Getting French Schengen Visa from India – Visa Requirements for Indian Citizens

Introduction

France and the romanticism associated with it attracts millions of tourists every year and Indians are no exception. As the maxim goes, ‘Paris is always a good idea’, every year over 1 million Indians lodge applications for Schengen Visa. The numbers are likely to grow over 1.5 million by the end of 2021. Below is your ultimate guide of getting French Schengen Visa from India.

Do Indians Need French Schengen Visa?

Yes, Indians need Schengen Visa to enter Europe’s visa-free zone comprising as much as 26 countries.

Where to Apply for French Schengen Visa in India?

Indians can apply at the following for French Schengen Visa:

French Embassy in New Delhi, Consulate General of France in Bangalore, Consulate General of France in Bombay, Consulate General of France in Calcutta and Consulate General of France in Pondicherry.

The French Schengen Visa allows its holder to roam freely in the following countries:

Czech Republic, Belgium, Austria, Finland, Estonia, Denmark, Greece, Germany, France, Italy, Iceland, Hungary, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Latvia, Netherlands, Malta, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Norway, Spain, Slovenia, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Sweden.  

Getting French Schengen Visa from India

Overall rules and procedure for getting French Schengen from India are pretty similar to most of the other countries.

In the beginning, figure out the type of in relation to the purpose of your visit to France. French authorities issue following types of the Schengen Visas from India:

French Medical Visa

French Tourism Visa

French Business Visa

When to apply for a French Schengen Visa from India?

You can apply for the French Schengen Visa from India three months or 90 days prior to the intended date of visit. The minimum duration for applying for French Schengen Visa from India is 15 days before the planned departure.

Where to apply for Schengen Visa from India?

If your only destination of the Schengen Area is France, then you will apply at one of the aforementioned diplomatic missions of France.

If you want to travel to multiple Schengen countries and your main destination is France, then you will apply at the French diplomatic mission in India. For example, if you want to visit France, Germany, and Italy, then you will apply at the embassy or consulate of the country in which you are planning to stay most.

If you are planning to visit multiple destinations and can’t determine in which you are staying most, then you will apply to the country that you are planning to visit first.

Documents required for getting French Schengen Visa from India

Following are the documents that the applicant is required to submit in the visa application:

Application form: A fully-filled application form, signed and dated. The application form should be filled attentively and the information provided on the application form must match with that of provided in the other documents.

Pictures: Your pictures must meet international standards, otherwise, your application will be rejected. You have to attach two pictures with full face captured in a light background.

Passport: When applying for French Visa from India, you must remember that passport must not be issued for a period exceeding the 10-year threshold. Also, it must contain at least two blank pages so that the concerned officials can mark the dates of arrival in and departure from France.

Proof of legal residence status in India. This may include a residence permit or national ID.

Roundtrip flight reservation: A roundtrip flight reservation or roundtrip flight itinerary contains dates of your arrival and departure flights, airport codes and general personal information.

Travel Health Insurance: When applying for a French Visa from India, travel health insurance is a key document in your visa application. The travel health insurance that you are going to attach in your visa application must provide insurance worth USD 50000 or EUR 30000.

Also, it should not cover only those areas of the Schengen Area that you are planning to visit. Hence, it should be valid in the whole Schengen Area i-e 26 member states.

Also, the availed insurance must cover the cost of repatriation of the body in case of an unfortunate event of itinerant death.

Hotel Bookings for French Schengen Visa Application: This document ensures visa officers that the itinerant has sorted out means of accommodation in the French territory.

Cover Letter: In the cover letter, you will explain to the visa officer that why are you planning to visit France. The cover letter must not be prolonged and lengthy. Keep it to the point and precise.

Evidence of civil status. This may include a marriage certificate, ration card, birth or death certificate of the spouse.

Means of subsistence: As evident from the term, it is evidence that the application has sufficient resources to support himself financially during the course of his/her visit in the Schengen state.

To find out more about means of subsistence, click here.

Additional Schengen Visa requirements for as per status of Indian citizen

If employed:

Contract of the employment

Bank statement illustrating the transactions of the previous six months

Additional Schengen Visa Requirements based on your Employment Status in India

If self-employed:

• Photocopy of business license in India
• 6-month bank statement
• ITR

 If you are employed:

• Employment contract
• Current bank statement, of latest 6 months (Online Bank statements are not acceptable).
• A letter stating that itinerant’s employer has granted him leave for the trip
• Income Tax Returns (ITR)

If retired:

6-month pension statement

If a student:

Proof of enrollment

NOC from the education institution

If applicable:

The regular income produced by property evidence of previous six months.

Jurisdiction of the French Embassy in New Delhi

The French Embassy in New Delhi covers the following areas:

Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chandigarh, and Delhi.

Jurisdiction of French Consulate General Bangalore

The French Consulate General in Bangalore covers the following areas:

Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

Jurisdiction of French Consulate General Bombay

The French Consulate General Bombay covers the following states:

Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu.

Jurisdiction of French Consulate General Calcutta

The French Consulate General Calcutta covers the following states:

West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Sikkim, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh – also competent for the Kingdom of Bhutan.

Jurisdiction of French Consulate General Pondicherry

The French Consulate General Pondicherry covers the following states:

Kerala, Tamil Nadu, UT of Puducherry (Puducherry, Karial, Mahe, and Yanaon), Lakshadweep, Andaman, and the Nicobar Islands.

Visa Application Processing time

The embassy or consulate usually takes 15 days to process the visa application. However, in exceptional cases, the duration may exceed.