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France flag — visa destinationSchengen Short-Stay (Type C) — Visiting Family/Friends Verified 2026-06-09

France Visit Visa (Family & Friends — Schengen Type C)

Schengen short-stay visa for Indian citizens visiting family or friends living in France — up to 90 days. Apply online via France-Visas, biometrics at VFS.

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Processing time
About 15 days
after you submit

No visa is ever guaranteed — the final decision always rests with the France visa authority. We make sure your file is presented at its strongest.

Processing

15 calendar days standard. Apply at least…

Stay Duration

Up to 90 days in any 180-day period

Starting Fee

≈ ₹8,300

Apply At

11 VFS centres

Done-for-you · End-to-end filing

Your whole France Visit Visa (Family & Friends), handled for one honest price.

A strong France file clearly explains your travel purpose, funds, and ties to India. We structure and submit everything properly — so your case is presented clearly and professionally.

All-in · 18% GST included · no hidden charges

₹14,999all-in · GST incl.

File-ready in 3–5 working days after documents

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Everything below — included, nothing extra

  • Document checklist
  • Application form guidance
  • Document review
  • Cover letter
  • Purpose of travel structure
  • Financial proof review
  • Sponsor document guidance
  • Submission & appointment support
  • Post-submission guidance
Licensed consultant files it Govt/VFS fees paid direct — never marked up

Not sure you qualify? Start with a refundable ₹499 possibility report — an honest Yes / Maybe / No, credited to this fee. Read the full guide

Price is for our consultancy service only and includes 18% GST. No agency can guarantee a visa — the final decision rests with the visa authority.

Your fee, in one glance

What the ₹14,999 fee covers for a France file

  • We work out what your case actually is, before touching a form
  • We build the checklist around your profile, not a template
  • We read your documents against each other, not against a list
  • Financial proof review
  • Purpose of travel structuring
  • Cover letter / explanation support
  • Return ties review
  • Sponsor / invitation guidance
  • Application form guidance
  • Submission & appointment support
  • Biometrics guidance
  • Post-submission support

Government, VFS, insurance, ticket and hotel costs are separate and charged at cost. Read what each item means, in full.

Good to know before you apply

Rules that apply to every France visa type — worth a quick read so nothing trips up your file.

  • 1France is ONLINE-FIRST: complete the application on france-visas.gouv.fr first, then book the VFS appointment, then submit in person for biometrics.
  • 2Passport must be issued within the last 10 years, valid for at least 3 months beyond your intended departure from the Schengen area, and have at least 2 blank pages.
  • 3Handwritten passports are not accepted.
  • 4Applications can be submitted at the earliest 6 months before the intended date of travel.
  • 5Travel medical insurance is MANDATORY — minimum €30,000 coverage, valid across all Schengen states, covering the entire trip (including medical repatriation).
  • 6Biometrics (fingerprints + digital photo) are captured in person at VFS and are valid for 59 months — if captured within that window for a previous Schengen visa, you may be exempt from giving them again.
  • 7First-time applicants and children under 12 (no fingerprints) must still attend in person; under-12s do not provide fingerprints.

Who Can Apply

  • Indian citizens visiting family members legally residing in France
  • Indian citizens visiting friends legally residing in France
  • Parents / relatives visiting an Indian student or worker legally in France
  • Applicants with a host able to provide an invitation and proof of legal residence

Not eligible under this visa:

  • Anyone intending to work in France — apply for a National (Type D) visa / work permit (not offered by SureshotVisa)
  • Stays over 90 days or settlement / family reunification — apply for a National (Type D) long-stay visa
  • Pure tourism with no host — apply for the Tourist Visa instead
  • Business meetings — apply for the Business Visa instead

What it costs

Government & VFS fees

Paid directly to France / VFS — these are not our service fee, and we never mark them up.

ItemAmount
Schengen Short-Stay Visa fee — Adult≈ ₹8,300
Schengen Short-Stay Visa fee — Child 6 to 12 years≈ ₹4,150
Schengen Short-Stay Visa fee — Child under 6 yearsFREE
VFS Global service charge≈ ₹2,100

The visa fee in INR is set by the French Consulate exchange rate and changes periodically — always confirm the live amount on france-visas.gouv.fr and the VFS Global France India page before paying. The visa fee and VFS service charge are payable per applicant. Visa fee, service charge and any value-added service fees are NON-REFUNDABLE regardless of the visa decision. Optional value-added services (courier, SMS, premium lounge, prime-time collection) do not affect the decision or turnaround time.

Flights · Hotels · Insurance · Itinerary

What France actually requires — and what it does not.

France applies the Schengen rules, so travel insurance is not a nice-to-have — it is a legal condition of the visa.

2 of 4 are compulsory for France

Expected

Flight reservation

The France consulate wants a return itinerary with a real PNR covering your exact dates. It does not want a paid ticket, and buying one before a decision puts your money at risk for nothing.

Where people slip: Flying into one city and out of another with nothing showing how you travel between them. Officers read the whole route, and an unexplained gap reads as a plan that does not hold together.

How to hold a flight without paying
Required

Hotel booking

Accommodation for EVERY night of the stay. Not most nights — every one. A gap is a documented refusal ground under the Schengen code.

Where people slip: Free-cancellation bookings are accepted, but if the entire file is free-cancellation the officer sees a trip nobody has committed to. Some of it should be real spend.

Refundable hotel booking, explained
Required

Travel insurance

Minimum EUR 30,000 medical cover, valid in every Schengen state, including repatriation and emergency medical evacuation, for the full period of stay. Regulation (EC) 810/2009 — this is law, not preference.

Where people slip: Buying cover for the adults and forgetting the children. Every traveller needs their own EUR 30,000, infants included — a real refusal we have seen on a family of four.

What the cover must actually say
Expected

Travel itinerary

A day-by-day plan matching your flights, your hotels and the country you applied to. France must be your main destination or your first point of entry, or you are at the wrong consulate.

Where people slip: Spending more nights in another Schengen country than in France. That gets a file rejected before it is even assessed.

The letter your itinerary attaches to

We arrange all four for your France file.

We are a B2B travel agency as well as a visa consultancy, working with partners including Riya Travel — so the flight, the hotel and the policy all come from us, issued the same day, and you deal with one team instead of four. Every booking is a real one under your own name.

What to gather

Documents required

Having a document isn't the same as presenting it right — that's the part we handle.

Core Documents

5 items
  • France-Visas online application form (printed + signed)Required

    Completed on france-visas.gouv.fr; print and sign the form and the France-Visas receipt.

  • Valid passportRequired

    Issued within last 10 years, valid 3 months beyond return, 2 blank pages, not handwritten.

  • Copy of passport bio-data and address pagesRequired
  • Two recent biometric passport photosRequired

    35×45mm, white background, ≤6 months old, Schengen specification.

  • Travel medical insuranceRequired

    Minimum €30,000, Schengen-wide, covering the entire trip.

Host / Invitation Documentation

4 items
  • Invitation letter from the host in FranceRequired

    Must include the host's full address, contact details, and the exact dates of your intended stay.

  • Proof of the host's legal residence in FranceRequired

    Copy of the host's French ID card / residence permit (titre de séjour) / passport, or a formal 'attestation d'accueil' (certified accommodation attestation) where required.

  • Proof of relationship to the hostRequired

    Marriage certificate, birth certificate, or other documents linking you to the family member; for friends, supporting evidence of the connection.

  • Host's proof of accommodation / address

    Utility bill, rental agreement or property document in the host's name.

Travel & Stay

2 items
  • Proof of intended means of transport (return flight reservation) and itineraryRequired
  • Proof of accommodationRequired

    Staying with the host counts as accommodation — supported by the invitation + attestation d'accueil; otherwise hotel bookings.

Financial Means

4 items
  • Original personal bank statement of the last 3 months (stamped by bank)Required
  • ITR / Form 16 for the last 2 yearsRequired
  • If the host sponsors the trip: host's sponsorship undertaking + host's income/bank proof
  • If employed: salary slips + leave-sanction letter; if self-employed: company registration + GST + ITR; if retired: pension proof

Required · optional / if applicable

The journey.

5 steps from intake to approval. Curved spine on the right shows the natural pace — never as linear as government sites pretend.

  1. 01

    Confirm purpose with Visa Wizard

    Use the France-Visas Visa Wizard to confirm the family/friends visit category and your personalised checklist.

  2. 02

    Get the host's invitation + residence proof

    Obtain the invitation letter (host address, contact, stay dates) plus proof of the host's legal residence in France (and attestation d'accueil where required).

  3. 03

    Complete the online application

    Fill the France-Visas application online; print and sign the form and the receipt.

  4. 04

    Book the VFS appointment

    Book biometrics at your jurisdiction's VFS Global France VAC at visa.vfsglobal.com/ind/en/fra.

  5. 05

    Submit at VFS

    Attend in person — biometrics, file submission, pay the €90 fee + VFS service charge. Processing is 15 calendar days standard.

What works

5 levers that flip a borderline case.

  • Use the France-Visas 'Visa Wizard' first — it confirms your exact visa type and generates the personalised document checklist for your purpose.
  • Do NOT buy flight tickets before the visa is granted — submit confirmed reservations only.
  • Carry the ORIGINAL bank statement of the last 3 months, stamped and signed by the bank, plus ITR/Form 16 for the last 2 years.
  • Keep your France-Visas receipt (with barcode) printed — VFS will not accept the file without it.

What kills cases

Top 3 refusal triggers we see.

  • 1Insufficient or unexplained funds — bank balance does not match the declared trip cost
  • 2Weak ties to India — no clear evidence of return intent (job, business, property, family)
  • 3Travel medical insurance below €30,000, not Schengen-wide, or not covering the full trip

VFS application centres

VFS Global France VAC — New DelhiVFS Global France VAC — MumbaiVFS Global France VAC — ChennaiVFS Global France VAC — KolkataVFS Global France VAC — BengaluruVFS Global France VAC — HyderabadVFS Global France VAC — ChandigarhVFS Global France VAC — JalandharVFS Global France VAC — AhmedabadVFS Global France VAC — PuneVFS Global France VAC — Goa, Kochi, Jaipur and other regional centres (where operational)

Quiz not yet available for this visa type

We're actively building per-visa quizzes. For now, the best way to assess your eligibility for France Visit Visa (Family & Friends — Schengen Type C) is a 1-on-1 consultation with our team.

Frequently asked

Questions, answered straight

Your host must give an invitation letter with their full address, contact details and your exact stay dates, plus proof of their legal residence in France (French ID / residence permit / passport). In many cases a certified 'attestation d'accueil' (accommodation attestation) obtained from the local town hall is required.

Yes — if the host sponsors your trip, include their formal undertaking along with their income/bank proof. You should still carry your own bank statement to strengthen the application.

No. The Visit Visa (Type C) is only for short stays up to 90 days. Joining family permanently (family reunification) requires a National (Type D) long-stay visa, decided by the French immigration authorities.

It is an official accommodation certificate your French host obtains from their local town hall (mairie), confirming they will host you. Where the consulate requires it, it serves as the formal proof of accommodation and the host's legal residence.

Reviewed by Sherbir Singh Grewal, SureshotVisa — a government-licensed consultancy (Licence 849/DC/PTA/PLA/LC-3/2024). Verify us.

How we get it done

Your France France Visit Visa, from your first message to your passport back.

7 questions about this visa specifically. The first two are open — tap any other to read it.

Refused? Our full service fee comes back.Government and visa-centre fees are the one part nobody can refund.

+My relative in France is inviting and sponsoring me. What do they need to send?

An invitation naming you and the relationship, proof of their own status in France (residence permit, passport or citizenship), proof of address, and — if they are paying — their income evidence and a formal undertaking. Several countries have a specific sponsorship form; using a plain letter where a prescribed form exists gets the file bounced. Send us their documents together with yours: the two sides have to agree with each other, and mismatched addresses or dates between sponsor and applicant are one of the quietest refusal causes.

+Does having close family settled abroad make my visa harder?

It is the question officers probe hardest on a family visit, because a visitor visa turns on whether you will come back. It is not a bar — thousands of these are approved every month — but it has to be answered rather than ignored. The answer is your own life here: your job or business, your dependants, your property, your bookings. A file that names the relative and then says nothing about your ties invites the officer to assume the obvious.

+How long can I actually stay on a France Schengen visa?

Up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The window rolls: on any given day the authorities count backwards 180 days and add up the days you were inside. It is not 90 days per country and it does not reset when you leave and come back. Entries are single or multiple entry, as granted by the french consulate. Getting this arithmetic wrong is how people end up overstaying without realising, which follows you into every future application.

+Should I apply to France or to another Schengen country?

You apply to the country you will spend the most nights in. If the nights are equal across several, you apply to the one you enter first. Applying to the "easier" consulate when your itinerary says otherwise is a well-known refusal ground and, if the mismatch looks deliberate, it reads as misrepresentation rather than a mistake. Send us your itinerary and we will tell you which mission is the correct one for your trip — sometimes that is not France.

+How long does a France France Visit Visa take, start to finish?

Three things sit between today and your trip: preparing the file properly, waiting for an appointment, and the mission's own processing. France currently states 15 calendar days standard (can extend to 30–45 days where additional scrutiny or consular consultation is required). Apply at least 15 days before travel. for the decision itself. We control the first, which is usually days. The middle depends on slot releases. The third is entirely the mission's and no consultant can shorten it — anyone telling you otherwise is selling something they cannot deliver. Tell us your travel date and we will tell you honestly whether it is realistic.

+How much of what I pay for the France visa is actually your fee?

Most of it is not ours. The France government fee (currently ≈ ₹8,300) goes to the mission and the visa-centre fee goes to VFS — both charged to you at cost, never marked up, and shown as separate lines on one GST invoice in the registered company name. Our service fee is the only part we set, and it is published rather than quoted case by case.

+How does SureshotVisa handle my France France Visit Visa, from first message to passport back?

You send what you have on WhatsApp and a licensed consultant says the same working day whether the case is ready. We build the file around your profile, check every document against the others, write the cover letter to match them, and hold the file complete so the first workable appointment can be taken the moment it appears. You attend biometrics; we track the file to the decision (France currently states 15 calendar days standard (can extend to 30–45 days where additional scrutiny or consular consultation is required). Apply at least 15 days before travel.). Government and visa-centre fees (≈ ₹8,300 for this visa) are charged at cost; our own fee is published, and if the visa is refused that fee comes back in full.

Before you file

A France France Visit Visa goes one of two ways.

Filed on a guessed checklist, the government fee is gone on a refusal and the refusal follows every future application. Filed after a licensed consultant has read the papers against each other, the file answers the officer's questions before they are asked. Same France rules, different outcome. How we do that is written once, in full, on the method page rather than repeated here.

Other France Visa Types

Source & Disclaimer

Data on this page is sourced from the official VFS Global France website and Embassy of France. Last verified 2026-06-09. Always verify with the official embassy before applying — fees and requirements change without notice.

Ready?

Want us to check your France visa case?

Share your travel purpose, employment/business profile and funds. We'll tell you honestly where your file stands.

Call +91 97803 01303