French passport
French passports are issued to nationals of the French Republic for the purpose of international travel. Besides serving as indication of French citizenship (but not proof: the possession of a French passport only establishes the presumption of French citizenship according to French law), they facilitate the process of securing assistance from French consular officials abroad or other EU-members in case a French consular is absent, if needed. French passports are valid for ten years.
Physical Appearance
French passports are Bordeaux-red, with the French Coat of arms emblazoned in the center of the front cover. The word "PASSEPORT" (English: Passport) is inscribed below the coat of arms and "Union Européenne" (English: European Union), "République française" (English: French Republic) above. The “e-passport” cover has the biometric symbol at the bottom. French passport use the standard EU design, with the standard passport containing 36 pages.
Identity Information Page
The French Passport includes the following data:
- Photo of Passport Holder
- Type (P)
- Code (FRA)
- Passport No.
- Surname (1)
- Given Names (2)
- Nationality (3)
- Date of Birth (4)
- Sex (5)
- Place of Birth (6)
- Date of Issue (7)
- Date of Expiry (8)
- Authority (9)
- Holder's Signature (10)
- Height (12)
- Colour of Eyes (13)
- Residence (15) - Page 36
The information page ends with the Machine Readable Zone.
Languages
The data page is printed in English and French.
Visa-free Travel
According to a study done by Henley & Partners, France has a Henley Visa Restrictions Index of 128, which means that French citizens enjoy visa-free access to 128 countries and territories for short-term tourism visits. France is ranked 3rd in the study in terms of international travel freedom.
Africa
Africa - Others
| Country | Conditions of access | Comments | Documents needed [1] | Access without passport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Botswana
|
3 months | Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Burundi
|
3 days
Possibility of extension in the country Best way is to ask for a 1 month visa at an embassy. |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Comoros
|
Visa issued upon arrival | c | ||
 Djibouti
|
1 month (5,000 Djiboutian franc)
10 days (3,000 Djiboutian franc) |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Egypt
|
30 days
USD15, extendable |
Visa issued upon arrival | French ID Card | |
 Ethiopia
|
3 months | Visa issued upon arrival
(at intl airports only) |
||
 Kenya
|
3 months
EUR40, extendable once |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Lesotho
|
no visa duration? | No visa | ||
 Malawi
|
Unlimited access for French citizens | No visa | ||
 Mauritius
|
6 months in a year tourist
90 days in a year business |
|||
 Mayotte
|
Unlimited access | No visa | ||
 Morocco
|
3 months | French ID Card for groups only | ||
 Mozambique
|
30 days
USD25 |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Namibia
|
60 days | No visa | ||
 Saint Helena
|
||||
 Seychelles
|
3 months | RT + M | ||
 South Africa
|
90 days | No visa, stamp | ||
 Swaziland
|
duration? | No visa | ||
 Tanzania
|
USD50 | Visa issued upon arrival
(at intl airports only) |
||
 Tunisia
|
3 months | No visa | French ID Card for groups only | |
 Uganda
|
USD30 single entry
USD80 6 months multiple entry USD160 one year multiple entry |
Visa issued upon arrival | c | |
 Zambia
|
25 USD single entry
80 USD multiple entry |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Zimbabwe
|
3 months tourist
30 days business USD30 - single entry USD45 - double entry USD55 - multiple entry only issued at embassies |
Visa issued upon arrival |
Africa - ECOWAS 15
| Country | Maximum stay without visa for french citizens | Comments | Documents needed | Access without passport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ghana
|
1 month visa can be Issued upon arrival 100USD
extendable up to 3 months Better to ask embassy before departure. [2] |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Senegal
|
3 months | No visa | French ID Card for groups only | |
 Togo
|
6 days | Visa issued upon arrival |
Americas
| Country | Conditions of access | Comments | Documents needed | Access without passport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Anguilla
|
RT A M | |||
 Antigua and Barbuda
|
6 months | Same rules for EU27+EFTA except Latvia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Iceland | ||
 Argentina
|
90 days | |||
 Aruba
|
180 days per year | A M RT (TI) | EU27 - Same rules (except Netherlands: Unlimited stay)
EFTA, Monaco, Andorra, Vatican and San Marino - 30 days only | |
 Bahamas
|
3 months | |||
 Barbados
|
3 months | No visa | RT | |
 Belize
|
1 month | Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Bermuda
|
||||
 Bolivia
|
90 days every 6 months period | |||
 Brazil
|
90 days | c | ||
 British Virgin Islands
|
||||
 Canada
|
6 months | |||
 Cayman Islands
|
||||
 Chile
|
3 months | |||
 Colombia
|
60 days | Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Costa Rica
|
90 days | |||
 Dominica
|
30 days | |||
 Dominican Republic
|
90 days
USD10 |
Tourist Card Issued upon arrival | ||
 Ecuador
|
90 days | |||
 El Salvador
|
90 days | c | ||
 Falkland Islands
|
||||
 Greenland
|
||||
 Grenada
|
Visa issued upon arrival | c | ||
 Guatemala
|
90 days | |||
 Guyana
|
90 days | |||
 Haiti
|
90 days Free of charge | Visa issued upon arrival | c | |
 Honduras
|
90 days | |||
 Jamaica
|
1 month | |||
 Mexico
|
180 days French Citizen passport
30 days French Overseas Territories passport |
No visa, stamp | ||
 Montserrat
|
||||
 Netherlands Antilles
|
Unlimited | c | ||
 Nicaragua
|
5USD | No visa | ||
 Panama
|
90 days | No visa | ||
 Paraguay
|
90 days
extendable to 120 days for 23EUR |
No visa | ||
 Peru
|
90 days | No visa | ||
 Puerto Rico
|
90 days Visa Waiver Program | No visa, stamp | New biometric passport required | |
 Saint Kitts and Nevis
|
1 month
extendable to 3 then 6 months |
No visa | RT | |
 Saint Lucia
|
1 month | No visa | RT | |
| Saint Pierre and Miquelon
|
||||
 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
|
||||
 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
|
||||
 Trinidad and Tobago
|
3 months | No visa | RT + M | |
 Turks and Caicos Islands
|
||||
 U.S. Virgin Islands
|
||||
 United States
|
90 days Visa Waiver Program | No visa, stamp | New biometric passport required | |
 Uruguay
|
3 months | |||
 Venezuela
|
90 days |
Asia
| Country | Conditions of access | Comments | Documents needed | Access without passport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Armenia
|
21 days USD30
2 days USD20 |
Visa issued upon arrival Yerevan Zvartnots airport only | ||
 Azerbaijan
|
30 days
USD40 Best way is to ask visa in advance at embassy in Paris. |
Visa issued upon arrival airports only | I+P | |
 Bahrain
|
2 weeks
extendable 3 times |
Visa issued upon arrival | * | |
 Bangladesh
|
30 investors only | Issued at airport for investors only | ||
 Brunei
|
14 days | |||
 Cambodia
|
1 month visa can be Issued at airport but this facility is due to disappear
Best way is to ask a visa at the embassy in Paris. |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 China - Shanghai
|
48 hours | No visa for transit | ||
 Republic of China (Taiwan)
|
30 days | No visa | ||
 Hong Kong
|
90 days | No visa | ||
 Indonesia
|
30 days USD25
7 days USD10 Some regions are subject to special permits |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Iran
|
17 days USD50 | Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Israel
|
3 months, extendable | |||
 Japan
|
3 months | |||
 Jordan
|
1 month
extendable to 3,6,12 months |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Kuwait
|
3 months
5 Kuwaiti dinar |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Kyrgyzstan
|
50USD
Issued at Bichkek airport only |
|||
 Laos
|
15 days
USD30, extendable |
Visa issued upon arrival | P | |
 Lebanon
|
1 month free of charge
3 months single entry 50,000 Lebanese pound 3 months multiple entries 100,000 Lebanese pound |
Visa issued upon arrival | * | |
 Macau
|
90 days | No visa | ||
 Malaysia
|
3 month
1 month in Sarawak state |
|||
 Maldives
|
30 days | |||
 Nepal
|
3 days free,
60 days USD30, 150 days, multiple entry, 60 days max per stay USD80 |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Oman
|
1 month 6 Omani rial
One year multiple entries stay up to 3 weeks per visit 10 Omani rial |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Philippines
|
21 days
extendable to 59 days for 2020 Pesos |
|||
 Qatar
|
14 days
55 Qatari rial, extendable |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Singapore
|
1 month extendable to 3 months arrival by air
15 days extendable to 3 months otherwise |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 South Korea
|
90 days | |||
 Sri Lanka
|
30 days
extendable |
No visa | ||
 Syria
|
Visa can be issued at the border if coming from Lebanon by car from Beirut Airport.
Otherwise compulsory visa to be obtained from embassy in Paris. |
* c | ||
 Tajikistan
|
30 days for French citizens
60-70USD "| Visa issued upon arrival (at Dushanbe airport only)" |
|||
 Thailand
|
30 days | No visa | ||
 East Timor
|
30 days
USD25/30 |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Turkey
|
3 months | No visa | French Id Card | |
 United Arab Emirates
|
60 days | Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Yemen
|
3 months
10,500 Yemeni rial. |
Visa issued upon arrival | * |
Europe
Europe – Schengen
(and Schengen de facto, ie no border checks between this country and Schengen countries)
| Country | Conditions of access | Comments | Documents needed | Access without passport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Andorra
|
3 months | No visa | ||
 European Union
|
Unlimited access | No visa | French ID Card | |
 Faroe Islands
|
3 months | No visa | ||
 Iceland
|
Unlimited Access (EEA) | No visa | French ID Card | |
 Monaco
|
Unlimited access for French citizens
resident card over 3 months |
No visa | French ID Card | |
 Norway
|
Unlimited Access (EEA) | No visa | French ID Card | |
 San Marino
|
No visa | French ID Card | ||
| Svalbard
|
||||
 Vatican City
|
No visa | French ID Card |
Europe - UE non-Schengen
| Country | Conditions of access | Comments | Documents needed | Access without passport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Bulgaria
|
Unlimited Access (EU) | No visa | French ID card | |
 Cyprus
|
Unlimited Access (EU) | No visa | French ID Card | |
 Gibraltar
|
French ID Card | |||
 Ireland
|
Unlimited Access (EU) | No visa | French ID Card | |
 Isle of Man
|
Unlimited access | No visa | French ID Card | |
 Jersey
|
Unlimited access | No visa | French ID Card | |
 Romania
|
Unlimited Access (EU) | No visa | French ID Card
Up to 5 year expired passport | |
 United Kingdom
|
Unlimited Access (EU) | No visa | French ID Card |
Europe - Others
| Country | Conditions of access | Comments | Documents needed | Access without passport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Albania
|
30 days period - max 90 days a year
Entry & Exit Tax € 10 |
No visa | ||
 Belarus
|
60/150USD | Visa issued upon arrival
(at airports only) |
L | |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina
|
3 months | No visa | ||
 Croatia
|
90 days | No visa | French ID Card | |
 Georgia
|
90 days | |||
 Kosovo
|
90 days | |||
 Liechtenstein
|
Unlimited Access (EEA) | No visa | French ID Card | |
 Macedonia
|
3 months | No visa | ||
 Moldova
|
90 days in a half year | |||
 Montenegro
|
3 months | |||
 Serbia
|
3 months | No visa | ||
 Switzerland
|
Unlimited Access (EEA) | No visa | French ID Card | |
 Ukraine
|
90 days | No visa |
Oceania
| Country | Conditions of access | Comments | Documents needed | Access without passport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 American Samoa
|
||||
 Australia
|
90 days
Need to register to Electronic Travel Authority before trip automatically done by airline |
|||
 Cook Islands
|
1 month
extendable to 3 months |
|||
 Micronesia
|
||||
 Fiji
|
14 days
extendable to 6 months 25EUR |
|||
 French Polynesia
|
Unlimited Access | No visa | ||
| Micronesia
|
||||
 Guam
|
||||
 Kiribati
|
||||
 Marshall Islands
|
||||
 New Caledonia
|
Unlimited Access | No visa | ||
 New Zealand
|
3 months
1 year holiday/working visa for under 30 French citizens |
No visa | ||
 Niue
|
||||
 Norfolk Island
|
||||
 Northern Mariana Islands
|
||||
 Palau
|
30 days
extendable for USD50 |
No visa | ||
 Papua New Guinea
|
60 days
100 kina - tourist ; 500 kina - business |
Visa issued upon arrival | ||
 Pitcairn Islands
|
||||
 Samoa
|
30 days | No visa | RT | |
 Solomon Islands
|
3 months
extendable |
Visa issued upon arrival | M | |
 Tonga
|
1 month | Visa issued upon arrival | M RT | |
 Vanuatu
|
30 days
Extendable to 4 months |
RT |
Countries where a visa is needed in advance
| Country | Conditions of access | Comments | Documents needed | Citizenships for which no visa is required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cuba
|
30 days - Tourist card Issued by tour operator / Cuban consulate in Paris | |||
 Russia
|
Visa needed before arrival | Registration on arrival | ||
 Suriname
|
Visa needed before arrival - Special arrangements for west indies residents | Tourist Visa: months - US$30.00 (single)
3-4 months - US$60.00(multiple) 6 months - US$90.00(multiple) 1months - US$175.00(multiple) |
America
Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, Guyana, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica (all passports), Colombia, Cuba, Venezuela (diplomatic and official passports only) Netherlands Antilles (all but diplomatic and official passports) Asia Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea Europe Switzerland Middle East Israel Africa Gambia |
Africa
Africa - ECOWAS 15
| Country | Conditions of access | Comments | Documents needed | Access without passport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Benin
|
Visa needed before arrival | 3 months
EUR20 to EUR50 |
P, RT, Antiamarile vaccination | ECOWAS Countries |
 Burkina Faso
|
Visa needed before arrival | 6 months extendable
EUR20 to EUR60 |
P ; RT or TI | ECOWAS Countries |
 Cape Verde
|
Visa needed before arrival | One entry 30EUR
3 month multiple entries 50EUR |
c | ECOWAS Countries |
 Ivory Coast
|
Visa needed before arrival | 3 months
EUR31 to EUR92 |
P, RT, A | ECOWAS Countries |
 Gambia
|
Visa needed before arrival | 12 months extendable
£20 to £40 |
c | ECOWAS, UE15 (except Austria, France, Spain, Portugal), Iceland, Norway, San Marino, Australia, New Zealand, Bahamas, Botswana, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe |
 Guinea
|
no visa needed duration? | No visa | ||
 Guinea-Bissau
|
Visa needed before arrival | |||
 Liberia
|
Visa needed before arrival | |||
 Mali
|
Visa needed before arrival | 30-day visa - Some regions are subject to special permits | ||
 Niger
|
Visa needed before arrival | ECOWAS15
Central African Republic, Chad, Denmark, Finland, Mauritania, Morocco, Norway, Rwanda, Serbia & Montenegro, Tunisia | ||
 Nigeria
|
Visa needed before arrival | |||
 Sierra Leone
|
Visa needed before arrival |
Africa - Others
| Country | Conditions of access | Comments | Documents needed | Access without passport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Algeria
|
Visa needed before arrival | A P (+Travel agency invitation for Sahara) | All passports: Libya, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Democratic Republic Sahraoui, Seychelles, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Yemen
Diplomatic and Official Passports: Turkey, Switzerland, Ethiopia, Brazil, Peru, Venezuela, Malysia, Egypt, Mali, Mexico, Niger, South Africa, Italy, Republic of Corea, Senegal, Slovakia, Argentina, Benin, Vietnam, and Cuba. Diplomatic passports: Germany | |
 Angola
|
Visa needed before arrival | 30 days (£40) | P I | No exemptions |
 Cameroon
|
Visa needed before arrival | |||
 Central African Republic
|
Visa needed before arrival | 30-day (59USD)
3-month (179USD) |
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Congo (Democratic Republic of), Congo (Rep), Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Israel, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Mauritius, Monaco, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Switzerland and Togo provided traveling from their own countries
Lebanon nationals if in possession of written proof of their status as businessperson, banker or technician. " transit passengers not leaving the airport." | |
 Chad
|
Visa needed before arrival | |||
 DR Congo
|
Visa needed before arrival | |||
 Equatorial Guinea
|
Visa needed before arrival | |||
 Eritrea
|
Visa needed before arrival | 1 month delay | ||
 Gabon
|
Visa needed before arrival
French citizens can enter in Gabon without visa provided they have an Entry Authorization which is given by a travel agency/has to be asked by the host in Gabon 55EUR |
1 month delay | ||
 Libya
|
Visa needed before arrival | *, 1 month delay | ||
 Madagascar
|
Visa needed before arrival | 3 months | RT IV | No exemptions |
 Mauritania
|
Visa needed before arrival | |||
 Congo
|
Visa needed before arrival | 90 days | ||
 Rwanda
|
Visa needed before arrival | No embassy in Paris (broken diplomatic relationship)
Embassies in Europe only in Geneva, Brussels, Bonn, London. |
P | Free visa issued upon arrival at any major point of entry: UK, USA, Canada, Germany, Sweden, Burundi, Hong Kong, South Africa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mauritius |
 São Tomé and Príncipe
|
Visa needed before arrival | 1 month delay | ||
 Somalia
|
Civil War - Neither government nor diplomatic representation, when entering the country by air, a visa is sometimes Issued for a certain amount of money | |||
 Sudan
|
Visa needed before arrival | 50USD | *, 5 weeks delay |
Asia
| Country | Conditions of access | Comments | Documents needed | Access without passport |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| China
|
Visa needed before arrival - except 48-hour transit in Shangai | 60-days |
Brunei, Japan, Singapore (15 days), San Marino (30 days) | |
 India
|
Visa needed before arrival
3 to 6 months visa Some regions are subject to special permits |
Nepal, Bhutan | ||
 Iraq
|
Visa needed before arrival | * | ||
 Kazakhstan
|
Visa needed before arrival | No invitation letter for following countries
UE15, EFTA4, Monaco Usa, Canada, Australia, New Zealand Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia |
||
 Mongolia
|
Visa needed before arrival | List of countries without visa fee
Vietnam, no fee. India, no visa applications, photos and fees required |
All types of passport holders
Kazakhstan (90 days) USA (90 days) Malaysia (1 month) Israel (30 days) Philippines (21 days) Hong Kong, Singapore (14 days) All types of passport holders for business only China (Unlimited) Cuba (30 days) Laos (90 days) Yugoslavia (90 days) (Consulate mark indicating the business purpose) Diplomatic and official passport holders Bulgaria, Romania (Unlimited) Vietnam, Czech Republic, Russia, Slovakia, Mexico (90 days) Hungary, Thailand, Turkey, Republic of Korea (30 days) | |
 Myanmar
|
Visa needed before arrival | 28-day | ||
 Pakistan
|
Visa needed before arrival
Visa issued on arrival for businessmen. |
30-day | For businessmen: one of the following
Recommendation letter from CC&I of the respective country of the foreigner. Invitation letter from Business organization duly recommended by the concerned Trade Organization/ Association in Pakistan . Recommendatory letter by Honorary Investment Counselor of BOI / Commercial Attach posted at Missions abroad. |
No visa required
Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago (Un-specified period of stay) Iceland, Maldives, Zambia (3-month stay) Nepal, Western Samoa (1-month stay) No visa required for Diplomatic & Official Passport Holders only (1/3-month stay) Yugoslavia, China incl. Hong Kong, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyztan, Algeria, Argentina, Iran, Morocco, Russian Federation, South Korea, Tunisia, Turkey Romania, Czech Republic, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway No visa required for Diplomatic Passport Holders only (3-month stay) Germany, Greece, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, Tajikistan |
 Saudi Arabia
|
Visa for businessmen, muslims going to La Mecque, visit of family, 72h transit, (less than 12 hours transit: no visa). No possibility of tourism | * T P (Ladies need to be accompagned by a male relative, proof of kinship (marriage certificate…) is asked) |
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, United Arab Emirates | |
 Turkmenistan
|
Compulsory Visa to obtain from embassy in Paris
2 months delay |
I P | ||
 Vietnam
|
Compulsory Visa to obtain from embassy in Paris. |
Japan, South Korea (15 days), ASEAN countries, except Brunei, Cambodia and Myanmar (30 days) |
References
Notes
A valid passport valid 6 month after day of departure is often required 1 RT = Return Ticket M = Money covering the stay I = Invitation letter P = Photo A = Accommodation confirmation TI = Travel insurance IV = International Vaccination Record
- Passport without Israeli stamp/visa
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