France Tourist Visa Requirements for UK Citizens
Last checked: 17 March 2026
Planning a holiday to France with a full British citizen passport?
This guide explains the current tourist entry rules for UK travellers, including whether you need a visa, how long you can stay, passport validity rules, what French border officers may ask to see, electronic systems now in use or coming soon, costs, and the official government links to check before travel.
This article is restricted to tourist entry for UK citizens. It does not cover work, study, residence permits, or long-stay immigration routes except where needed to explain what does not apply to a normal holiday.
France is part of the Schengen area and uses the euro (€).
Index
- 1. Quick answer
- 2. Passport and stay rules
- 3. What French border control may ask for
- 4. Electronic systems in use, or coming soon
- 5. Costs for UK tourist entry
- 6. Official UK and French government links
- 7. Frequently asked questions
1. Quick answer
No tourist visa is required for a UK citizen visiting France for a short holiday.
For most British tourists, the key points are:
- You can visit France without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
- France is in the Schengen area, so time spent in other Schengen countries counts towards the same 90-day limit.
- Your passport must have been issued within the last 10 years.
- Your passport must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
- Until EES is fully rolled out, you should make sure your passport is stamped on entry and exit.
- There is no France-only tourist eVisa or France-only tourist ETA identified in the official sources reviewed for a normal visa-free UK tourist trip.
In simple terms, most UK holidaymakers can travel to France without applying for a tourist visa, provided the trip stays within the Schengen short-stay limit and the passport rules are met.
2. Passport and stay rules
If you are travelling to France as a tourist on a full British citizen passport, your passport should meet these conditions:
- It must have a date of issue less than 10 years before the date you arrive.
- It must have an expiry date at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
- You can be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or if you try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.
UK citizens can stay in France for tourism for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa.
This is a Schengen-wide allowance, not a France-only allowance. If you also travel to Spain, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, or any other Schengen country, those days count towards the same limit.
If you overstay the 90-day visa-free limit, you may be banned from entering Schengen countries for up to 3 years.
If you want to stay longer than 90 days, that moves outside normal tourist entry. At that point you need to check the relevant French long-stay visa or residence route before travel.
3. What French border control may ask for
Even though UK tourists do not need a visa for a short holiday, French border officers may still ask for supporting documents.
- Proof of travel insurance
- Proof that you have enough money for your stay
- Proof of accommodation
- A return or onward ticket
France-Visas publishes official reference amounts for sufficient funds:
- €65 per day if you have a hotel booking
- €120 per day if you do not have a hotel booking
- For a partial hotel booking: €65 per day for the booked period and €120 per day for the rest of the stay
If you are staying with family, friends or another host, you may be asked for an attestation d’accueil. Your host in France must get this from their local mayor’s office and send you the original before you travel.
If you are travelling to your second home in France, you may need to show proof of ownership or tenancy, such as a tax or utility bill.
Until EES is fully rolled out, you should also make sure your passport is stamped on both entry and exit. If a stamp is missing, keep evidence such as boarding passes or tickets and ask border officials to add the date and location to your passport.
4. Electronic systems in use, or coming soon
France does not currently require a separate France-only tourist eVisa or a France-only tourist ETA for a visa-free UK holiday visit.
However, there are three digital or partly digital systems worth knowing about:
France-Visas portal and visa assistant
France has an official France-Visas portal and online visa assistant for travellers who need a visa. This is useful for checking visa requirements, preparing a visa application, and tracking it, but it is not a separate eVisa system for ordinary UK tourists using the visa-free route.
Entry/Exit System (EES)
The European Union’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is being rolled out in phases, with full operation expected from 10 April 2026.
For short-stay UK travellers, EES means you may need to register biometric details such as fingerprints and a photo when entering the Schengen area. You do not need to do anything before arriving at the border, and there is no fee for EES registration.
France’s foreign ministry says EES will replace the current manual passport-stamping system once it becomes operational.
Until EES is fully rolled out, your passport should still be stamped on entry and exit.
European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)
ETIAS is not live yet. The official EU position is that ETIAS will start in the last quarter of 2026.
When ETIAS starts, UK passport holders travelling visa-free to France and other Schengen countries will generally need to apply online before travel unless exempt. The official ETIAS fee is €20 (about £17.28).
So the current position for UK tourists is:
- No France-only tourist eVisa requirement identified
- No France-only tourist ETA requirement identified right now
- France does have an official France-Visas portal and visa assistant for travellers who need a visa
- EES is being phased in now
- ETIAS is expected later, in the last quarter of 2026
5. Costs for UK tourist entry
France uses the euro (€). For a normal UK tourist visit, the official entry costs are simple because no tourist visa is required.
Approximate pound conversions below use the European Central Bank reference rate of €1 = £0.86408, checked for 16 March 2026.
| Item | Does it apply to a normal UK tourist? | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| France tourist visa | No | €0 (£0) |
| France-only tourist eVisa | No official system identified for UK tourists | €0 (£0) |
| France-only tourist ETA / pre-travel authorisation | No official system identified at present | €0 (£0) |
| EES registration | Yes, this may apply at the Schengen border during rollout | €0 (£0) |
| ETIAS, once launched | Not in force yet, but expected later in 2026 | €20 (about £17.28) |
| Reference funds with hotel booking | Financial evidence, not a fee | €65 per day (about £56.17) |
| Reference funds without hotel booking | Financial evidence, not a fee | €120 per day (about £103.69) |
Only if you fall outside the normal visa-free UK tourist route, France currently publishes a standard short-stay visa fee of €90 (£77.77).
Important: that short-stay visa fee is not part of the normal short tourist route for a full British citizen passport holder. For most UK holidaymakers, the tourist visa cost remains €0 (£0).
6. Official UK and French government links
Use these official pages before booking, before travel, and again shortly before departure:
- UK Government travel advice for France
- UK Government France entry requirements
- UK Government foreign travel checklist
- UK Government EU Entry/Exit System guidance
- French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, requesting a visa
- France-Visas official portal
- France-Visas online visa assistant
- French foreign ministry, EES and ETIAS information
- France-Visas FAQ and visa fees
- Official EU ETIAS information
If your circumstances are unusual, for example dual nationality, a passport close to expiry, an intended stay beyond 90 days, or travel involving a host invitation or second home, rely on the official pages above rather than third-party websites.
7. Frequently asked questions
Do UK citizens need a visa for France?
No. UK citizens travelling on a full British citizen passport do not need a tourist visa for short visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
How long can a British tourist stay in France without a visa?
Up to 90 days in any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area.
How long must my passport be valid for France?
Your passport must have been issued less than 10 years before arrival and must be valid for at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
Can French border officers ask for proof of money or onward travel?
Yes. UK Government guidance says border officers may ask for travel insurance, proof of funds, proof of accommodation, and a return or onward ticket.
How much money might I need to show for a France trip?
France-Visas publishes official reference amounts of €65 per day with a hotel booking and €120 per day without a hotel booking.
What is an attestation d’accueil?
It is a host invitation document that you may need if you are staying with family, friends or another private host in France. The host must get it from their local mayor’s office before you travel.
Does France have a tourist eVisa for UK citizens?
I did not identify a separate France-only tourist eVisa system for ordinary UK tourists in the official sources reviewed.
Does France have a tourist ETA right now?
I did not identify a France-only tourist ETA or other pre-travel online authorisation for ordinary UK tourists in the official sources reviewed.
Does France have any online visa system?
Yes. France has the official France-Visas portal and visa assistant for travellers who need a visa, but a normal visa-free UK tourist would not usually need to use them.
What is EES and does it affect France travel?
EES is the EU’s Entry/Exit System for short-stay travellers entering the Schengen area. It affects France travel because France is part of Schengen. During rollout, you may need to register fingerprints and a photo at the border.
When is ETIAS expected to start?
The official EU position is that ETIAS will start in the last quarter of 2026.
How much will ETIAS cost?
The official ETIAS fee is €20, which is about £17.28 using the exchange rate used in this article.
Final check before travel
For most UK holidaymakers, France is straightforward: no tourist visa is required for a short stay. The main things to get right are your Schengen day count, your passport issue date and expiry date, your supporting documents at the border, and keeping an eye on the continuing EES rollout and the future ETIAS launch.
