This document contains information specifically for foreign nationals on:
Last update: 29 July 2020
There are no restrictions for travel to Metropolitan France from the European space (European Union Member States, United Kingdom, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marina, Switzerland, Vatican) and the following countries: Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay.
Travellers coming from other countries are encouraged to have a negative PCR test before they leave and, for those that do not do this, will be presented with information upon their arrival in France about the conditions for carrying out a two-week quarantine at a location of their choice or, where appropriate, in special accommodation. They will be informed of the possibilities for carrying out a test at the airport and in France.
Decree No. 2020-860 of 10 July 2020 amended (in French) requires passengers to present to their airline, before boarding, a self-declaration stating that they do not have symptoms of COVID-19 and that, to their knowledge, they have not been in contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19 in the two weeks prior to the flight. They must wear a protection mask.
Furthermore, this decree brought in, from 1 August 2020, for air passengers arriving from certain countries, provisions regarding “presentation of results of a negative virology COVID-19 test (a PCR test for example), carried out less than 72 hours before the flight” In view of this text:
Health checks upon entry into the French overseas territories are adapted for each territory:
European Union citizens, and those of the United Kingdom, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Andorra, Monaco and Switzerland, their spouses and children, can enter France, as well as citizens of the Holy See and San Marino, their spouses and children, if they reside in France or are transiting through France to reach their place of residence.
Foreigners with a valid residence permit, including a long-stay visa valid as a residence permit, can enter France.
In limited cases (particularly the transport of goods), foreigners with a short-term visa may be authorized to enter France.
To return to France, you must fill out and carry with you two documents:
All of these documents can be downloaded from the Ministry of the Interior’s website.
Yes, foreign nationals with a residence permit, as well as their partner and children, can return to their residence in France. Those whose permit has been lost or stolen can request a return visa from the competent diplomatic or consular post.
Documents authorizing a stay in France which would have expired on 16 March 2020 and 15 June 2020 have been extended for six months.
For all of the latest information, click here: “Residence permits – Duration of validity” on the Interior Ministry’s website.
Restrictions on entering national territory at the borders within the European space (European Union Member States, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Vatican City State) to fight COVID-19 were lifted on 15 June 2020.
Health restrictions remain in place, until further instruction, at the external borders by any means of transport.
Health checks upon entry into the French overseas territories are adapted for each territory:
Individuals arriving from the European area (EU Member States, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, United Kingdom, San Marino, the Vatican City State and Switzerland) or one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia and Uruguay will no longer be subject to restrictions on the grounds of preventing risks linked to the COVID-19 epidemic when entering Metropolitan France. This list will be regularly updated, at least every two weeks, in liaison with our European partners, taking account of the recommendations of the Council of the European Union, developments in the health situation and the principle of reciprocity.
Once they are admitted into France, foreign nationals from countries outside the European area (EU Member States, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, United Kingdom, San Marino, the Vatican City State and Switzerland) or countries not subject to the aforementioned restrictions, are subject to the two-week quarantine measures implemented by the French Government on Monday, 25 May 2020, amended by Decree No. 2020-884 of 17 July 2020, depending on their country of origin.
They are encouraged to have a negative PCR test before they leave and, for those that do not do this, will be presented with information upon their arrival in France about the conditions for carrying out a two-week quarantine at a location of their choice or, where appropriate, in special accommodation. They will be informed of the possibilities for carrying out a test at the airport and in France.
If you have questions on how to apply these measures when entering or staying in France, a free hotline is available: 0800 130 000.
Travel abroad is not subject to any restrictions.
Due to the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic, travel outside the home is limited in accordance with the Decree of 20 March 2020
Foreign nationals whose residence permits expired from 16 March onwards are therefore exempted from the residence permit renewal procedure to prevent them having to make a journey for this reason.
It is important to note that this does not apply to short-stay visas (see next question).
For the latest information, click here
Please contact your embassy as soon as possible to find out about how to return to the country where you are normally resident.
Holders of short-stay visas that are about to expire, and nationals exempt from a Schengen Visa whose maximum stay in the Schengen Area is reached or about to be reached, are asked to make contact with the Prefecture in the place they are staying which, in cases of justified emergency, may prolong their visa or issue a temporary residence authorization.
Because of the COVID-19 health crisis, France has stopped issuing visas until further notice. This decision applies to all visa requests (Schengen short-stay visas, long-stay visas for France, and visas for overseas France). It also applies to requests already submitted and requests for which appointments had already been made.
Because of the COVID-19 health crisis, France has stopped issuing visas until further notice. This decision applies to all visa requests (Schengen short-stay visas, long-stay visas for France, and visas for overseas France). It also applies to applications for which appointments have already been made. You will have to make a new appointment to submit your visa application.
If you have a short-stay Schengen visa that you cannot use, you will be able to use a simplified procedure requiring fewer proof documents for a new visa request once France has resumed issuing visas. If you have a long-stay visa that expires between 16 March and 15 June 2020, its validity has been automatically extended by 6 months so that you can return to France once this will be possible again.
The reception for protected persons has been closed since 16 March and will remain so until further notice. No civil status documents can be issued on the OFPRA premises.
Protected persons may however continue to request the issuance of civil status documents (birth/marriage/death certificates) online using the dedicated form on the OFPRA website. Tutorialshave been created to help fill in online forms.
They can also make a request to the departmental offices of the OFII or the place they are staying, if they are staying in a residence provided by the State, for provisional proof of family composition established based on the certificates made when they submitted their application for asylum. This document can be issued upon presentation of the OFPRA decision recognizing international protection and can be used to access social rights, without waiting for the OFPRA to issue the initial civil status documents.
Considerable information on the civil status of protected persons (Civil status of protected persons) or the right to family reunification (Family reunification) is available on the OFPRA website.
From 11 May, appointment letters for asylum or stateless person status interviews will be sent by post or issued in person at the OFPRA offices in French Guiana, by appointment only.
Those requesting asylum or stateless person status whose interviews were cancelled before 11 May will receive a new appointment later.
Those invited for an interview at the OFPRA offices are requested not to bring their children.
The presence of any third parties at an interview must be notified to OFPRA at least 48 hours in advance so that organizational steps can be taken.
Individuals received at the OFPRA are invited to respect the prevention measures that the OFPRA has put in place to protect their health and that of others:
Asylum seekers who need to submit an application to OFPRA are invited to do so as usual (by post only).
Order No. 2020-306 of 25 March 2020, superseded by Order No. 2020-560 of 13 May 2020, provided for extensions for certain formalities that were due to be completed between 12 March and 23 June, inclusive. As such, in accordance with Article 2 of the Order, asylum applications that should have been submitted to OFPRA during this period may be duly submitted until the end of the initial timeframe, counting from the end of this period.
In practice, the new submission date will run from 23 June 2020 at midnight.
Because of the closure of some post offices, ongoing notifications of OFPRA decisions taken before 16 March may be disrupted. These circumstances will be taken into account by OFPRA to carry out new notifications, where required.
International students will be allowed to travel to France, regardless of their countries of origin, and visa procedures will be facilitated. Visa and resident permit applications will be processed as a priority.
Further information is available on the Campus France website.
All French higher education establishments have been closed since Monday, 16 March following the decision of the President of the French Republic and until further notice.
During this period, teaching is continuing in formats appropriate for this unprecedented situation.
You are strongly advised to remain in contact with your education establishment and pay attention to the information sent by email and posted on their websites and official social media.
Further information is available on the Campus France website.
You should follow the health recommendations available on the government website
The French Labour Code provides that the employer must take the necessary steps “to ensure the safety and protect the physical and mental health of workers” (Article L. 4121-1). The employer therefore has the right to take restrictive measures to ensure the health of their staff after assessing the risk of contamination in the business.
For the latest information (in French), click here
The same simplifications apply to all other situations requiring temporary work permits:
Regarding foreign doctors:
The epidemic requires us to be particularly vigilant in the interest of staff and businesses. The presence of employees necessary for the functioning of the business will largely depend on the businesses’ ability to address the concerns of employees and ensure that they are correctly protected from the specific risks relating to the virus (particularly employees in contact with the public).
The Labour Code requires the employer to take the necessary steps to ensure the health and safety of their personnel. They must therefore carry out a job risk assessment. This assessment must be carried out again due to the epidemic to reduce the risk as much as possible of contamination at work or taking measures such as preventative actions and information and training campaigns as well as roll-out of workplace adaptations, in accordance with government instructions.
As part of managing the COVID-19 coronavirus epidemic, the Ministry of Labour has published information brochures for employers on the steps to take to protect the health of their employees.
For the latest detailed information in several languages, click here
Generally speaking, job contracts continue to be valid and the cross-border worker continues to enjoy the rights and protections resulting from their contract similar to other employees.
For the latest detailed information, click here
Seasonal agricultural workers living in the European area (EU Member States, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, United Kingdom, San Marino, the Vatican City State and Switzerland) or one of the following countries:
Seasonal agricultural workers who are citizens or residents of a country that is a Member State of the European Union or the Schengen area or of the United Kingdom, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino or the Holy See are authorized to enter and work in France.
This scheme is strictly limited to seasonal workers in the agricultural sector.
To enter and work in France, these workers must have the following documents upon entry into France and during their stay:
Before travelling, you should consider the following points:
The government has put in place voluntary 14-day quarantine measures depending on where travellers arrive from:
Travellers coming from outside the European area (European Union Member States, United Kingdom, Andorra, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Norway, San Marino, Switzerland, Vatican) are encouraged to have a negative PCR test before they leave and, for those that do not do this, will be presented with information upon their arrival in France about the conditions for carrying out a two-week quarantine at a location of their choice or, where appropriate, in special accommodation. They will be informed of the possibilities for carrying out a test at the airport and in France.
Travellers are asked to show civic responsibility and to follow this health precaution.
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