Visa policies of Overseas France

Last updated

Although the European portion of France is part of the Schengen Area, its overseas departments, collectivities and other territories apply their own visa policies, which have some additional exemptions or restrictions compared to the visa policy of the Schengen Area.

Contents

Overseas
departments
and regions
Overseas
collectivities
Special
status
Overseas territories
(no permanent population)
Public domain
of the state
(uninhabited)
French Guiana [a]
Guadeloupe
Martinique [a]
Mayotte [a]
Réunion
French Polynesia
Saint Barthélemy
Saint Martin
Saint Pierre and Miquelon
Wallis and Futuna
New Caledonia French Southern
and Antarctic Lands
Clipperton Island

Visa exemption

Visa exemptions for Overseas France:
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All territories, unlimited period
All territories, up to 90 days
All or most territories, up to 90 or 15 days
Some territories, up to 90 days
Some territories, up to 15 days on organized trips Visa policy of the French overseas departments and territories.png
Visa exemptions for Overseas France:   
  All territories, unlimited period
  All territories, up to 90 days
  All or most territories, up to 90 or 15 days
  Some territories, up to 90 days
  Some territories, up to 15 days on organized trips
French Guiana exit stamp French Guyana Exit Passport Stamp.jpg
French Guiana exit stamp
Guadeloupe entry stamp Enreisestempel Guadeloupe.png
Guadeloupe entry stamp
Martinique entry stamp Einreisestempel Martinique.png
Martinique entry stamp
Saint Barthelemy entry stamp Saint Barthelemy entry passport stamp.jpg
Saint Barthélemy entry stamp
Saint Pierre and Miquelon entry stamp Saint-pierre-passport-stamp.jpg
Saint Pierre and Miquelon entry stamp
New Caledonia entry stamp New Caledonia - Entry.jpg
New Caledonia entry stamp
French Polynesia entry stamp French Polynesia entry stamp 2007 Tahiti-Faa'a.jpg
French Polynesia entry stamp

Unlimited period

Nationals of the following countries can enter and reside for an unlimited period without a visa in Overseas France. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] They may use their national identity card instead of their passport as a travel document to enter any French territory. [10] [b] They may also work freely in the parts of Overseas France that are part of the European Union (overseas departments and regions, and Saint Martin), but those who are not nationals of France need a permit to work in other parts such as French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and Wallis and Futuna. [7] [8] [9]

Short stays

For stays of up to 90 days in a 180-day period, [c] visa-free entry is granted to nationals of the following countries and territories (except as otherwise noted): [d] [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

This exemption also applies to:

Additional exemptions for specific territories

For specific territories, nationals of the following countries are also granted visa-free stays of up to 90 days in a 180-day period (except as otherwise noted).

For French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique: [1]

For Saint Martin: [2]

  • Flag of Sint Maarten.svg Travelers of any nationality coming directly from Sint Maarten (open border)

For Saint Pierre and Miquelon: [1]

  • Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Holders of a Canadian identification document (e.g. a driver's licence or student card), of any nationality, traveling directly from Canada; passport not required either

For Mayotte: [3]

For Réunion: [1]

For New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, and French Polynesia: [4] [5] [6]

Summary of short-stay visa exemptions

Country France
(Schengen)
French
Guiana
Guadeloupe
and Martinique
Saint
Barthélemy
Saint
Martin
Saint Pierre
and Miquelon
Mayotte Réunion New
Caledonia
Wallis and
Futuna
French
Polynesia
 
Flag of France.svg  France YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Flag of Europe.svg  EU (except France) and EFTA YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Schengen 'Annex II' [p] YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil Yesorganized trips
or in transit
YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Flag of Venezuela.svg  Venezuela YesYesYesNoNoYesYesYesYesYesYes
Flag of Georgia.svg  Georgia YesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNo
Flag of Kosovo.svg  Kosovo YesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Flag of Bolivia.svg  Bolivia NoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Flag of Nauru.svg  Nauru NoYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Flag of Ecuador.svg  Ecuador NoYesYesNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique NoNoNoNoNoNoYesYesNoNoNo
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa NoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesNoNoNo
Flag of Fiji.svg  Fiji NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesYesYes
Flag of Papua New Guinea.svg  Papua New Guinea NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoYesYesYes
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China NoNoNoNoNoNoNoorganized
trips
organized
trips
Noorganized
trips
Flag of India.svg  India NoNoNoNoNoNoNoorganized
trips
NoNoNo

Proposed changes

In June 2025, the presidents of France and Brazil announced an agreement to exempt nationals of Brazil from the visa requirement to French Guiana. The agreement would include a provision for repatriation of convicted criminals. [14]

Obtaining a visa

Foreign nationals who need a visa for a part of Overseas France can obtain one by lodging an application at a French embassy or consulate in their country of residence (or, in the case of foreign nationals already in a part of France, the local prefecture) [10] for a fee of up to €99 (depending on the destination, length of stay, age and nationality). [15]

Visa fees [15]
Length of stayDestinationRegular feeReduced feeNo fee
Up to 90 days France (Schengen)€90€45 for children ages 6 to 12; €35 for nationals of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belaruschildren under age 6, spouse of a French national, family members of other EU/EFTA nationals
French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Réunion €60€35 for children ages 6 to 12
Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, French Polynesia €9spouse of a French national, family members of other EU/EFTA nationals
More than 90 daysany€99€50 for students; €15 for children adopted by a French nationalspouse of a French national

Schengen short-stay visas are not valid for Overseas France (except for nationals of certain countries as listed above), and vice versa. A visa with the designation "départements français d'Amérique" (DFA) allows visiting all parts of Overseas France in the Americas (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, and Saint Pierre and Miquelon). [1] [2] A visa with the designation "valable pour France sauf CTOM" allows visiting all parts of Overseas France in the Americas as well as Réunion. [1] [2]

Visitor statistics

Visitor statistics of French Polynesia [16]
Country/territory2016201520142013
Flag of the United States.svg  United States 67,90863,91362,27853,656
Flag of France.svg  France 39,08635,76534,88732,946
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 12,17411,44712,52713,175
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 9,7579,1679,3159,167
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 7,8887,9937,8878,103
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 7,2217,3157,1366,477
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg  Canada 6,3268,4029,2797,206
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China 5,9875,5553,2681,876
Flags of New Caledonia.svg  New Caledonia 4,2064,1854,1113,826
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom 3,9804,7114,8343,255
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany 3,9513,5384,0283,477
Total192,495183,831180,602164,393
Visitor statistics of New Caledonia [17]
Country/territory2016201520142013
Flag of France.svg Metropolitan France 36,72537,24536,54539,183
Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia 22,80920,92618,06515,722
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan 21,15120,05619,08715,674
Flag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand 9,1438,5296,7806,334
Flag of France.svg  Wallis and Futuna 6,1286,3296,1286,763
Flag of Vanuatu.svg  Vanuatu 3,6483,5203,6163,950
Flag of French Polynesia.svg  French Polynesia 3,4533,5523,3713,946
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy 1,0451,104832718
Total115,676113,951107,187107,753

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Single territorial collectivity with the competences of a department and a region.
  2. A passport may be necessary if not traveling directly from a European country or another French territory.
  3. For New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, and French Polynesia, up to 3 months in a 6-month period. [4] [5] [6]
  4. The visa exemption also applies to nationals of Vanuatu holding passports issued before 25 May 2015, but such passports had a validity of 5 years so they already expired. [11] [12] [13]
  5. For French Guiana, nationals of Brazil may enter without a visa only in the following cases: up to 15 days for trips organized by an approved travel agency; up to 3 days when in transit to France (including all territories) or Brazil; residents of Oiapoque holding a special card authorizing visits to only Saint-Georges for up to 72 hours; or members of emergency services.
  6. 1 2 For French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin, visa-free up to 15 days per stay, as long as the stays do not total more than 120 days in a 12-month period.
  7. Except with passport issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate.
  8. With passport bearing identity card number.
  9. With biometric passport.
  10. Including all classes of British nationality.
  11. Except for Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin.
  12. 1 2 3 Visa-free entry of up to 15 days for each stay, for trips organized by an approved travel agency.
  13. Only for New Caledonia and French Polynesia.
  14. 1 2 3 For stays of up to 3 months in a 6-month period.
  15. Only for New Caledonia.
  16. Except Brazil, Georgia, Kosovo and Venezuela.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Order of 26 July 2011 regarding the documents and visas required for the entry of foreigners in the territory of Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Réunion and the collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Légifrance, consolidated version of 9 June 2025 (in French).
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Order of 18 April 2012 regarding the documents and visas required for the entry of foreigners in the territory of the collectivities of Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin, Légifrance, consolidated version of 9 June 2025 (in French).
  3. 1 2 3 Order of 4 February 2015 regarding the documents and visas required for the entry of foreigners in the territory of Mayotte, Légifrance, consolidated version of 9 June 2025 (in French).
  4. 1 2 3 4 Order of 22 July 2011 regarding the documents and visas required for the entry of foreigners in the territory of New Caledonia, Légifrance, consolidated version of 9 June 2025 (in French).
  5. 1 2 3 4 Order of 26 July 2011 regarding the documents and visas required for the entry of foreigners in the territory of Wallis and Futuna, Légifrance, consolidated version of 9 June 2025 (in French).
  6. 1 2 3 4 Order of 29 December 2011 regarding the documents and visas required for the entry of foreigners in the territory of French Polynesia, Légifrance, consolidated version of 9 June 2025 (in French).
  7. 1 2 You are a national of a country in the European Union, Services of the state in French Polynesia (in French).
  8. 1 2 You are a national of a country in the European Union, Services of the state in New Caledonia, 1 May 2021 (in French).
  9. 1 2 Entry and stay in Wallis and Futuna, Services of the state and of the territory in Wallis and Futuna, 24 September 2019 (in French).
  10. 1 2 Does a foreigner need a visa for travel to Overseas France?, Government of France, 10 March 2022 (in French).
  11. FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions), Government of Vanuatu, 2015.
  12. No More Passport, Daily Post, 10 May 2018.
  13. Upgraded Passport Launched, Daily Post, 24 July 2019.
  14. "Commission mixte transfrontalière : les brésiliens devront patienter encore plusieurs mois pour en finir avec les visas à l'entrée en Guyane" [Joint cross-border commission: Brazilians must still wait several months to end the visas for entry in French Guiana] (in French). France Info. 12 June 2025.
  15. 1 2 Visa fees, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France.
  16. "Données détaillées". www.ispf.pf.
  17. "Touristes selon le lieu de résidence". isee.nc.