Immigraion To France

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Getting a Transit Visa

What visa do I need to transit through an airport in France?

There are three scenarios:

1. You are transiting through an airport in France to go to another airport in France or in the Schengen area

You enter the Schengen area via an airport in France. This is the airport in which immigration controls are conducted by border police. If the requirement has not been waived, you must have a short-term visa to enter the Schengen area.

The Geneva and Basle airports are part of the Schengen area even though they are located in Switzerland.

Examples:

- You arrive at the Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport to take a connecting flight to Nice, Bordeaux, Madrid, Berlin or Athens. These cities are in the Schengen area, immigration controls are conducted in the Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport by French border police. The Roissy-Nice, Roissy-Bordeaux, Roissy-Madrid, Roissy-Berlin or Roissy-Athens flights are all inside the Schengen area;

- You arrive at the Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport to take a connecting flight to Amsterdam then New York. You enter the Schengen area to make the Roissy-Amsterdam flight. Immigration controls are conducted in the Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport by French border police. The Roissy-Amsterdam flight is inside the Schengen area.

2. You transit through an airport in France to go to an airport outside the Schengen area, without leaving the international area of the Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport.

This is called airport transit. The foreign national who is in transit of this kind does not enter the Schengen area. Only certain nationalities are required to have an airport transit visa (ATV) in an airport in France.

French regulations divide foreign nationals requiring an ATV into two groups which have different waivers:

2.1. First group

* Citizens from the following countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Irak, Iran, Liberia, Libya, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Sri Lanka;
* Persons who are not citizens of the aforementioned countries, but are holders of travel documents issued by the authorities of those countries;
* Statutory refugees from those countries;
* Holders of a travel document in the case of Palestinian refugees.

An airport transit visa is waived in France for:

* Airplane crew members, citizens of a State Party to the Chicago Convention;
* Holders of a diplomatic or an official duty (or special) passport;
* Holders of a residence document issued by a Member State of the European Union [link on list] or the European Economic Area [link on list];
* Holders of a residence document issued by the Principality of Andorra, Japan, Canada, United States, Switzerland, Principality of Monaco, Republic of San Marino who guarantee a right to return without any restrictions.

2.2. Second group

* Citizens from the following countries: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Gambia, Guinea (Conakry), India, Mali, Senegal, Syria;
* Persons who are not citizens of the aforementioned countries but are holders of a travel document issued by the authorities of those countries;
* Statutory refugees from those countries;

An airport transit visa is waived in France for:

* Airplane crew members, citizens of a State Party to the Chicago Convention;
* Holders of a diplomatic or an official duty (or special) passport;
* Holders of a residence document issued by a Member State of the European Union [link on list] or the European Economic Area [link on list];
* Holders of a residence document issued by the Principality of Andorra, Japan, Canada, United States, Switzerland, Principality of Monaco, Republic of San Marino who guarantee a right to return without any restrictions;
* Holders of a visa or a travel document for a Member State of the European Union [link on list] or the European Economic Area [link on list], Canada, Switzerland or the United States.

3.You transit through an airport in France to go to an airport outside the Schengen area and you must leave the international area of the Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport

You have to leave the so-called international area because:

* You have to change airports in Paris (from Roissy to Orly for example);
* Your connecting flight does not leave the same day and you have to stay the night in a hotel outside the international area of the airport; or
* Any other reason.

In this case, you enter the Schengen area and, unless your visa requirement is waived, you must apply for a short-stay visa in France for this transit.

4.You are transiting through an airport in France to take another means of transport (other than an airplane) to go to another destination

You must leave the so-called international area. You then enter the Schengen area and unless your visa requirement is waived, you are required to apply for a short-stay visa in France for this transit.

Example: You arrive at Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport to take a Eurostar train to London. You leave the international area to go to the train station.