Do US passport holders need a visa for France?
Covers 11 passports and 80 destinations. Rules older than 30 days are flagged for re-check.
How this tool works
We read the official notice for each pair and record the date. Nothing here is generated; a pair with no written check is not shown.
How we checkNo visa. US passport holders visit France visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180.
France is in the Schengen area, so the 90 days are shared with every other Schengen country. At your first crossing you register in the EES with a face scan and fingerprints instead of a passport stamp. ETIAS, an online authorization for visa-free visitors, is not yet in operation. The 3-month and 10-year passport rules come from the Schengen Borders Code (Article 6). The US State Department's page (Last Updated August 11, 2025) is consistent with the above. The 12-page US emergency passport is not valid for entry into France, and the passport needs one blank page for stamps.
Source: Embassy of France in the United States. Checked Oct 4, 2026See the source
- Maximum stay
- 90 days in any 180
- Counted across the whole Schengen area.
- Passport validity
- 3 months after you leave
- Issued within the last 10 years.
- Emergency passport
- 12-page not valid
- State Department: "The 12-page U.S. emergency passport is not valid for entry into France."
- Blank pages
- 1 per stamp
- State Department: "Must have 1 blank passport page for stamps."
- At the border
- EES registration
- Face scan and fingerprints at your first crossing; under 12s skip fingerprints.
- Pre-travel authorization
- None yet
- ETIAS (€20) is not in operation; the EU will announce a start date months ahead.
- Bilateral stay
- +90 days in France
- Metropolitan France only, after your Schengen 90 days. State it at the border so the officer updates your EES file.
Changes to this rule
- Apr 10, 2026EES fully operational at all Schengen external borders; passport stamps ended.