France Family Visit Visa 2026: Attestation d'Accueil, Documents

To bring a parent, a child or a friend to France for less than 3 months, there are two steps, in this order: you, the host, request an attestation d'accueil (certificate of accommodation) from your town hall (€30 in a tax stamp); then your relative applies for a short-stay "family or private visit" visa on France-Visas and lodges the application with the visa centre in their country (€90 visa fee per adult). With the attestation, they must show €32.50 of funds per day of stay and medical insurance of at least €30,000. This guide sets out what service-public.fr, France-Visas, Légifrance and the European Commission publish, read on 2 November 2026.

The attestation d'accueil is requested in France by the host, the visa is requested abroad by the visitor: the two files mirror each other, and one inconsistency between them is enough for the visa to be refused.

• Who it applies to: any non-European national coming to France for less than 3 months on a family or private visit and staying with a private individual.
• Step 1, in France: the host files the attestation d'accueil request at the town hall where the visitor will stay, in person, and pays €30 in a tax stamp.
• Step 2, in the visitor's country: online form on France-Visas, then an appointment with the visa centre (Capago, TLScontact or VFS Global depending on the country).
• Visa fee: €90 per adult, €45 from 6 to 12, free under 6, plus the visa centre's service fee; nothing is refunded if the visa is refused.
• Funds: €32.50 per day of stay with an attestation d'accueil, against €65 with a hotel.
• Insurance: at least €30,000 of medical and hospital cover, taken out by the visitor or by the host.
• Timeframes: the town hall has 1 month to validate the attestation; the consulate decides within 15 days in principle, up to 45 days; the visa is applied for no earlier than 6 months and no later than 15 days before departure.

The attestation d'accueil (form cerfa no. 10798) is the proof of accommodation required by the French Code on the Entry and Residence of Foreign Nationals (articles L313-1 and L313-2) for a family or private visit of less than 3 months. It must be validated by the town hall before the visa application.

The person who will house the visitor requests it: a French national, a European national, or a foreign national lawfully residing in France (residence permit, or certain long-stay visas). They go to the town hall of the place of accommodation (in Paris, Lyon and Marseille, the district town hall), usually by appointment. The original form is handed over at the counter, filled in and signed on the spot: the host must be present in person.

One attestation per visitor; the visitor's spouse and minor children can be listed on the same attestation.

• Proof of identity: ID card or passport for a French or European national, residence permit for a foreign national.
• Proof that you own, rent or occupy the home: title deed, property tax notice, or lease with the latest rent receipts.
• Recent proof of address: water, electricity or phone bill, or rent receipt.
• Proof of income: last 3 payslips, latest tax notice.
• Any document showing the home can house the visitor in normal conditions (size, safety, sanitation, comfort).
• The €30 tax stamp.
• The passport number of each visitor, to be written on the form.
• For a minor travelling alone: a written statement on plain paper from the parents (or holders of parental authority) stating the length and purpose of the stay.

The attestation costs €30, paid with a tax stamp (timbre fiscal), bought online (electronic stamp sent by SMS or as a PDF) or at an equipped tobacconist. Be careful not to buy a fine stamp (timbre amende) by mistake. The fee is due even if the town hall refuses and is not refunded; only a stamp that has never been used can be.

The town hall may validate the attestation straight away, or call for a closer review or even an inspection of the home: you then receive a receipt, and the town hall lets you know when the attestation is ready. It has 1 month to reply: with no reply within that time, the request is deemed refused.

The mayor can refuse in four cases: missing documents, a home that cannot house the visitor in normal conditions, inaccurate entries on the form, or previous attestations revealing misuse of the procedure (for example visitors who did not leave).

Against a refusal, first file a hierarchical appeal with the prefect, within 2 months. The prefect can validate the attestation or reject the appeal; silence for 1 month counts as rejection. Only after this appeal can the administrative court be seized.

Send the original validated attestation to your relative: they present it with the visa application, and the police may check it during the journey. Keep a copy. The official page gives no period of validity, but the attestation carries the dates of the stay: have it drawn up once those dates are set, and book the ticket accordingly.

The town hall checks the home, the consulate checks the means for the stay: two separate checks, with documents that must tell the same story.

At the town hall, the home must allow the visitor to be housed in normal conditions of size, safety, sanitation and comfort. The official page sets no figure in square metres: bring what shows the number of rooms and occupants (lease, property tax), especially if you are hosting several people.

At the consulate, the visitor must show sufficient funds for the stay. The amount required per day depends on the accommodation:

For a 30-day stay with an attestation d'accueil, that means €975 of funds to show.

With the original attestation in hand, your relative applies for a Schengen short-stay visa (type C) for a "family or private visit". This visa allows at most 90 days in any 180-day period in the Schengen area.

1. Online form on France-Visas, the official French government website: choose the "family or private visit" purpose.
2. Appointment with the visa centre in their country of residence, to which France-Visas redirects.
3. Lodging the file, photo and fingerprints (no fingerprints under 12), payment of the visa fee and the service fee.
4. Consulate decision, then passport collection at the visa centre.

The passport must be valid at least 3 months after the visa ends, have been issued less than 10 years ago and have 2 blank pages.

In these countries the French consulate does not take applications at its counter: a private centre receives them, but only the consulate decides.

Our nationality pages detail the France visa for each: Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon.

Insurance must cover at least €30,000 of medical and hospital costs for the whole stay. It can be taken out by the visitor or by you, the host; the insured person's name appears on the attestation d'accueil. Our Schengen visa insurance guide explains what the consulate expects.

The visa fee is €90 per adult, €45 from 6 to 12, free under 6 and for the spouse of a French national. It is never refunded, even if the visa is refused. The visa centre also charges its own service fee (in Algeria, the equivalent of €29 at Capago).

Timeframes: apply no earlier than 6 months and no later than 15 days before travelling. The consulate decides within 15 days in principle, up to 45 days if the file needs closer examination. Add the wait for an appointment, which varies by country, and the month the town hall has for the attestation: start the attestation 2 to 3 months before the travel date.

On arrival, the visitor goes through the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), rolled out since 12 October 2025: see our EES guide.

By signing the attestation d'accueil, you undertake to cover your relative's living costs if they cannot, for the validity of the visa or 3 months from their entry. This commitment is capped at the amount of funds the visitor would have to show without an attestation d'accueil (article L313-2 of the Code on the Entry and Residence of Foreign Nationals).

If your relative has little personal income, the consulate will judge the soundness of the stay on you. Add to the visa file:

• a copy of the attestation d'accueil (the original is shown when lodging the file);
• a copy of your ID or residence permit;
• your last 3 payslips and latest tax notice;
• if you send money, traceable transfers rather than a cash deposit the day before the appointment.

The visitor still benefits from showing their own ties and income at home: sponsorship completes the file, it does not replace proof that they will return.

For a family visit, refusal most often comes from doubt about the visitor's return or incomplete documents. Among the grounds set out in the rules, those that come up in this case:

• The intention to leave France before the visa expires is not established. This is the central ground when the visitor has children settled in France. Show what brings them home: job or pension, spouse or children who stay behind, home, a return ticket consistent with the attestation.
• Missing proof of accommodation, funds or insurance. An attestation that has not been validated, insurance that does not cover the whole stay or funds too low for the requested length are enough.
• Unclear purpose and conditions of stay. The dates on the attestation, the form, the insurance and the ticket must match; the address and the spelling of names must be identical everywhere.
• Previous stays. Having already spent 90 days in the Schengen area in the current 180-day period leads to refusal, as does an obligation to leave French territory issued less than 5 years ago with no proof of departure.
• Doubtful documents. A false document, even one supplied by an intermediary, is a ground for refusal. Do not pay any intermediary for an appointment or an attestation.

Before lodging, you can have the complete file checked to spot these inconsistencies. Other common reasons are covered in our guide to 10 common visa refusal reasons, and refusal rates by consulate in our guide to Schengen refusal rates in the Maghreb and Egypt.

The refusal is notified in writing, with its reason; no reply for 2 months counts as a refusal. Two routes:

• The mandatory prior administrative appeal, required before any court action: write to the sub-director for visas (Directorate-General for Foreign Nationals in France, Ministry of the Interior) within 30 days of notification. They can reject the appeal or instruct the consulate to issue the visa; silence for 2 months counts as rejection.
• An application for annulment before the Nantes administrative court, within 2 months of the prior appeal being rejected.

A new application that corrects exactly the reason ticked is often quicker; it costs the visa fee again. If the attestation d'accueil has already been used, check that its dates still cover the new travel plan.

Algerians. The Franco-Algerian agreement of 27 December 1968 governs entry and stays of more than 3 months (article 9: long-stay visa). For a visit of less than 3 months, there is no specific rule: Schengen visa lodged with Capago, and attestation d'accueil validated at the town hall as for other nationalities.

Parent of a French national. For a visit, the father or mother of a French national applies for the same short-stay visa, with the same attestation d'accueil. The visa fee waiver covers the spouse of a French national, not their parents. To settle in France, a long-stay visa is needed, which is a different procedure: see our France long-stay visa guide.

Minor child. Minor children travelling with a parent are listed on the same attestation d'accueil. A minor travelling alone needs their own attestation, with a written authorisation from the holders of parental authority stating the length and purpose of the stay. Their visa form is signed by the person or persons exercising parental authority. The visa fee is €45 from 6 to 12 and nothing under 6, and fingerprints are not taken under 12.

How much does the attestation d'accueil cost? €30, paid with a tax stamp (online or at an equipped tobacconist), not refunded even if the town hall refuses.

How long does the attestation d'accueil take? It can be validated on the spot; if there is a closer review or an inspection, the town hall has 1 month to reply, and silence counts as refusal.

Can I bring my mother over without an attestation d'accueil? If she stays with you, the attestation is the proof of accommodation required by law. Without it, she needs a hotel booking and €65 of funds per day instead of €32.50.

Who pays for the insurance? Either the visitor or the host; it must cover at least €30,000 of medical and hospital costs for the whole stay.

Can a foreign national lawfully residing in France invite their family? Yes, by showing their residence permit at the town hall. To bring a spouse and children to live in France, family reunification is a different procedure.

Is the visa fee refunded if the visa is refused? No, neither the visa fee nor the visa centre's service fee.

Data read on 2 November 2026.

• Service-public.fr, Attestation d'accueil (checked on 21 October 2025): conditions, documents, €30 stamp, €30,000 insurance, 1-month timeframe, refusal and hierarchical appeal.
• Service-public.fr, Does a foreign national need a visa to come to France? (checked on 12 October 2025): funds of €32.50, €65 and €120 per day, insurance, EES.
• Service-public.fr, Schengen short-stay visa (checked on 13 August 2026): passport, biometrics, refusal grounds, 30-day prior appeal, Nantes administrative court.
• Légifrance, Code on the Entry and Residence of Foreign Nationals, article L313-1, article L313-2 (sponsorship commitment) and article D312-4 (appeal deadline).
• France-Visas: visa fees (€90, €45, waivers, non-refundable) and country pages (visa centres in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Cameroon).
• European Commission, applying for a Schengen visa: apply 6 months to 15 days before travel, decision in 15 days, 45 at most.
• Franco-Algerian agreement of 27 December 1968, article 9, as quoted by the Conseil d'État.