French Medical Visa
The travel industry in France has seen significant growth, contributing positively to the country’s socioeconomic status through its thriving hospitality sector. To ensure the safety of international visitors, French authorities have enhanced law and order enforcement and streamlined the complex process of obtaining visas, particularly for British residents. We are pleased to provide a comprehensive guide on how to obtain a French Visa.
A short-term visa to FranceTable Of Contents:
Introduction
1. Top questions
1.1 What is a Visa & Who Needs One?
1.2 What is a French Medical Visa?
1.3 How Long is a Medical Visa Valid for?
1.4 When Should I Apply for a Medical visa?
1.5 How Long Does it Take to Obtain a French Medical Visa?
1.6 Where is the Medical Visa Processed?
1.7 How Much Does it Cost to Obtain a French Visa?
1.8 How to Pay?
2. Application process
2.1 Documents Required to Apply for French Medical Visa
2.2 Steps to Apply for French Visa
3. Medical Visa Extension
Introduction
The surge in the number of tourists visiting France has opened up countless opportunities for local entrepreneurship and job creation, fostering international investments and driving infrastructure development. However, this growth also raises concerns about the potential impact on local residents. While the expansion of the French tourism sector brings with it certain challenges, it is important to note that stringent law enforcement and the implementation of strict regulations can mitigate many of the negative effects associated with tourism. In particular, rigorous visa requirements have proven to be highly beneficial for France, especially for its local population. Despite these regulations, we believe that obtaining a visa to enter France is a straightforward process. Let’s dive into some questions and answers to better understand the French visa application process.
1. Top questions
1.1 What is a Visa & Who Needs One?
According to Wikipedia, a visa is a permit issued by France that allows an individual to enter, stay in, or transit through the country. This permit is typically stamped into the individual’s passport by an embassy. The type of visa required depends on the purpose of the visit and the duration of stay. In some cases, an interview at the embassy may be necessary before a visa is granted.
For British citizens, short stays in the Schengen Area (up to 90 days within any 180-day period) do not require a visa. However, if the stay exceeds 90 days, a visa will be necessary. For UK residents who do not hold a UK passport, a French Schengen visa is required to visit France.
Please refer to the tables below to determine whether your nationality requires a French visa.
[expand title=”The countries whose citizens are required to get a French visa in order to enter there are”]
| A | |||||
| Afghanistan | Algeria | Angola | Armenia | Azerbaijan | |
| B | |||||
| Bahrain | Bangladesh | Belarus | Belize | ||
| Benin | Bhutan | Bolivia | Botswana | ||
| Burkina Faso | Burma/Myanmar | Burundi | |||
| C | |||||
| Cambodia | Cameroon | Cape Verde | Central African Republic | Chad | |
| China | Comoros | Congo | Cote D’ivoire | Cuba | |
| D | |||||
| Dem. Rep. Of Congo | Djibouti | Dominican Republic | |||
| E | |||||
| Ecuador | Egypt | Equatorial Guinea | Eritrea | Ethiopia | |
| F | |||||
| Fiji | |||||
| G | |||||
| Gabon | Gambia | Ghana | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau | Guyana |
| H | |||||
| Haiti | |||||
| I | |||||
| India | Indonesia | Iran | Iraq | ||
| J | |||||
| Jamaica | Jordan | ||||
| K | |||||
| Kazakhstan | Kenya | Kosovo | Kuwait | Kyrgyzstan | |
| L | |||||
| Laos | Lebanon | Lesotho | Liberia | Libya | |
| M | |||||
| Madagascar | Malawi | Maldives | Mali | ||
| Mauritania | Mongolia | Morocco | Mozambique | ||
| N | |||||
| Namibia | Nepal | Niger | Nigeria | Northern Mariana’s | North Korea |
| O | |||||
| Oman | |||||
| P | |||||
| Pakistan | Papua New Guinea | Palestinian Authority | Philippines | ||
| Q | |||||
| Qatar | |||||
| R | |||||
| Russia | Rwanda | ||||
| S | |||||
| Sao Tome And Principe | Saudi Arabia | Senegal | Sierra Leone | ||
| Somalia | South Africa | South Sudan | Sri Lanka | ||
| Sudan | Suriname | Swaziland | Syria | ||
| T | |||||
| Tajikistan | Tanzania | Thailand | Timor-Leste | ||
| Togo | Tonga | Tunisia | Turkey | ||
| Turkmenistan | |||||
| U | |||||
| Uganda | Uzbekistan | ||||
| V | |||||
| Vietnam | |||||
| Y | |||||
| Yemen | |||||
| Z | |||||
| Zambia | Zimbabwe |
[/expand]
With a UK residence permit valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure date from France or the Schengen Area, you can stay in France for up to 90 days. However, if you plan to stay in France for more than 90 days, you will need to apply for a residency permit rather than a French Schengen visa.
If you hold a three-month UK visa, you may extend it for an additional three months to qualify for a French Schengen visa from within the UK. Ensure that you apply for this extension before your current visa expires and while you are still in the UK.
1.2 What is a Medical Visa ?
A Medical Visa is primarily issued for individuals who need to travel to a foreign country for medical treatment. As the name suggests, this visa is for those who require hospital care or specialised medical treatment that cannot be obtained in their home country.
1.3 How Long is a Medical Visa Valid for?
The validity of a Medical Visa typically depends on the nature of the medical treatment and the visa type. Generally, a Medical Visa is issued for a maximum of 90 days within a 180-day period. However, if the duration of your stay needs to exceed 90 days due to ongoing treatment or recovery, you may need to apply for a long-stay national visa to accommodate the extended period of care.
1.4 When Should I Apply for a Medical visa?
You can begin your medical visa application process as early as 3 months before your planned trip to France. The latest you can apply is 14 days before your departure. However, it is strongly recommended that you submit your application at least 4 weeks before your travel date. This allows sufficient time for the consulate or embassy to process your visa without any last-minute issues.
1.5 How long does it take to get a French Medical Visa?
Typically, the Visa Application Center takes around 15 days to process a French Medical Visa application. However, processing time may be expedited in certain cases where the applicant’s health condition necessitates urgent treatment.
1.6 Where is the Medical Visa processed?
Visa processing generally follows a standard procedure, though additional documents may occasionally be required.
- If You Are Visiting Only France: Submit your application at the French Visa Center in the UK.
- If You Are Visiting Multiple Countries: Submit your application at the Visa Center in the country where you will spend the most days. If you plan to spend an equal amount of time in each country, apply at the Visa Center in the country you will enter first.
Visa Application Center in London – VFS Joint Visa Application Centre
Address:
66 Wilson Street
London
EC2A 2JX
Contact Details:
Email: info.ituk@vfshelpline.com
Helpline Number: 0871 376 0023
To manage the high demand for French visas, the French Embassy has outsourced visa application processing to the French Visa Centres in London. A Visa Application Centre is a third-party service provider authorized to accept visa applications on behalf of a country and transmit the information to the embassy or consulate responsible for processing.
Our company assists with filling out and submitting the necessary documents to the Visa Application Center. We ensure that all documents are correctly prepared and forwarded to VFS Visa Application Center for processing French visas.
VFS Centre’s official website page1.7 How Much Does it Cost to Obtain a French Visa?
The visa processing fees vary based on the applicant’s category:
- Adults: £73
- Children Aged 6-12 Years: £36.50
No visa fee is required for the following categories:
- Children Under 6 Years of Age
- Spouse of a French Citizen
- Family Members of an EU/EEA National Traveling with the EU/EEA Family Member
- Children Under 21 Financially Dependent on an EU National
- Ascendants Financially Dependent on an EU National
- Pupils, Students, and Accompanying Teachers on a School Trip
- Scientists (Holders of a “Convention d’accueil” for Short Stays)
- Foreign Teachers Teaching French
- Scholarship Holders from the French Government, Foreign Governments, Foreign Foundations, or Recipients of EU Programs (Travel Only Within the Territory Specified by the Terms of the Funding Program)
1.8 How to Pay?
You can pay the visa fees using one of the following methods:
- Cash
- Credit/Debit Card
Please note: Checks are not accepted.
2. Application Process
2.1 Documents Required to Apply for a French Medical Visa
When applying for a French Medical Visa, you must provide the next documents:
1. Visa Application Form
- Complete the Short-Stay Visa Application Form legibly and accurately.
- Ensure you sign the form.
- Include the complete address in Austria, specifying the number, street name, city, and postal code.
Please make use of the following table to fill in the form correctly:
| The appropriate Form Section | Our explanation of each Form Section |
| Surname | Fill in your name like it is on your passport (do not write “married name” and your husband name) |
| Surname at birth | Write the name you had at your birth if different than your current surname |
| First Name (s) | Write your first name like it is on your passport |
| Date of birth | Fill in your date of birth like this: day/month/year |
| Place of birth | Fill in your place of birth like it is on your passport |
| Country of birth | Fill in your country of birth even there is no it on your passport |
| Current Nationality | Fill in your nationality like it is on your passport |
| Nationality at birth, if different | Fill in your nationality at birth if it is different from the nationality on your passport |
| Other nationalities | |
| Sex | Fill in your male or female gender |
| Marital Status | For a common-law marriage, indicate “common-law marriage” in the section “Other”. For a PACS (French civil union contract) with an French citizen, indicate “PACS” in the section “Other“ |
| Parental Authority | Fill in the full name, address, telephone number, email address, and nationality of the person who keeps parental authority or legal guardianship |
| National Identity Number | Fill in your national identity number if you have this one |
| Type of travel document | Write the appropriate kind of your travel document |
| Number of travel document | Write the appropriate numbers of your travel document |
| Date of issue | Write the date your passport was issued (not the extension date) |
| Valid until | Write your passport expiration date taking into account the extensions |
| Issued by | Write the country of issuing your passport and the authority that issued the passport |
| Personal data of the family member who is a European Union, EEA or Swiss Confederation citizen or is a United | Fill in the full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, and relationship only if you are the dependent spouse, child, father, or mother of a person who is a citizen of another State of the European Union. |
| Kingdom citizen beneficiary of the withdrawal agreement, if applicable | |
| Family relationship with an European Union, EEA or Swiss Confederation citizen, or with United Kingdom citizen beneficiary of the withdrawal agreement, if applicable | Fill in the corresponding status |
| Applicant's home address and e-mail address | Write the e-mail address: 1) your own one, either 2) another person one, or 3) company (accordingly, write the name of the mailbox owner). |
| Telephone number | Write your cellular number in your residence country and, where appropriate, in the country where you are submitting your visa application |
| Residence in a country other than the country of current nationality | If you are living in other country you need to write the number of your residence permit and its expiration date |
| Current occupation | Fill in the current occupation like it is on the passport, for example: “professor” or “retired (former designer)”. If you have no occupation, write “no occupation” |
| Employer and employer's address and telephone number | Fill in the name of the organization (firm, public service, educational institution) where you work or study and its name, address, and telephone number |
| For students, name and address of educational establishment | |
| Purpose(s) of the journey | Write the appropriate goal of your travel |
| Member State of main destination (and other Member States of destination, if applicable | Write France as your primary destination. If it is a French overseas department or territory, write “France” and the name of the department or territory |
| Member State of first entry | Fill in “France” |
| Number of entries requested | Write your desired number of entries with the dates of arrival and departure |
| Fingerprints collected previously for the purpose of applying for a Schengen visa | If your fingerprints have already been taken for a visa application, write the date |
| Entry permit for the final country of destination, where applicable | Write the number and validity dates for your visa at your final destination, if this country is outside the Schengen area |
| Surname and first name of the inviting person(s) in the Member State(s). Address and e-mail address of inviting person(s). Telephone number | Write the name of the person who invited you, address, e-mail and a phone number |
| Name and address of inviting company / organization, phone number and e-mail number | Write the contact info of the organization that invited you and the contact info for your contact person in the organization |
| Cost of travelling and living during the applicant's stay is covered | Indicate the necessary boxes |
| Place and date | Write the place and date where you are filling in the form, even if this date is different than the day you are going to the visa service |
| Signature | The visa applicant must sign and not another person. If the visa applicant is a minor (under 18), the application must be signed by a person having parental authority and their relationship should be included in parentheses (father, mother, guardian). If the visa applicant cannot sign, a cross may be used |
2. Two Recent Photographs
Follow these Austrian Visa Photo Requirements:
- Two identical photos taken within the last six months.
- Photo size: 35×45 mm (width x height).
- Colour photos only (no black and white).
- Head should occupy 70-80% of the photo.
- Background should be bright and lightly coloured (light grey is recommended).
- The applicant should be facing the camera directly.
- Maintain a neutral expression (no smile and mouth closed).
- Avoid uniforms or colours that match the background.
3. Valid Passport
- The passport must be valid for up to 10 years.
- It must have at least 3 months of validity remaining after your trip to Austria.
- The passport should have at least two blank pages for the visa sticker.
4. Copy of your Passport’s Data Page
A copy of your passport’s data page is essential for your medical visa application. This page contains crucial information such as your full name, passport number, date of birth, nationality, and passport expiration date. Ensure that the copy is clear and legible, as this will be used to verify your identity and travel credentials.
5. Roundtrip Reservation
This document includes the dates and flight numbers that show your entry and exit from the Schengen area. It is important to provide a detailed flight itinerary, which outlines your planned travel to and from France. This helps in confirming the duration of your stay and ensures that your visa application aligns with your travel plans.
6. Travel Health Insurance
Ensure your travel insurance meets the following requirements:
- Minimum coverage of at least €30,000.
- Coverage must be valid for all Schengen Area member states.
- It should cover expenses for repatriation, urgent medical care, emergency hospital treatment, or death.
We recommend contacting insurance providers such as AXA or Europ Assistance.
AXA insurance company page7. Proof of Accommodation
For your medical visa application, you must provide proof of accommodation to demonstrate where you will be staying during your treatment in France. You have the option to choose from the following types of accommodation:
- Hotel Booking: A confirmed hotel reservation for the duration of your stay in France.
- Letter of Invitation: If you are staying with friends or family, you can submit a letter of invitation from your host in France. This letter should include their full address and a copy of their passport or ID.
- Rent Contract: If you have rented an apartment or house, you should provide a copy of the rental agreement, showing the address and duration of your stay.
- Confirmed Accommodation in the Medical Clinic or Hospital: If your treatment involves staying at a medical facility, you should provide documentation from the clinic or hospital confirming your accommodation arrangements for the duration of your treatment.
A clinic in France
A hotel in France8. Proof of Civil Status (if required)
Depending on your specific circumstances, you may need to provide documentation as proof of your civil status. The following documents are generally accepted:
- Marriage certificate: If you are married, submit a copy of your marriage certificate.
- Birth certificate of children: If you have children, include copies of their birth certificates.
- Death certificate of spouse: If your spouse is deceased, provide a copy of the death certificate.
These documents help to establish your family situation and may be required depending on the nature of your visa application.
9. Proof of Subsistent Financial Means
To demonstrate that you have sufficient funds to support yourself during your stay in France, you need to provide one or more of the following documents:
- Bank Account Statement: A statement showing your financial transactions over the last three months.
- Sponsorship Letter: If someone else is financially supporting your trip, include a letter from them.
- Combination of Both: A mix of personal bank statements and sponsorship documents.
Additional acceptable forms of proof include:
- Credit Card: Proof of available credit.
- Cash: If carrying cash, ensure you have a receipt or documentation.
- Cheques: Recent bank cheques.
- Payslips: Recent pay stubs showing your income.
- Proof of Employment: A letter from your employer confirming your employment and salary.
- Proof of Prepaid Accommodation: Documentation showing that your accommodation has been paid for in advance.
- Private Accommodation Documentation: If staying with friends or family, provide a document from your host.
- Proof of Prepaid Transport: Evidence that your transportation arrangements have been paid for.
The French authorities require proof of financial means as follows:
- 120€ per day if you do not have proof of prepaid accommodation.
- 65€ per day if you have proof of prepaid hotel accommodation for the entire stay. If not, the remaining amount should be 120€ per day.
- 32.25€ per day if you have proof of prepaid, more affordable accommodation.
Bank account statement10. Evidence of Employment Status
- If Employed:
- Employment Contract
- Leave Permission from Employer
- Income Tax Return
- If Self-Employed:
- Copy of Business License
- Company’s Bank Statement for the Last 6 Months
- Income Tax Return
- If a Student:
- Proof of Enrollment
- No Objection Letter from University
- If Retired:
- Pension Statements for the Last 6 Months
11. Documents for Minors
If you are applying for a visa for a minor, you will need to provide the following documents:
- Birth certificate: Submit the original birth certificate along with a copy.
- Letter of consent:
- From the other parent: A formal document from the other parent stating that they have no objection to their child traveling with you alone, if applicable.
- From both parents: A formal document from both you and the other parent, stating that you both have no objection to your child traveling with a third person, if applicable.
- Death certificate of a parent: If one or both parents are deceased, include a copy of the death certificate.
12. A Letter from a Doctor/Clinic/Hospital in the UK
To demonstrate the necessity of receiving medical treatment in France, you should provide a letter from a doctor, clinic, or hospital in the UK. This letter must outline the medical condition and justify the need for treatment abroad.
13. Official Confirmation of the Treatment
You need to present an official confirmation of the treatment to be received from a hospital or clinic in France. This document verifies the scheduled treatment and the medical facility providing it.
14. Proof of Advance Payment of the Treatment in France
Provide evidence that you have made an advance payment for the treatment in France. This can include a receipt or confirmation of payment from the medical facility.
15. Any Kind of Correspondence Between Doctors in France and Your Home Country
Include any relevant correspondence between the doctors in France and those in your home country. This can include emails, letters, or reports discussing your medical condition and the required treatment.
16. A Guarantee Letter from the Visa Candidate to Ensure His/Her Ability to Cover Any Unforeseen Medical Costs
You must provide a guarantee letter ensuring your ability to cover any unforeseen medical costs during your treatment in France. This letter should outline your financial readiness to handle additional expenses.
17. Confirmed Accommodation in the Hospital or Clinic
Finally, you need to present confirmed accommodation arrangements in the hospital or clinic where you will be receiving treatment. This document should confirm your stay and the duration of your treatment in the medical facility.
2.2 Steps to Apply for a French Visa
Regardless of your visa type, the process for applying is as follows:
First Step: Locate the nearest Visa Application Center where you need to submit your documents. Contact us for assistance in finding the appropriate centre.
Your choice of applyingSecond Step: Determine the best time to visit the Visa Application Center in person to submit your Austrian Visa application.
Your choice of time to come to usThird Step: Schedule an appointment at the Austrian Visa Application Center.
You can make an appointment in one of two ways:
- Online
- In Person
Make an appointment at the French Visa Application CenterFourth Step: Attend your appointment at the Visa Application Center with all the required documents.
Your interviewFifth Step: Pay the visa fee.
Paying money for your visaSixth Step: Wait for a response from the application centre regarding your visa application.
A reply from the VFS application centreNote: Ensure that your visa application form clearly specifies the dates of your visit and the cities you will be staying in. It is advisable to gather all necessary documents and complete the application form only after you have all the required information.
3. Medical Visa Extension
If your health condition worsens while you are in France, there is an option to extend your French visa for medical reasons. To qualify for this extension, you must provide proof of your inability to leave France due to your health issues or evidence that ongoing treatment in France is medically necessary.
However, if your application for a visa extension is denied, you will be required to leave France. In such a case, you would need to apply for a Long-Stay visa for Medical Treatment in the UK. This process involves providing detailed documentation to justify the necessity of receiving medical care in the UK.
In Summary,
We hope this article has provided valuable guidance for applying for an French visa from the United Kingdom.
Thank you for reading. Stay tuned for more information and feel free to share this article!