Visa Application [ fr ] Note: This section applies to foreigners wishing to travel to France. If your question is about visas for Hong Kong or Macau, please visit the immigration department of Hong Kong website or the Macau government website. 1- Do you need a visa? 1.1- Nationals from Hong Kong and Macau 1.2- Citizens from other countries 1.3- Person who already holds a valid Schengen visa issued by another Schengen State 2- Can you apply at the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau? 2.1- You must reside in Hong Kong or Macau 2.2- Your main destination must be France 3- What type of visa do you need? 4- What is the processing time for issuing a visa? 5- What travel documents? 6- How much does it cost? 7- Contact Us 8- Application forms 9- Q&A visa To qualify for a Schengen visa issued by the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau: France must be your main destination (the state where you intend to stay longest). If your stay in various Schengen states is of equal length, you must apply to the consular authority of the country through which you enter the Schengen Area. You must be a resident in Hong Kong or Macau. It is mandatory to obtain an appointment online to apply for a visa. The personal appearance of applicants is required. They must appear in person at the visa section, at the time of the scheduled appointment made online only, and present their passport and all original documents, with a complete set of photocopies. The Consulate won’t do any photocopies of the documents and it won’t be possible to complete your application later. Only visa applicants are allowed to enter the visa section. Third parties are not allowed to accompany visa applicants and will therefore remain outside unless it is a minor (under 18 years), who must be accompanied by a parent or its legal guardian with proof of identity. French citizens are not allowed to accompany visa applicants (unless it is a minor child). 1- Do you need a visa? All foreign nationals who wish to come to France must be able to present at the border regulatory proof of the purpose of stay, means of subsistence and proof of accommodation. In certain circumstances, a visa is required. It must be requested before your departure at the French consulate. 1.1- Nationals from Hong Kong and Macau If you hold a passport of the Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau (SAR) or British National Overseas (BNO), you are exempt from the visa requirement to go to France and to the countries of the Schengen area for a stay of less than 90 days (short stay) over a period of six months, unless you are going to engage in a gainful employment in France. Since 1st January 2002, the SAR passport holders and BNO no longer need a visa to travel to the DOM-TOM, unless you are going to engage in a gainful employment. Holders of the "Document of Identity" or "Travel Permit" need a visa to enter French territory. 1.2- Citizens from other countries If you are a resident in Hong Kong or Macau and have another type of passport, have a look at the Foreign nationals holding ordinary passports exempt from visa requirements section of the website of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 1.3- Person who already holds a valid Schengen visa issued by another Schengen State If you hold a valid Schengen visa issued by a consulate or embassy of another Schengen State, the visa is valid for the entire Schengen area (which includes the European territory of France), unless marked otherwise on the visa sticker, and as long as this visa is valid. The Schengen area includes the following countries (in alphabetical order): Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (the territory of France located in Europe), Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. There is no immigration control at the border between the countries of the Schengen area, unless exceptional circumstances. Britain and Ireland are not part of the Schengen area. The French overseas departments (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana, Reunion), French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, French Southern and Antarctic Lands are not located in the Schengen area. A Schengen Visa does not allow his holder to enter French territories located outside Europe. To enter a French territory located outside Europe, foreigners (except those who are exempt) must submit a special visa that only the French consular authority may issue (or prefectural authority for foreigners that are already in France). 2- Can you apply at the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau? 2.1- You must reside in Hong Kong or Macau You must submit your visa application in person to the French consular office in your usual country of residence; you cannot apply by post. 2.2- Your main destination must be France The main destination country is the Schengen state which will host the activity motivating your trip, or the Schengen state where you will spend most of your time. Thus, if the purpose of your trip (visiting family, business ...) takes place in another Schengen state, even if you stay in France longer it is the consular authority of the other Schengen State which is competent. However, if you visit several states in the same way (tourism ...), it is the Schengen state in which you spend the longest time which will be competent. In this second case, it is therefore the Consulate of France who is competent to deal with your application if, for example, you plan to enter the Schengen area countries through another country than France, but it is in France that you will spend the longest time. However, if you enter the Schengen area by France but your main destination is in another country of the Schengen area, it is the consular authority of the other main destination country which is competent. If your stay in the various Schengen states are of equal length, it is the state in which you enter the Schengen area which is competent. 3- What type of visa do you need? The list of documents required for each purpose of travel in France are only indicative: Other documents may be requested if necessary. The type of visa required to enter France depends on both the duration and patterns of the intended stay, except in special cases: For stays equal to or shorter than 90 days (3 months) on a 6 months period, the visa to be issued is a short-stay visa called "Schengen visa" For stays longer than 90 days (3 months), the visa to be issued is a long-stay visa appropriate to the duration of and reasons for your stay. Once you are in France, you cannot have your visa modified or change your immigration status. In addition, exercising a salaried activity is subject to specific procedures that require getting a work permit before getting a visa. This applies to all employees, including artists and sportspeople. Tourism Business trip Studies (for a period of less than 90 days) Studies (for a period of more than 3 months) Domestic worker Researcher or teacher Working in France To get married in France with a French national As a spouse of a French national As an artist Working Holiday (from 1 July 2013) 4- What is the processing time for issuing a visa? After you have submitted your application, the consular authority processes it and takes a decision. The consular authority provides an answer as soon as possible, depending on the checks it may have to carry out. There is no point in contacting the consular authority again during this processing period. It is highly recommended that you apply for your visa several weeks prior to your departure, especially during peak periods of the year (from mid-April to the end of July and in December). Issuance of a visa usually takes 3 to 10 working days if your application is complete with all the documents requested, except for working holiday visas. If you have received no response within 2 months, you may consider that your visa application has been refused (implicit refusal). Note: we can not issue a visa more than 3 months before your departure date. 5- What travel documents? National passports (ordinary, diplomatic, service, official), as well as "Documents of Identity for Visa purpose" for Hong Kong and “travel permits” for Macau are recognized for affixing visas. If you hold another type of travel document, should you consult the visa section. The Community Code on Visas has introduced two standards: the travel document must contain at least two blank pages for affixing a visa and entry stamps, the travel document must have been issued within the last 10 years. Note : The period of validity of your passport must be greater than 3 months from the date of expiry of the visa requested. If the validity of your passport is not long enough, you must apply for an extension or renewal of your passport. 6- How much does it cost? The Entry and stay visas : Application fees section of the website of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs lists all the application fees in euros. The amount payable to the Consulate in Hong Kong dollars can fluctuate according to the rates. The fees are payable exclusively in Hong Kong Dollars, by credit card or cash only. Note: Whether or not a visa is issued, the visa processing fee is not refundable. 7- Contact Us If neither the information page of the website of the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau, nor the Getting a visa section of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, answer your question, or if your case is unique and not mentioned on these two sources of information, you can contact us. 8- Application forms Short stay visa application form (1-90 days) Long stay visa application form (+ 90 days) OFII application form 9- Q&A visa publié le 15.05.2
Posted on: Wed, 26 Jun 2013 00:19:03 +0000
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