Visa policies of Overseas France

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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.

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:     
  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
Guadeloupe entry stamp
Martinique entry stamp
Saint Barthélemy entry stamp
Saint Pierre and Miquelon entry stamp
New Caledonia entry stamp
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:

  • Holders of a long-stay visa or residence permit issued by France or another Schengen Area country
  • Nationals of the following countries holding a multiple-entry visa issued by France with validity between 6 months and 5 years:

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]

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

For Saint Pierre and Miquelon:[1]

  • 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
 
 France Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
 EU (except France) and EFTA Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Schengen 'Annex II'[p] Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
 Brazil Yes organized trips
or in transit		 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
 Venezuela Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
 Georgia Yes No No No No No No No Yes No No
 Kosovo Yes No No No No No No No No No No
 Bolivia No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
 Nauru No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
 Ecuador No Yes Yes No No No No No No No No
 Mozambique No No No No No No Yes Yes No No No
 South Africa No No No No No No No Yes No No No
 Fiji No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes
 Papua New Guinea No No No No No No No No Yes Yes Yes
 China No No No No No No No organized
trips		 organized
trips		 No organized
trips
 India No No No No No No No organized
trips		 No No No

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).[14]

Visa fees[14]
Length of stay Destination Regular fee Reduced fee No fee
Up to 90 days France (Schengen) €80 €40 for children ages 6 to 12; €35 for nationals of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus children 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 €9 spouse of a French national, family members of other EU/EFTA nationals
More than 90 days any €99 €50 for students; €15 for children adopted by a French national spouse 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[15]
Country/territory 2016 2015 2014 2013
 United States 67,908 63,913 62,278 53,656
 France 39,086 35,765 34,887 32,946
 Japan 12,174 11,447 12,527 13,175
 Australia 9,757 9,167 9,315 9,167
 Italy 7,888 7,993 7,887 8,103
 New Zealand 7,221 7,315 7,136 6,477
 Canada 6,326 8,402 9,279 7,206
 China 5,987 5,555 3,268 1,876
 New Caledonia 4,206 4,185 4,111 3,826
 United Kingdom 3,980 4,711 4,834 3,255
 Germany 3,951 3,538 4,028 3,477
Total 192,495 183,831 180,602 164,393
Visitor statistics of New Caledonia[16]
Country/territory 2016 2015 2014 2013
Metropolitan France 36,725 37,245 36,545 39,183
 Australia 22,809 20,926 18,065 15,722
 Japan 21,151 20,056 19,087 15,674
 New Zealand 9,143 8,529 6,780 6,334
 Wallis and Futuna 6,128 6,329 6,128 6,763
 Vanuatu 3,648 3,520 3,616 3,950
 French Polynesia 3,453 3,552 3,371 3,946
 Italy 1,045 1,104 832 718
Total 115,676 113,951 107,187 107,753

See also

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for French Guiana.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Guadeloupe.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Martinique.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Saint Martin.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Saint Barthélemy.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Mayotte.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Réunion.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for New Caledonia.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Wallis and Futuna.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for French Polynesia.

Notes

  1. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c d e f g h With biometric passport.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ a b 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.
  8. ^ Except with passport issued by the Serbian Coordination Directorate.
  9. ^ With passport bearing identity card number.
  10. ^ Including all classes of British nationality.
  11. ^ Except for Saint Barthélemy and Saint Martin.
  12. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b c d e f g 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 May 2022 (in French).
  2. ^ a b c d e 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 12 May 2022 (in French).
  3. ^ a b c 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 May 2022 (in French).
  4. ^ a b c d 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 May 2022 (in French).
  5. ^ a b c d 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 7 May 2022 (in French).
  6. ^ a b c d 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 May 2022 (in French).
  7. ^ a b You are a national of a country in the European Union, Services of the state in French Polynesia (in French).
  8. ^ a b You are a national of a country in the European Union, Services of the state in New Caledonia, 1 May 2021 (in French).
  9. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Visa fees, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France.
  15. ^ "Données détaillées". www.ispf.pf.
  16. ^ "Touristes selon le lieu de résidence". isee.nc.
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