Visa types
Tourist Schengen visa
A short-stay visa for Paris, the Riviera or regional tours, allowing up to 90 days in any 180 days.
Business visa
For meetings, trade fairs and business contacts; an invitation from the French company and an assignment letter from your employer are requested.
Visiting family or friends
For visiting relatives or friends in France; the host's ID or residence permit and accommodation details are required.
Student visa
A long-stay student visa for higher education in France; the Campus France procedure comes first.
Typical documents
- Valid passport and copies of previous visas
- Application form completed online
- Biometric passport photo
- Travel medical insurance valid across the Schengen area
- Return flight reservation
- Hotel booking or proof of accommodation from your host
- Recent bank statements
- Employer letter, payslips and SGK service record
- For business owners: tax registration and trade registry gazette
- For business trips: invitation from the French company
Document lists vary by applicant and by consulate; the consulate's current official list is always the one that counts.
How to apply
- 1
Confirm that France is your main destination and choose your visa category.
- 2
Complete the application form on France's official visa portal.
- 3
Prepare your documents according to France's current list.
- 4
Book an appointment at the authorised visa application centre.
- 5
Submit your documents and give your biometric data at the appointment.
- 6
Track your application and collect your passport.
Applying from Türkiye: it all starts on France-Visas
- 1
Use the Visa Wizard
The wizard on France-Visas, France's official visa portal, tells you whether you need a visa, which type to apply for and which documents to include. France's missions in Türkiye also refer visa applicants to this portal.
- 2
Create an account and fill in the form online
You create an account on France-Visas and complete the application form online. The document list the wizard generates for you takes precedence over generic lists.
- 3
Submit your file at the authorised visa application centre
Once the form is done, you hand in your file and give your biometric data at the authorised visa application centre that France-Visas indicates. You can apply no earlier than 6 months before your trip.
- 4
Track your application on France-Visas
You follow the status of your application and how to collect your passport on the same portal.
Staying with someone you know: the attestation d'accueil
If you are travelling to France for a private or family visit of less than 3 months and will stay at a relative's or friend's home, France has its own proof-of-accommodation document: the attestation d'accueil (certificate of accommodation).
- It is obtained not by you but by your host in France, from the town hall (mairie) where they live.
- It shows your arrival and departure dates and is validated by the town hall.
- Because you need a visa, you attach the original to your short-stay visa application.
Holders of certain visa types and some special situations are exempt; check your case in the France-Visas wizard. For the other documents usually requested for invited visits, see our Schengen document checklist.
A step unique to French long-stay visas: validating the VLS-TS
Some visas for stays longer than 3 months, such as for study or work, are issued as a VLS-TS (a long-stay visa that serves as a residence permit). It is valid for 4 to 12 months, and you do not need a separate residence card for the first year.
- You must validate the VLS-TS online within 3 months of arriving in France and pay a tax.
- Validation keeps your stay in France lawful and lets you cross the Schengen border again.
- If your visa is marked "carte de séjour à solliciter", you must apply for a residence card within 2 months of arrival.
For students, this step comes after the Campus France procedure and the visa decision, so build it into your arrival plans.
Practical tips
- Dates on your form, flight reservation and hotel bookings should match exactly.
- If you are visiting several cities, a day-by-day itinerary makes your file easier to assess.
- Appointments fill quickly in summer and holiday periods, so start planning as early as you can.
- For study, completing the Campus France steps early makes the visa stage much smoother.
Official sources
We checked the information on this page against the official sources below. Always confirm the current rules there before you apply.
- French Embassy in Türkiye — Visa applicationtr.diplomatie.gouv.fr
- France-Visas — Official visa portalfrance-visas.gouv.fr
- France Diplomatie — Visiting Francediplomatie.gouv.fr
- Service-Public.fr — Attestation d'accueil (certificate of accommodation)service-public.gouv.fr
- Service-Public.fr — Long-stay visas and VLS-TS validationservice-public.gouv.fr