Apply France Visa from Canada: Requirements and Guidelines - Schengen Visa Itinerary - Flight Itinerary - Hotel Booking

France – the most popular of all 26 Schengen Countries, and one that inspires romance, wine, love, and a longing for all things beautiful. It is home to the famed Eiffel Tower, Louvre, Cathedrale Notre-Dame de Paris, Palace of Versailles, Arc de Triomphe, and so many more architectural beauties. No wonder why the vacationing in France is every Canadian’s dream.

French Schengen Visa Requirement for Canadian Travelers

Travel formalities for a trip to France are quite simple. In fact, Canadian nationals need not even apply for a French Visa if their stay is less than 90 days. The visa is applicable only for Canadian residents whose nationality is of another country altogether. And the success rates are largely favorable with less than 1% visa rejections annually.

Covid-19 Restrictions

Canadians desirous of traveling to France must show negative Covid molecular test results taken within the last 72 hours of proposed departure time. In France, the government has imposed a nationwide daily curfew across the country from 6 PM to 6 AM. Curfew timings in Monaco, however, are 7 PM to 6 AM. During open hours, it is mandatory to wear a mask in both indoor and outdoor public places. Please double check these restrictions before travelling as these restrictions are changing very frequently.

Types of French Schengen Visa

The Consulate General of France in Canada offers Airport Transit Visa for just passing through France to reach your actual destination country and Schengen Visas for tourism, visiting family and friends, as well as conducting business activities. This is valid for a period of up to 90 days. If you need a French Visa for over 90 days, then you should apply for a National Visa. This Visa type enables you to seek employment, join academic pursuits, conduct research studies, and attend family reunions. Of course, you will need to show other documental proofs as well.

French Visa Application Process

To get the most updated, first-hand information about the application process, visit Official Website. The page contains detailed information on what to expect from the application process. To know your unique visa requirements accurately, even before starting off the application process, visit the Visa Wizard. The visa Wizard is available in the section – ‘Gather Information on your Situation’.
Next, fill out the Visa Application Form listed under ‘Step 2: Set Up My Online Application’. The online application system allows you to save your personal / travel-related information and return to it later. Once you are ready to submit the form, you will also have to upload copies of supporting documents. These include:
- Fully filled and signed Visa Application Form
- Passport-size photographs
- Passport not more than 10 years old with at least 2 blank pages
- Residential proof of place of accommodation in Canada
- Airline itinerary
- Proof of hotel reservation
- Schengen health insurance document
- Proof of financial support
- Certificate of employment, school attendance certificate, proof of pension, marriage certificate to prove your social status
- Letter of invitation from the host if applicable

Important Note: This would be a good place to consider how early you are submitting your application. For a short-term French Schengen Visa submit the application not more than 6 months before your proposed date of departure from Canada. If you are a UK citizen, then make special note of Brexit rules and regulations for your French Schengen Visa and prepare yourself accordingly.

Next, set up an appointment with the Visa Application Centre in Canada. There are 4 centers located in Montreal, Ottawa. Toronto, or Vancouver. Schedule the appointment anywhere between 6 months and 2 weeks for a short-term Schengen Visa and 3 months to 2 weeks for a National Visa.
On the day of appointment, attend the Consular Office in person. You will have to submit your biometrics, pay the Visa Fees, and attend an interview with the Visa Officials. The only circumstances under which you might be exempted from an in-person visit is if you have held Schengen Visas previously or you travel regularly to France for the same purpose.
You can track the progress of your application. For details, go to our track the progress of your application page.
- Visit the InfoVISA online application tracking tool if the application is submitted at a French embassy or French Consulate
- Visit the CAPAGO online application tracking tool if the application is submitted at a CAPAGO visa application center
- Visit the TLS online application tracking tool if the application is submitted at a TLS visa application center
- Visit the VFS online application tracking tool if the application is submitted at a VFS visa application center

Visa Fees

Category & Fee → ↓	Full rate	Reduced rate	Free of charge
Airport transit & Schengen visa visa	80 euros	40 euros¹ (Age of 6 and 12)	Foreign spouse of French national and foreign members of families of nationals of other Member States of the EU/EEA and Switzerland. Children under the age of 6
Short-stay visa for Martinique , French Guiana , Guadeloupe, Reunion , Saint Martin and Saint-Barthélemy	60 euros	35 euros (Age of 6 and 12)	Foreign spouse of French national and foreign members of families of nationals of other Member States of the EU/EEA and Switzerland. Children under the age of 6
Long-stay visa	99 euros	50 euros²	Foreign spouse of French national.
Adopted child	15 euros³	N/A	N/A
Short-stay visa for Wallis and Futuna , French Polynesia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, New Caledonia , Mayotte and French Southern and Antarctic Lands	9 euros	N/A	Foreign spouse of French national and foreign members of families of nationals of other Member States of the EU/EEA and Switzerland.

¹Visa fees for national from the following countries: Albania*, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia*, Georgia*, North Macedonia*, Moldova*, Montenegro*, Russia, Ukraine* are fixed at 35 euros for entry visas and short-stay visas under a facilitation agreement. (*for holders of non-biometric passports only).
²Reduced rate for students whose application was considered by a Center for studies in France.
³15 euros when the adopter (or one of the adopters in binational couples) is a French national; this fee applies for France’s European and non-European territories; 99 euros when the adopter is not a French national.

Visa Centre in Canada

Timings – Monday to Friday 9AM-3PM (by appointment only)
Montreal – Suite 820, 1010 rue Sherbrooke Ouest, H3A 2R7 Montreal QC
Ottawa – Suite 403, 2211 Riverside Drive, K1H 7X5 Ottawa ON
Toronto – Unit 762, 2 Bloor Street West, M4W 3R1 Toronto ON
Vancouver – Unit 440, 580 Hornby Street, V6C 2E7 Vancouver BC

France Here We Come!

Once the Visa Application Process is set rolling, you can track its status right on the application page. When it is ready, the French Consulate in Canada will contact you for picking up your passport. You can choose to either visit the Consulate personally or have it couriered to you. Remember to keep your application reference number handy in both cases.

The larger chances are for you to receive the passport with visa stamped. The only reason you might be denied a Visa is if your documents / application were incomplete or if your responses to the interviewer were vague and unsatisfactory. In case of the latter, you can re-initiate the visa application process taking extra special care to submit all documents as expected by the Consulate General of France the next time round.