You can get a visa to France quickly and without any problems. We have prepared detailed instructions.
What are the visas
Short stay Schengen visa
Having a short-term visa will give you the right to enter the territory of twenty-five EU countries. It can apply to both one entry and several. You can submit documents if your goal is:
- tourism
- trip to friends
- trip to relatives
- business
- study (internship)
- work (internship)
- cultural events
- Scientific Conference
- business meeting
- work (for a period not exceeding 3 months)
If your visa is valid for 180 days, you can stay in the EU for no more than 90 days.
Transit
You will also have to apply for a short-stay visa if you need to transit through France. There is only one exception when a transit visa is not needed - you arrive at a French airport, do not change the terminal, that is, do not leave the transit zone, and do not change the air carrier. All of these conditions must be met.
Visa to visit the French Overseas Territories (STOM)
The presence of such a visa gives the right to enter the territory:
- New Caledonia (and Fr. Matthew and Hunter)
- Wallis and Futuna
- French Polynesia: about. Tuamotu (Tahiti) and Gambir, Windward, Leeward and Marquesas Islands, about. Tubuai (South Islands)
- Mayotte
- French Southern Territories: Kerguelen Islands, about. Amsterdam, Crozet Islands and Adelie Land, Eparse Islands (Bassas da India, Europe Islands, Glorios Islands, Juan di Nova and Tromelin)
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Important note: if you need to visit one, two or more countries from this list, then keep in mind that you will have to apply for a visa for each of them. For example, if you are planning Saint-Pierre, the island of Amsterdam and French Polynesia, you will need to apply for 3 visas at once: STOM Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, STOM French Southern Territories and STOM French Polynesia.
Visa to enter the territory of the French Departments of America (DFA)
This visa is required if you plan to visit any of the following countries:
- Martinique
- Saint Martin
- Saint Barthélemy
- Guadeloupe
- Guiana
Visa to visit French Overseas Departments (DROM)
Necessary for those who are planning a trip to about. Reunion.
When a visa is not required for the French Overseas Territories and Departments
Citizens of the Russian Federation do not need to apply for a visa if the foreign passport contains a valid multiple-entry Schengen visa, which was issued by the French Consulate and whose validity period ranges from six months to five years. Also exempt from registration are those who have a residence permit (valid), a long-term Schengen visa (issued by any country of the Schengen agreement).
Long Term Visa
You need to know that such a visa no longer applies to the Schengen visa. That is, on it you will not be able to freely enter the territory of the EU countries. With such a visa, you can only stay in France for a long time. If you need to enter the territory of another state, you will need to make a request to the prefecture for a residence permit (for living and working). With such a document, you will be able to freely enter the territory of the EU countries.
A long-term visa is issued if the planned stay exceeds 90 days.
There are several types of long-term visas:
- Student
- for spouses of French citizens
- language learning and family work
- for researchers (protocole d'accueil)
- study
- paid internship
- OFII work visa
Mandatory pre-registration is required by phone: +7 (499) 703 49 74.
Where to apply for a visa
Visa Center
You can apply for a visa through the visa center, which is located at the address: Moscow, st. Prospect Mira, 64. The Visa Center is open on weekdays from 09.00 to 16.00. You can also receive documents from Monday to Friday from 09.00 to 18.00. Also, French visa centers are open in the cities: St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Kazan, Vladivostok, Novosibirsk, Irkutsk, Perm, Samara, Kaliningrad, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Omsk, Saratov, Ufa.
You can find out the address in your city on the official website francevac-ru.com. To make an appointment, fill out the form on the website, where you need to indicate the number of applicants, select the category of visa (short-term), fill in the e-mail field.
Consulate-General
You can also apply for a visa at the Consulate General of France in Moscow or St. Petersburg, website ambafrance-ru.org. Address in Moscow: Bolshaya Yakimanka, 45. This way you can avoid additional fees. Keep in mind that the entry must be made in advance, as there are a lot of applicants.
You can sign up in Moscow by phone: +7 (495) 703 49 74, Mon-Fri from 9.00 to 18.00. Address: Kazansky lane, 10. St. Petersburg: + 7 (812) 332 22 70, Mon-Fri from 9.00 to 16.00. Address: Nevsky Prospect, 12. Documents can be submitted no earlier than 90 days before the expected date of departure.
What documents to prepare
Now it is worth paying special attention to the documents. All documents must be submitted in original with one photocopy attached. To obtain a visa to France, you need to prepare:
Application form
If you find it difficult to fill out on your own, then the consultants of the visa center can help you with this. Just arrive early and ask for help. Don't forget to sign. Download the application form in English or French. Sample for filling in English and French.
Russian passport
Here you will need to make a photocopy of all pages on which there is information. This, as a rule, is a page with a photo, with information about where, by whom and when the passport was issued, with a registration stamp, a page with information about children and married.
International passport
Here you will need directly the original document and a copy of 1 page. with a photo and, if a child is included in the document, then this page, respectively. A prerequisite to the document: the validity of the foreign passport must be at least three months after the end of your trip. Make sure you have two blank pages left in your document. If there were other foreign passports with visas for the last 3 years, then you must provide their originals and copies of all pages. It is also necessary to provide copies of all pages of the Russian passport.
Photos
Two color photographs 4.5x3.5 cm on a light background.
Insurance policy
This policy is mandatory and must be valid for travel dates. The insured amount of the policy must be at least 30 thousand euros. Make a copy of the policy, as you will keep the original.
Hotel, hostel, hotel reservation
If you want to visit France on your own, without purchasing package tours from travel agencies, then you need to provide a hotel or hostel reservation or a rental agreement. When booking a hotel on the website (Booking.com, hotels.ru, ostrovok.ru, oktogo.ru, etc.), a voucher for downloading and / or printing will be available to you in your personal account), the voucher can also be sent to you at email. If you booked a hotel on its official website, then just make a request through the feedback form.
Air or train tickets
To obtain a visa, you must provide paid air tickets or their reservation. If you are traveling to France by car, you must provide an international driver's license, vehicle registration certificate, car insurance. Keep in mind that you will not be allowed to enter Europe on studded tires.
Financial security
It must be documented.It is required to provide a certificate of income 2-NDFL, or a bank statement, if available, or a savings account statement, or a credit card statement (hide the card number). If you do not work, but are a student, then you need to provide proof of scholarship and student ID as documents. You can also provide a sponsorship letter in support of financial security.
The letter must be accompanied by: a copy of the 1st page of the sponsor's passport, confirmation of his income, confirmation of the relationship between you and the sponsor. This can be a marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc., a certificate from work, where the address and telephone number of the company, the size of the salary, the full name, as well as the position of the person in charge who signs this certificate must be indicated.
What documents to prepare for a visa for a child
If you are going to visit France with a child, then you must prepare the following documents:
- original, as well as a copy of the birth certificate
- consent to the departure of the child. This is necessary if only one of the parents flies on vacation with a child. The consent must be notarized and issued for at least three months. Also, in the consent, you must indicate the name of the accompanying person. This also applies to those cases when the child is flying alone, unaccompanied by his parents.
- copies of air or railway tickets of a parent or accompanying person
- a copy of the visa (if any) of the parent (s) or of the person who will accompany the child
- a copy of the notarized consent from the second parent is not required if he is deprived of parental rights. Then you need to provide a supporting document (a copy of the court decision). If the second parent has passed away, then it is also necessary to provide a document (death certificate). If the second parent is absent, then you must provide a birth certificate (form No. 25) or from the police, issued no earlier than three months.
- completed consent to the processing of personal data
Photo requirements
The Consulate has special requirements for photographs, namely:
- it must be done no later than 6 months
- the size should correspond to the established one - 35 x 45 mm
- only high quality photo paper
- the size of the face should be at least 70-80% of the entire photo
- background only white or light
- hats and sunglasses are not allowed
If at least one of the above parameters is not satisfied, the French Consulate simply will not accept them.
Submission of biometric data
Starting from 09/14/15 everyone who wants to get a visa to France must be present in person when submitting documents for the submission of biometric data. Previously, it was possible to entrust the transfer of all papers to the Consulate or visa center to a trusted person. Now you are required to submit your fingerprints and go through the digital photographing procedure.
Biometrics are valid for 59 months and are stored in the VIZ (Visa Information System). This means that during this period, when re-applying for a visa at any center or Consulate of the Schengen countries, this procedure will not need to be repeated, and a trusted person can submit the documents for you. The only thing that is required is to write a power of attorney by hand (in Russian or French), indicate the date, and sign. You do not need to notarize it. Also prepare a copy of your previously issued visa.
Who does not need to submit biometric data
Not everyone needs to go through this procedure, namely:
- children under 12 years old
- those who are physically unable to do it (persons with disabilities)
- the head of state and senior officials are exempt from this procedure, as well as ministers and their spouses
Additional services
The advantage of submitting documents to the visa center is the opportunity to order additional services on the spot: take a photo (200 rubles for a set of 6 photos), issue travel insurance if you did not have time to do this in advance. Keep in mind that travel insurance is compulsory and you can get it online on the insurance company's website. You can also apply for an additional fee in the premium room in a comfortable environment. A personal manager will pay special attention to you, who will advise on all issues. To use this service, you must send an application in advance to the email address [email protected].
Another additional service is the delivery of documents by courier service. If you do not have time to come to receive documents, just order a courier. You can pay for such a convenient service during the paperwork at the visa center or online at fox-express.ru/pay/.
The cost of a visa to France
When submitting documents, you will need to pay a consular fee - 2 650 rubles. If you apply through the Visa Application Center, you will need to pay an additional 2,235 rubles.
Those who need to apply for a visa within 3 days will need to pay 5,300 rubles (double tariff).
A short-term visa to French Polynesia will cost 680 rubles. A similar visa to Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guiana, Reunion, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin and third African countries will cost much more for exotic lovers and will cost 4,550 rubles.
If for any reason your visa application is denied, the fees paid will not be refunded.
Terms of consideration of documents
After you submit all the necessary documents to the Visa Application Center or the Consulate, they will be considered from 5-10 days (working) to 30 calendar days. It can only drag on if a check is required. Be prepared to be invited for an interview or asked to provide other documents. In practice, this is rarely the case. To prevent this from happening, and the deadlines are not delayed, approach the issue of preparing for documents more responsibly.
After submission of documents
Document status notification
For tourists wishing to visit France, we offer a convenient service notification by SMS or e-mail about a change in status. This will allow you to receive information about the readiness of the visa in a timely manner.
Obtaining a passport
As soon as the visa is ready, it will be possible to drive up to get the documents. Pay attention to the time of issue of passports. You can receive documents only in person or through an authorized person who will need to provide:
- original passport of the Russian Federation
- contract and receipt (original)
- a certified copy of a power of attorney
- a copy of the 1st page of your regular passport and your
If you have arranged for delivery by courier, then the documents will be delivered to the address specified in the application.
What to do if a visa is refused
If a visa application was refused, then you should receive an official letter, which will indicate the reason for the refusal, the organization where you can file an appeal and the deadline. You can then file an appeal, which must be addressed to France and no other Schengen country.
Those who still have time left can re-apply for a visa to France if the reasons for the refusal were eliminated. The only point is that you cannot re-submit documents for a visa and an appeal at the same time.
We also recommend that you familiarize yourself with our travel guide to Paris for 5 days, and you will learn how to get yourself from the airport to the city, where to stay, what to see and other useful information. For the most economical travelers, a life hack will come in handy: How to spend a weekend in Paris for 100 euros.
