Short stay (less than 90 days)
- Family, friend or private (less than 90 days) (includes renewal of circulation visa)
- Tourism (less than 90 days) (includes renewal of circulation visa) If your travel purpose combines family/ friend/private visits and tourism, please choose the visa category “Family, friend or private (less than 90 days)”.
Long stay (more than 90 days)
- Visitor (more than 90 days)
You wish to go to France for a private purpose for more than 90 days.
Short stay (less than 90 days)
- Business visit
- Professional training
- Work
- Scientific research
- Visiting professor
- Artist under contract
- Shooting
- sport
- Audit and expertise missions
- Domestic staff
- Medical observation internship
Long stay (more than 90 days)
- Talent passport and family member (spouse and child)
- Qualified employee/employee of an innovative enterprise and family member
- Highly qualified employee (EU Blue Card) and family member
- Employee on mission and family member
- Scientist / Researcher and family member
- Business creator with a master’s degree or equivalent diploma and family member
- Engage in an innovative economic project recognised by a public body and family member
- Make a direct economic investment and family member
- Company representative and family member
- You are a performer or have created a literary or artistic work and family member
- Person with a national or international reputation and family member
- Other categories of long stay professional visas
Visiting a relative who is a French citizen or French citizen’s spouse
- Non-dependent ascendant of a French citizen or a French citizen’s spouse
- Dependent ascendant of a French citizen or a French citizen’s spouse
- Foreign child of a French citizen
- Foreign child (less than 21 years old) of a French citizen’s spouse
- Short stay (less than 90 days)
- Renewal a circulation visa - Beijing - short stay foreign minor of a french citizens or spouse (less than 90 days)
- Renewal a circulation visa - Guangzhou/Chengdu/Shenyang/Wuhan - short stay foreign minor of a french citizens or spouse (less than 90 days)
- Long stay (more than 90 days)
- Parent of a French child
- Spouse of a French citizen
Visiting a relative who is an E.U. citizen or the spouse of an E.U. citizen
You wish to go to France to visit one of your relatives who is a citizen of the European Union, European Economic Area or has Swiss nationality, or is the spouse of a citizen of the European Union, European Economic Area or has Swiss nationality.
This relative is either your spouse, your direct ascendant, your direct ascendant’s spouse or your child.
If your E.U. citizen relative is a student and is your child, you should apply for a normal Family visit visa.
If you are over 21 years old or financially independent from your E.U. citizen parents, you should apply for a normal Family visit visa.
- Visiting a family member who is an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen or a spouse of EU/EEA/Swiss citizen (less than 90 days)
- Visiting a family member who is an EU/EEA/Swiss citizen or a spouse of EU/EEA/Swiss citizen (more than 90 days)
Student
- Short stay (less than 90 days)
- Entrance examination (short stay)
- Long stay (more than 90 days)
- Long stay - minor under 18 years old (more than 90 days)
- Long stay internship
- Long stay Faisant Fonction d’Interne
- ‘Au Pair’ internship
- Job seeking or business creation
- Intra-EU mobility students
Student Spouse
You wish to go to France for more than 90 days to visit your spouse or accompanying, who is either currently studying or will be studying in France.Please refer to the dedicated categories Visitor (more than 90 days) (Family, tourism, private or friend visit) or Long stay family reunion under OFII procedure.
Marriage
You wish to go to France in order to marry a French citizen. You must provide the marriage license and certificate of non-impediment. Please check the required documents by clicking the link Document liste for visa marriage.
For applicants of Shanghai consular area, you may submit your application at TLScontact. Please register online first under the category of “Family, friend or private (less than 90 days)”.
Cultural and scholar exchange for individuals under the age of 18 years old (less than 90 days)
You are under 18 years old and wish to go to France for a cultural or scholar exchange program arranged between your local school and its French counterpart. You wish to go to France for a scholarly exchange (under 18 years old) and will stay no longer than 90 days. You must provide an invitation from the school in France mentionning the exchange. Please choose visa type “Family, friend or private (less than 90 days)”.
Seaman
- Beijing/Guangzhou/Shenyang/Wuhan Consular area
You are a seaman and you wish to go to France to board a ship.
- If your stay does not exceed 5 days, you should apply for a transit visa.
- If your stay exceeds 5 days, you should apply for a business visit. You must provide your seaman certificate.
- Shanghai Consular area
For applicants of Shanghai consular area, please contact first the inviting company in France. You may apply for your visa directly at the Consulate after the latter has received the E-mail from the inviting company. Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 12:00.
- Chengdu Consular area
For seamen who wish to go to France to board a ship, please follow short stay business visit to prepare documents and you must provide your seaman certificate.
Unpaid sporting or cultural activities (less than 90 days)
Employees of accredited organizations and their family members
You are working for an organization accredited by the Consulate and you wish to go to France for a business trip. Moreover, your spouse and your children might accompany you during this trip. (N.B. If you are applying for a Long stay family reunion under OFII, please use the dedicated category below.)
Please check if your organization has been accredited by the Embassy or Consulate General of France where your organization is located.
Please contact the center in case that you need the document list of visa application.
If your organization has been accredited but the account for visa application hasn’t been created, please email us indicating the full name of your organization and contact information. TLScontact Visa Application Center will create a dedicated account for your organization.
| Consular zone | |
|---|---|
| Beijing | comp.bjs2fr@tlscontact.com |
| Shanghai | comp.sha2fr@tlscontact.com |
| Guangzhou | comp.can2fr@tlscontact.com |
| Chengdu | comp.cng2fr@tlscontact.com |
| Wuhan | comp.wuh2fr@tlscontact.com |
| Shenyang | comp.she2fr@tlscontact.com |
Return Visa
- Beijing Consular area
Please click here to check the document list of return visa.
- Shenyang Consular area
Please click here to check the document list of return visa.
- Wuhan Consular area
If your visa, residence permit or renewal receipt expires from 3.16 to 6.15 in 2020, it will be automatically extended for six months, no need to apply for a return visa.
The extension of the validity period of 6 months only applies to direct entry into France. Not applicable if you enter from other Schengen country (except France). If your flight stops in Germany, Switzerland, Italy, etc., you will need a return visa.
Please click here to check the document list of return visa.
Long stay family reunion under OFII procedure
You wish to go to France for more than 90 days to visit a relative who is neither a French citizen nor a French citizen’s spouse, and you will follow the [OFII procedure]. Even if some required documents have been already provided to obtain the OFII form, they must be provided again for your visa application.
Kind reminder: This type requires the inviter to stay in France for more than 15 months, or you need to apply for long stay visitor.
- Beijing/Guangzhou/Shenyang/Wuhan Consular area:
- Shanghai Consular area:
- Chengdu Consular area:
- For applicants who will get transit including airport transit in France and stay less than 5 days, please follow “Tourism” to prepare documents when you register and fill online forms. You may click here to check whether you need apply for a visa.
- For seamen who wish to go to France to board a ship, please follow short stay business visit to prepare documents and you must provide your seaman certificate.
DROM, French overseas “Départements” and “Régions” are: Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Martinique, Mayotte, and Réunion.
CTOM, French overseas territories are: French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna, New Caledonia and its dependencies, Saint Martin, Saint Barthélémy and Saint-Pierre and Miquelon.
These territories are accessible by holding a Schengen visa - issued by a French consulate - whose current validity is between 6 months and 5 years. If not, you must apply for a specific visa.
- For French Polynesia, Réunion, New Caledonia (Short-stay Tourist).
- Special case of Polynesia, Reunion and New Caledonia: All Chinese tourists traveling through an approved agency are now exempt from visa for Reunion or French Polynesia or New Caledonia, for stays of up to 14 days. Please click here to view the list of accredited travel agencies. For more information, you can also check on website of French authorities.
- For the other islands of DROM-CTOM the application method is the same as for other Schengen visa types.
You can click here for more information about DROM-CTOM.