|
Short stay visas applications for France
- What is a Schengen visa?
The short stay visa: staying in Schengen area for a stay up
to 90 days:
The Schengen visa is granted in the form of a sticker affixed
on a passport, travel document or another valid document which
entitles the holder to cross the border. Possession of a Schengen
visa does not confer automatic right of entry. Entry will only
be granted if the other conditions laid down by the Schengen Convention
are met, i.e. the justification of the purpose and conditions
of the trip, the funds travelers must have at their disposal and
the possession of a travel insurance.
With a Schengen visa, you may enter one country and travel freely
throughout the Schengen zone; internal border controls have disappeared.
The Schengen visa is a "visitor visa". It is issued
to citizens of countries who are required to obtain a visa before
entering Europe (for example Chinese citizens).
A Schengen visa allows the holder to travel freely within the
Schengen countries for a maximum stay of up to 90 days in a 6
month period. If you want to stay longer than three months you
will need a national long term visa or residence permit.
Short stay visa
The short stay is the most common Schengen visa. Nationals
of countries submitted to such a visa and who have been granted
a short stay Schengen visa can be allowed to enter and stay in
the Schengen area for a maximum of 90 consecutive days or 90 non-consecutive
days (several trips) out of a period of 180 days, from the date
of the first entry in the Schengen area. The short stay Schengen
visa is issued for one or multiple entries.
- A one entry visa allows a single stay in the Schengen area,
is valid for a number of consecutive days mentioned on the
visa, with a maximum of 90 consecutive days out of a period
of 180 days (for example : a stay from July 1st to September
30th).
- A multiple entries visa allows several stays in one or several
Schengen countries, with a maximum of 90 non-consecutive days
out of a period of 180 days, validity duration to be considered
from the date of the first entry in the Schengen area. The
bearer of such a visa is allowed to stay a maximum of 90 consecutive
days in the Schengen area or 90 non-consecutive days during
several stays in the Schengen area on a period of 180 days
to be considered from the first entry. A multiple entries
visa may be valid for 1, 2, 3 or 5 years and be issued to
frequent travelers who offer sufficient guaranties.
Transit visa
The transit visa allows its holder to go from a non-Schengen
country to another passing by one or several Schengen countries.
This visa is issued for one, two or exceptionally several transits,
each transit being valid for a maximum of five days.
Airport transit visa
Nationals from some countries are required an airport transit
visa to pass by an international airport zone without entering
the territory of the national country (part of the Schengen
area) they have landed to. This situation occurs, for example,
during a stopover in an international airport located in the
Schengen area or during a transfer from an international flight
to another. Nationals from those countries do
need to hold an airport transit visa (see airport
transit visa - visa A)
-
Do I need a Schengen visa?
Chinese passport holders
Chinese nationals need to produce a visa to enter Schengen,
no matter the duration of their stay and no matter the kind
of travel document they have, except if they have a valid residence
permit that enables them to stay in the Schengen area.
Nationals of other countries
Citizens of some countries are exempt of visa for Schengen
space, for short stay or transit visa:
- The European Economic Area's nationals: the EEA includes
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria,Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy,
Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Poland,
Portugal,Romania,Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom
as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.
- No visa is required for a short stay of no longer than 3
months as part of a trip for tourist or business purposes
for citizens of : Andorra, Argentina, Australia,
Brazil, Brunei, Darussalam, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa
Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Holy See (Vatican),
Honduras, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand,
Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Romania, San Marino, Singapore,
South Korea, Switzerland, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela
-
What is the Schengen area?
The Schengen area is composed of 22 European countries.
- At present time, 20 European Union Member States (Austria,
Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France,
Germany, Hungary, Italy, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg,
Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia,
Spain and Sweden) enforce integrally the Schengen convention.
- Norway and Iceland enforce integrally the Schengen convention,
but are not members of the European Union.
The four other European Union Member States still outside the
Schengen area are Bulgaria,Romania,UK and Ireland.
The new EU Member State, Cyprus, is not yet fully-fledged members
of the Schengen area, since the border controls between the
new Member State and the current members of the Schengen area
are maintained until the EU Council decides that the conditions
for abolishing internal border controls have been met. However,
it considers the Schengen visa, as well as the residence permits
in another EU Member State, as equivalent to its national visa
for the purpose of a transit which does not exceed five days.
Monaco allows entry on its territory without any formality to
Schengen visa holders.
-
Do I need a Schengen visa issued by the French authorities?
Competent Consulate
Processing a Schengen visa application belongs, in the following
order:
- to the Consulate of the country in whose territory the sole
or main destination of the intended visit is situated;
- or, when the country of main destination cannot be determined,
to the Consulate of the country of first entry in the Schengen
area.
The Consulate with which the visa application is lodged shall
decide which is the country of main destination, bearing in
mind the purpose of the visit, the route and duration of the
visit(s). When assessing these factors, the Consulate will focus
on the supporting documents submitted by the applicant.
If the Schengen State of main destination cannot be determined,
the processing of the application will come within the competence
of the Consulate of the country first entry, being the State
whose external border the applicant crosses in order to enter
the Schengen area after having had his or her documents checked.
Schengen visa issued by representation
If the responsible State has no diplomatic representation in
a particular country, the visa may be issued by representation
by the Consulate which represents the interests of the responsible
State in this very country. The Schengen visa is then issued
on behalf of the State that is being represented, subject to
its prior authorization.
Representation shall apply solely to the issue of visas. Travelers
who are unable to obtain a visa because they cannot furnish
sufficient proof that they fulfill the relevant conditions must
be informed that they can apply for a visa at the Consulate
of the Schengen State of their sole or main destination, located,
should the case arise, in a neighboring country.
For more information on Schengen States which are represented
and States representing them, view the table of representation
for issuing uniform visas.
Schengen visa application by non-residents
When a Schengen visa application is lodged with a State which
is not the applicant's State of residence and there are doubts
concerning the person's intentions, the visa shall be issued
only after consultation with the diplomatic mission or consular
post of the applicant's State of residence or its central authority.
|
