Visas & paperwork

Bonjour, je me permets d'écrire pour demander des informations en effet, j'ai cru comprendre qu'il fallait souscrire OBLIGATOIREMENT a une assurance pour pouvoir atterrir a ZANZIBAR. Quelle est la démarche à effectuer et quelle assurance ?? Merci par avance pour vos retour cordialement seb

Bonjour je suis française résidente en Suisse , ayant crée une RV LLC dans le Montana USA, j ai pu immatriculer 3 véhicules (RV, Jeep, Harley) avec des plaques dans le Montana Je voudrais aller passer 3 mois au Mexique mais il semble que ce soit compliqué voir impossible de passer la frontière en venant des US avec mes 3 vehicules quelqu un peux me conseiller?

Hi, are there any travelers who’ve recently crossed the border between Karakalpakstan (Uzbekistan) and Beineu in Kazakhstan? It was closed for a while. Thanks for any info!

Bonjour

J'ai acheté un vol aller (Ryan Air) et retour (EAsyjet) pour passer une semaine au Maroc en avril. mon passeport expire 3 semaines après la date du retour. sur certains site on peut lire que le passeport doit avoir une durée de validité de 3 mois au moment de l'entrée. Or il sera bien valide tant à l'entrée qu'au retour, mais sa validité sera de 1 mois seulement à la date de l'entrée (et 3 semaine à la date du retour, tout pré payé).

C'est un voyage individuel en famille.

Le consulat ne sait pas me répondre, ils cherchent la réponse (si si! )

Ryan Air me laissera t il embarquer à Beauvais dans 3 semaines?

Merci de vos avis ca urge un peu 😕😕😕😕

Hi everyone,

I’m visiting Japan for the first time this summer and plan to rent a car for the first part of the trip. I ordered a translation of my driver’s license on the Japan Experience website. Since I live in Paris, I chose to pick it up at their store, and they promised the translation would be ready in 12 days. I placed my order last Wednesday around 8 PM and received confirmation it was ready that Friday at 10 AM—just 1.5 days later. A little surprised by how fast it was, I contacted them, and they told me the translation wasn’t done by the JAF but by an approved individual.

Do you know if the translation *has* to be provided by the JAF? Japan Experience seems to have a good reputation, but I’d rather ask if other travelers have used a non-JAF driver’s license translation before.

Thanks in advance! Have a great day

Hello,

Last year, we stayed for 3 months in Thailand, north of Khao Lak, and were able to benefit from the 2-month visa exemption, renewable for one month by going to Takua Pa to validate a 1-month extension (1,900 baht). This year, it’s a disaster for us—not only were we planning a 4-month stay, adding a visa run in between (which some say is quite risky), but the law is apparently changing in the coming months with the return of the 1-month exemption (plus the usual 1-month option). So, we looked into applying for a 6-month multiple-entry visa, allowing a maximum of 60 consecutive days in Thailand. However, I can’t find anywhere the minimum time required outside Thailand between two stays—do any of you have an idea? Thanks for the info! If you’d like tips on Khao Lak and the surrounding areas, we’ve got some experience, though things change fast! Cheers, Bruno.

Hi there,

My partner, our 8-year-old daughter, and I are going on vacation to Gex.

We’ve decided to spend one day in Switzerland and another in Italy. Will we need ID (national ID card or passport)? Do we also need ID for our daughter?

Thanks so much for your answers! 🙂

Hi everyone,

Some French friends are visiting NYC (4/5 days around mid-May) from Montreal, Canada. They’ve got their eTA and ESTA approved!

Round-trip transport by bus.

Question: Is the I-94 form required, mandatory, and should it be filled out on the bus or in advance???

Thanks for your RECENT experiences!

See you, Jean.

Hello, We’ll soon be moving to Madagascar long-term. As a French national, I need to obtain a short-stay visa that can be converted to a long-stay one. To do this, I have to send the required documents to the Madagascar embassy in Paris. No issues with that procedure so far. If I get this visa, once I arrive in Madagascar, I’ll need to provide the same documents to the Ministry of the Interior in Anosy. I’m trying to find an email address or website for the Ministry to check which documents I need to submit (I think they ask for additional ones). If you have any info on this, I’d appreciate your replies. Best regards, M. Buisson Eric

Hi there,

I’d like to know if anyone has already applied for a private visa to Russia with an invitation from a Russian resident. I traveled earlier this year with an e-visa, but since I want to stay longer, I’ll be visiting my friend who lives in eastern Russia. For the visa application, does the invitation need to be on an official paper form issued by the Russian ministry? And most importantly, do I need to present the original for the application, or is there an electronic version that can be sent directly to the consulate in France? Thanks for any info if you’ve gone through this process before!

Best regards,

Gilles

I filled out the B2 form to apply for a visa, created an account on Atvis to pay the visa fees and schedule a meet-up, but every time I try to pay with my Boursobank Visa 1st card, they refuse the payment with a message telling me to check my details (address), even though everything is correct. Does anyone know why this is happening, or maybe they don’t accept Visa cards? Are you aware of this? Thanks for your feedback! Elisabeth

Hi,

There are rumors going around about the ETA: it must absolutely be on your smartphone in the "ETA" app.

Paper documents might not be accepted. Is this real or just a hoax? Thanks, I’m leaving in 3 weeks. My passport is good to go and my ETA is still valid for a year, but I only printed the email I received. Thanks everyone.

Hi there, We need to apply for a B2 visa because we visited Iran in 2018. It currently costs $185, but they’re planning an additional $250 fee per person for the same visa—it’s been approved but not yet implemented. Does anyone know when this fee will take effect? Thanks in advance! Elisabeth

Hi there, In November, we're heading off on a 4-month trip. We'll be landing in China and plan to leave the country via a land border into Vietnam. I’ve read that China may ask for proof of exit within 30 days (flight ticket or other reservation). Since we’d be leaving by land, I’m wondering how this works in practice. Has anyone here been in this situation recently?

Did the airline ask for an exit ticket before boarding? Did Chinese authorities require proof upon arrival? Is a train/bus ticket to Vietnam sufficient? Is a cancelable or flexible reservation accepted?

Thanks for sharing your experiences! 😊

Bonjour , Juste une question qui a dû déjà être posée ( mais souvent à l’inverse de mon cas :) ) Nous partons pour les USA ma femme et moi . Sur son billet il y a juste son nom de jeune fille ( ex. Martine DUPOND ) Sur le passeport c’est écrit Martine DUPOND épouse AVRY Pas de soucis pour partir j’espère avoir bien fais sur le billet ? Ensuite sur l’ESTA je dois Martine DUPOND suffit ou je dois mettre comme le passeport avec la mention épouse ? Merci d’avance

Hi there, I’m spending a few days in San Pedro de Atacama (Chile) and would like to cross the Argentine border to make a loop toward Salta and then return to Chile to drop off the rental car. I’ve heard that crossing the border can be tricky! Is it possible with a rental company’s authorization? Which company, and at what cost? Thanks for sharing your experiences! Best regards, Arnale

Bonjour à tous,

J'ai vu sur le site de l'ambassade de France au Pérou et sur le site du Consulat péruvien à Paris que la règle est d'avoir un passeport valide 6 mois après la date d'arrivée (et non la date de retour).

J'arrive au Pérou le 13 août 2019 (pour une douzaine de jours) et mon passeport est valide jusqu'au 16 février 2020.

Donc 6 mois et 3 jours après ma date d'arrivé au Pérou. Selon moi, je suis dans en règle.

Mais peut on quand même me bloquer l'entrée en disant que je ne couvre pas la date de retour ou que je suis trop proche des 6 mois ?

Merci pour vos retours.

Hi there,

I read on the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs website that it’s possible to apply for a temporary driving permit in China, valid for 1 month. I’m planning to rent a car (without a driver) to explore part of the country next August, so I was wondering:

Has anyone here already gone through this process upon arrival? How long do the formalities take on the spot? Is it possible to handle these steps in advance, before arriving in China?

Thanks in advance for your replies.

Hi Has anyone been to Rwanda recently and gotten a 3-month visa on arrival easily? Thanks

Hi there, My departure is slowly approaching, and now that I’ve got my Russian visa sorted, I’m fine-tuning the rest of my trip to Tajikistan. Since the Tajik visa is no longer required for stays under 30 days (for French nationals), I’ll need to visit the Ministry of Interior (OVIR) to register within 10 days of entering the country. No big deal, though, since I had to go there anyway to apply for my GBAO permit. 😉 However, I’ve *seen* several reports from travelers (mostly motorized) mentioning that you need an entry permit for Kyrgyzstan, which has to be arranged in advance at the Kyrgyz Ministry (consulate?) in Dushanbe. Otherwise, you’re *stuck* at the Kyzyl-Art border (with no Wi-Fi, of course, to try and sort it out). The most recent report was from a year ago, so I’d love to know if this is still the case and if it’s indeed at the Kyrgyz Ministry (consulate?) where you need to go for this pre-authorization. Does anyone have any recent info on this? Thanks in advance!

Hi everyone. I’m leaving for almost 3 months in the Philippines (11 weeks total) starting in early May. I already have my round-trip ticket. The problem is, I don’t have time to get a 2-month visa because the process takes nearly a month. From what I’ve read here and there, I need a return ticket valid for less than a month when I arrive in the Philippines to prove my good faith. After that, I can apply for a 30-day extension at the immigration office. I’m planning to either buy a fully refundable ticket to the nearest country or a fake ticket. For 3 months, I’ll need to extend my visa two more times before my return date to France. My question is this: Will immigration ask me each time I extend my visa by one month to show proof of an exit ticket matching the new visa extension date? Is it possible to extend directly by 2 months before the initial 30 days expire? Thanks in advance for your experiences and tips! 😊

Hello to all the Thailand regulars.

I’ve been to Thailand several times, but it was about 20 years ago…

There’s a new system in place now, it seems.

TDAC – Thailand Digital Arrival Card.

Before arriving, I apply for a TDAC, okay. If during my stay I cross the border to spend a few days in Malaysia and then re-enter Thailand, do I need to submit a new TDAC application? Do I use the same TDAC as when I first entered the country?

Or do I initially have to pay for a Thai multi-entry visa?

Thanks in advance for your insights—I can’t find the answer online.

Pierre

My partner (Mexican) entered France on January 21st as a tourist. She was therefore entitled to stay for 90 days in the Schengen Area. She’ll be leaving for Mexico on April 16th, so she’ll have “used up” 86 days.

She plans to return to France on July 18th. According to the European Commission’s Schengen calculator, this new stay “may be authorized for a maximum of 90 days.” That’s not very clear ("may be," "for a maximum of").

The text of Article 6 of the European regulation (2016/399) states that for a stay planned in the territory of the Member States, not exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period, one must examine "the 180-day period preceding each day of the stay." That’s not very clear either.

My partner wants to return to France for a 90-day period starting on July 18th. Is this possible?

There are two ways to look at it:

1) The first day she spent in the Schengen Area was January 21st. That day will drop out of the calculation 180 days later, on July 20th.

From July 20th, she’ll get back 1 day of possible stay; on July 22nd, 2 days; and so on. All the days from her previous stay (January 21st–April 16th) need to be outside the 180-day rolling window. The last day of her stay was April 16th. Looking 180 days ahead, that brings us to October 13th. From that date, she’ll be able to return for a full 90 days. 2) The number of allowed days is calculated for each day of the new stay. In other words: the 180-day window is recalculated every day, not fixed at the entry date. If she re-enters France on July 18th, she’ll only have a “credit” of 4 days. But with each day of her new stay, one day from the previous stay (January–April) will drop out of the calculation. The rolling window allows her to “replace” days from the previous stay with those of the new stay, without ever exceeding 90 days in any 180-day period. In this case, my partner could stay in France for 90 days starting on July 18th. The Prefecture doesn’t provide any information, nor does Air France, and in the forums I’ve checked, opinions are divided. Thanks for any insights you can share!

Hello, We’re planning to travel to Indonesia (Sulawesi with family) next July and August for a stay longer than a month (about 6 weeks). I’ve seen that it’s possible to get a 60-day visa before departure, but I’ve also read about people having a lot of trouble getting it (some even didn’t manage and had to leave without it). We absolutely need to have these 4 visas BEFORE leaving because once we’re in Sulawesi, I’m not sure we’ll be able to go to an embassy to request a visa extension after 30 days.

In short, how can we **100% guarantee** that we’ll get our 4 60-day visas before our trip this summer?

Thanks for your valuable tips!

Elodie

Hi there,

I’m leaving for Japan in a few weeks. I just noticed my passport has an ink stain on the signature page. Could this cause any issues?

Hello, HAPPY NEW YEAR 2026! We’re heading back in October for a trip through Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. I have a question: for our route, we’ll need to cross the Zambia and Zimbabwe borders twice each. From experience, I know we won’t have any issues with Botswana. But for the other two countries, I can’t find a clear answer. All your tips are welcome!

Thanks for your replies

Hi everyone!

I’m currently a student on a gap year, and I don’t plan to go back to school right away. That said, traveling really interests me. But I’ve been wondering: does being a student come with any perks when you decide to go abroad? The real question is whether I should re-enroll in a program just to keep that status without actually attending.

Thanks in advance for your replies,

Axel

bonjour a tous et toutes je suis francais et vie en france et ma copine thailandaise m'apprends qu'elle est enceinte, elle vit en thailande. Dans un premier temps, un test de paternité afin d etre rassuré. quelles démarches dois je effectuer pour reconnaitre l'enfant, puis je le faire avant la naissance ou apres, ou dois je le faire, les papiers etc.... Je précise que je souhaite qu'il reste en thailande mais peut venir sans probleme en france à n'importe qu'elle moment ! Merci de prendre le temps de lire et d'y répondre.

hi Do you know of any travel insurance for someone with a pre-existing condition? Can a person who’s had a heart attack and is on medication get travel insurance? Thanks

Hi, I'd like to know—I'm planning to go to Taiwan and would like to make a stop in China, then another stop in China on my way back from Taiwan.

In total, I'd stay less than 30 cumulative days in China, but would I still be allowed to return after coming back from Taiwan (while still benefiting from the visa exemption)?

Thanks! ^^