French citizens enjoy many benefits from their passports, including entry visa-free to 117 countries. For other countries, you may be required to have an eVisa or get a visa on arrival. In this article, you have detailed information about which countries required a visa, a visa on arrival, or an eVisa.

Keep in mind that, you cannot enter a country if it has a visa requirement and you did not apply for a visa.

Countries Where French Citizens Can Enter Visa Free

If you have a French passport, then you can enter visa-free in the following countries:

CountryAllowed stayCountryAllowed stay
Albania90 daysMaltaUnlimited stay
Andorra90 daysMarshall Islands90 days
Antigua and Barbuda3 monthsMauritius90 days
Argentina90 daysMexico180 days
Armenia180 daysMicronesia90 days
AustriaUnlimited stayMoldova90 days
Bahamas3 monthsMonaco90 days
Barbados3 monthsMontenegro90 days
BelgiumUnlimited stayMorocco3 months
Belize30 daysNamibia3 months
Bolivia90 daysNetherlandsUnlimited stay
Bosnia and Herzegovina90 daysNicaragua90 days
Botswana90 daysNorth Macedonia90 days
Brazil90 daysNorwayUnlimited stay
Brunei90 daysOman10 days
BulgariaUnlimited stayPalau90 days
Canada6 monthsPanama180 days
Cape Verde30 daysParaguay90 days
Chile90 daysPeru90 days
Colombia180 daysPhilippines30 days
Costa Rica90 daysPolandUnlimited stay
CroatiaUnlimited stayPortugalUnlimited stay
CyprusUnlimited stayQatar90 days
Czech RepublicUnlimited stayRomaniaUnlimited stay
DenmarkUnlimited staySaint Kitts and Nevis3 months
Dominica90 daysSaint Lucia90 days
Dominican Republic90 daysSaint Vincent and the Grenadines90 days
Ecuador90 daysSamoa90 days
El Salvador3 monthsSan Marino90 days
EstoniaUnlimited staySao Tome and Principe15 days
Eswatini30 daysSenegal90 days
Fiji4 monthsSerbia90 days
FinlandUnlimited staySeychelles3 months
Georgia1 yearSingapore90 days
GermanyUnlimited staySlovakiaUnlimited stay
GreeceUnlimited staySloveniaUnlimited stay
Grenada3 monthsSolomon Islands90 days
Guatemala90 daysSouth Africa90 days
Guyana3 monthsSpainUnlimited stay
Haiti90 daysSwedenUnlimited stay
Honduras3 monthsSwitzerlandUnlimited stay
HungaryUnlimited stayThailand30 days
IcelandUnlimited stayTimor-Leste90 days
Indonesia30 daysTonga90 days
IrelandUnlimited stayTrinidad and Tobago90 days
Israel3 monthsTunisia3 months
ItalyUnlimited stayTurkey3 months
Jamaica30 daysTuvalu90 days
Japan90 daysUkraine90 days
Kazakhstan30 daysUnited Arab Emirates90 days
Kiribati90 daysUnited Kingdom6 months
South Korea90 daysUnited States90 days
Kyrgyzstan60 daysUruguay90 days
LatviaUnlimited stayUzbekistan30 days
Lesotho14 daysVanuatu90 days
LiechtensteinUnlimited stayVatican City90 days
LithuaniaUnlimited stayVenezuela90 days
LuxembourgUnlimited stayVietnam15 days
Malaysia3 months

Countries That Require eVisa for French Citizens

For the countries listed below, you need to have an eVisa:

CountryAllowed stay
Angola30 days
Australia90 days
Azerbaijan30 days
Bahrain14 days
Benin30 days / 8 days
Cambodia30 days
Democratic Republic of the Congo3 months
Cote d'Ivoire3 months
Djibouti31 days
Egypt30 days
Ethiopiaup to 90 days
Gabon90 days
Guinea90 days
Guinea-Bissau90 days
India60 days
Iran30 days
Kenya3 months
Kuwait3 months
Laos30 days
Madagascar90 days
Malawi90 days
Myanmar28 days
New Zealand3 months
Nigeria90 days
Pakistan3 months
Papua New Guinea60 days
Russia16 days
Rwanda30 days
Saudi Arabia90 days
South Sudan3 months up to 6
Sri Lanka30 days
Suriname90 days
Tanzania3 months
Uganda90 days
Zambia90 days
Zimbabwe3 months

French Citizens Visa on Arrival Requirements

Visa on arrival is required if you want to enter one of the following countries:

CountryAllowed stay
Bahrain14 days
Bangladesh30 days
Benin30 days / 8 days
Burkina Faso1 month
Cambodia30 days
Comoros45 days
Egypt30 days
Ethiopiaup to 90 days
Gabon90 days
Gambia15 days (renewable)
Guinea-Bissau90 days
Iraq60 days
Jordan1 month
Kenya3 months
Kuwait3 months
Laos30 days
Lebanon1 month
Madagascar90 days
Malawi90 days
Maldives30 days
Mauritania1 month up to 2
Mozambique30 days
Nepal90 days
Pakistan3 months
Papua New Guinea60 days
Rwanda30 days
Saudi Arabia90 days
Sierra Leone1 month (with extension)
Somalia1 month
Sri Lanka30 days
Tajikistan45 days
Tanzania3 months
Togo7 days
Uganda90 days
Zambia90 days
Zimbabwe3 months

Visa Requirements for French Citizens

As a French citizen, you cannot enter the following countries without applying for a visa:

AfghanistanChinaMali
AlgeriaRepublic of the CongoMongolia
BelarusEquatorial GuineaNauru
BhutanEritreaNiger
BurundiGhanaSudan
CameroonNorth KoreaSyria
Central African RepublicLiberiaTurkmenistan
ChadLibyaYemen

What Documents Do I Need for a Visa-Free Country?

For a visa-free country, you usually need only your passport and valid travel insurance. Some countries may require proof of financial means, but this depends on where you are traveling.

Please make sure you have a valid passport at the time of your travel, even though some countries may allow you to use your expired passport, this is not always the case.

Do I Need a Passport to Enter a Country I Have Freedom of Movement?

You do not need a passport for the countries where you enjoy freedom of movement. However, you must have a valid ID issued from France, when you enter that specific country.

How Do I Apply for a Visa if I Need One?

If you are traveling to a country where you need a visa (see above), then you have to follow these steps to get one:

  1. Locate a consulate/embassy in your country. When you need to apply for a visa, you have to find a consulate of the country you are visiting. Consulates are usually responsible for visa issues, but in case you cannot find a specific consulate in France, then find an embassy of that country. In some cases, the country may be represented by another embassy, so make sure you find out where you have to apply for a visa.
  2. Gather the necessary documents. For every visa application, you need to prepare several documents. Usually, you need your passport, a visa application form, financial documents, travel insurance, itinerary, proof of accommodation, and so on. Some documents may require translation and legalization, so make sure to check beforehand if you need to complete that extra step.
  3. Make an appointment. Once you have your documents ready, then make an appointment with a representative office for your visa. Depending on their workload, it may take weeks or even months to get a visa appointment.
  4. Attend your appointment. After your appointment is confirmed, you have to go to the representative office to submit your application, submit your fingerprints and attend a visa interview if required. Not all consulates require an interview, but it’s always best to be prepared.
  5. Pay the visa fee. For the majority of visa applications, you have to pay an application fee before your visa is issued. Sometimes you may be required to pay the fee before your interview so you can bring your visa receipt with you.
  6. Get your visa. If your application is successful, you can get your visa as soon as you are notified. The length of your visa depends on what type of visa you applied for, and which country you are visiting. However, make sure you know how long you can stay so you don’t overstay after your visa expires or you may face fines, deportation, or jail time.

Please note that this process includes only some general steps when it comes to visa applications. Not every country follows the same procedure. In some countries, you may complete the entire application online, and you have to visit the consulate only to submit your fingerprints.