Entering France with your passport
The passport rules, the new EU entry system (EES) and the status of ETIAS, for visitors from outside the EU. Checked on November 15, 2026.
Is your passport valid for France?
- France follows Schengen rules. Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before the day you arrive, and must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
- Visitors from visa-free countries can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted across all the countries using the system.
Reported lost or stolen? A passport you reported lost or stolen cannot be used again, even if you find it. You can be refused entry.
The Entry/Exit System (EES)
- The Entry/Exit System (EES) registers non-EU visitors on a short stay each time they cross the external border of 29 European countries, including France.
- On your first crossing since the EES started, officers take a photo of your face and/or scan your fingerprints. Your passport is not stamped.
- Children aged 11 or younger do not have their fingerprints taken but may have their photo taken. There is no fee for EES.
- In Cyprus and Ireland, passports are still stamped by hand.
ETIAS: not started yet
- ETIAS (EUR 20 travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors to 30 European countries) is NOT in operation yet and no applications are collected. The EU says it will announce the start date several months before launch.
- So today, visitors from visa-free countries do not need ETIAS. Any website selling an 'ETIAS' now is not the official one.
Some news sites still give a start date for ETIAS. The official EU ETIAS website, read on November 15, 2026, gives none.
Emergency passports and France
An emergency passport may not be accepted for entry. For example, France does not accept the 12-page U.S. emergency passport for entry (details). Check with your embassy before you travel.
Official sources
Checked on November 15, 2026.