monday to Thursday and from 9am to 4pm on Friday. The office that deals with 1er to 10e and 15e to 18e Arrondissements is Hôtel de Police (01 44 90 37 17; 19-21 rue Truffaut, 17e; Place de Clichy or La Fourche); for 11e to 14e and 19e to 20e Arrondissements go to Hôtel de Police (01 53 74 14 06; 114-116 av du Maine, 15e 14e; Gaîté).

Long-stay & student

If you would like to work, study or stay in France for longer than three months, apply to the French embassy or consulate nearest to you for the appropriate long séjour (long-stay) visa. Au pair visas, which must be arranged before you leave home (unless you’re an EU resident).

Unless you hold an EU passport, it’s extremely difficult to get a visa that will allow you to work in France. For any sort of long-stay visa, begin the paperwork in your home country several months before you plan to leave. Applications cannot usually be made in a third country nor can tourist visas be turned into student visas after you arrive in France. People with student visas can apply for permission to work part-time; enquire at your place of study.

Visa extensions

Tourist visas cannot be extended except in emergencies (such as medical problems). If you have an urgent problem, you should call the Service Étranger (Foreigner Service) at the Préfecture de Police (see) for guidance.

If you don’t need a visa to visit France, you’ll almost certainly qualify for another automatic three-month stay if you take the train to, say, Geneva or Brussels and then re-enter France. The fewer recent French entry stamps you have in your passport the easier this is likely to be.

If you needed a visa the first time around, one way to extend your stay is to go to a French consulate in a neighbouring country and apply for another one there.