France is home to the elegant Louvre museum, Eiffel Tower and the annual Cannes Film Festival. U.S. passport holders who wish to travel to France can enter the country without a visa if traveling up to 90 days on tourism or business. Those who wish to study, work or stay longer than 90 days in the country are required to show supporting documents and pay a small fee to obtain long-stay visas for France.
U.S. travelers don't need to have a visa for initial entry into France. The country is part of the Schengen agreement which eliminates border controls between other selected European countries. Travelers can get up to 90 days of continuous travel in France and other Schengen countries without applying for a visa. Passports must have validity three months beyond the holiday travel; for example, a one-month holiday in France needs a passport valid for four months.
People who travel from the U.S. to France on business for short stays do not need a visa for travel either. A passport valid three months beyond travel needs to be held and business travelers can then stay in France for up to 90 days. The U.S. Department of State recommends all travelers ask for a stamp in their passports when they arrive at an official port of entry, as some borders are not staffed as well as others and there is a chance of your arrival not being documented.
Those who travel to France for work, an internship or study are required to show more than a U.S. passport upon entry into the country. Longer stays for U.S. travelers also require visas. Documents needed for other traveling reasons include a long-stay visa application completed and signed, photographs, application fees and proof of your reasons of staying in France. As of November 2010, a long-stay visa is around $134 and applications are to be submitted at French consulates.
