How to Get a Visa to France from Qatar: Step-by-Step Guide

France is home to world-renowned cuisine, art, and architectural highlights, such as the Eiffel Tower and Notre-Dame de Paris. To travel there, most individuals living outside the Schengen zone, including holders of Qatari passports, require a visa. Here’s all you need to know about getting it in Qatar. 

Here are some basic thing to know before applying for a French visa:

• Passport valid for at least 3 months after your supposed arrival in France

• Appointment at the Visa Centre: To apply for a French visa in Qatar, you must book an appointment at the Centre VFS in Doha.

• Visa Fees: Although fees vary depending on the type of visa you’re applying for and your citizenship, a regular short-stay Schengen visa will cost you 90 euros (around 370 QAR currently). 

• Processing Time: French visa applications are generally processed within 15 days. However, in some instances, this period could be extended up to 45 days.

Qatari citizens need to have a valid visa to visit France. Non-Qatari citizens might or might not need it — it depends on which passport you have, where exactly you’d like to go and how long you want to stay there. Citizens of India, the Philippines, and Egypt will need a visa for a short-stay tourist trip, while citizens of the European Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom won’t. 

For further details, we recommend checking the France visa wizard portal, which will inform you of the type of visa required for your purposes. 

Here are different kinds of visas you can apply for in Qatar. After you find one that suits your situation, go straight to the next section — «How to Apply for a French Visa from Qatar.»

Tourist Visa

Fees: 

— 90 euros (around 370 QAR currently) for adults

— 45 euros (185 QAR) for children between the ages of 6 and 12

— free for children under 6

Processing time: up to 15 days 

A typical tourist visa is a short-stay visa that’s valid for 90 days. Depending on whether you’re up to travel to France in the Schengen area or French non-European territories (such as French Polynesia, Guadelupe, Martinique, or other overseas regions), you can apply for a Schengen visa or a French national visa, respectively.

If for any personal reason (excluding professional activity) you’d like to stay in France longer than 3 months, you should apply for a long-stay visa that would serve as a residence permit. It will cost 99 euros (400 QAR). 

Transit Visa

Fees: 

— 90 euro (370 QAR) for adults

— 45 euro (185 QAR) for children between the ages of 6 and 12

—  free for children under 6

Processing time: up to 15 days 

An airport transit visa is required when you don’t intend to stay in France because your final destination is outside the Schengen area. An airport transit visa obliges you to remain in the international zone of the French airport. If you have to change airports or leave the international zone, you must apply for a short-stay visa. For more information on transit visas, go to the France-Visas website.

Business Visa

Fees: 

— 90 euro (370 QAR) for adults

— 45 euro (185 QAR) for children between the ages of 6 and 12

— free for children under 6

Processing time: up to 15 days 

Those who travel to France for business trips, conferences, or trade fairs would need a short-stay visa. To apply, you will need to provide a formal invitation. Short-stay visas would also be suitable for seasonal workers and those participating in sports, cultural, or scientific events.

If a short trip that doesn’t exceed 90 days is not enough for your professional purposes (say, you want to start a business in France, you’re a self-employed worker or a salaried employee), you should apply for a long-stay visa.

Student Visa

Fee: 99 euro (400 QAR)

Processing time: 14 to 28 days

If you want to go to France to study, the first thing you should do before applying for a visa is to choose your study program. To learn more about various courses and how to finance your studies, we recommend visiting the Campus France platform. You can also visit the Campus France office in Doha. Some countries are also included in the Etudes en France (EEF) program: check out if your citizenship makes you eligible for this online enrolment scheme. It may save you some time and money.

Assume you have already made up your mind and chose between a short course (for which 3 months and short-stay visa would be enough), half-year course (you would need long-stay visa, but no further formalities required), and long course (you’ll need long-stay visa that is equivalent of temporary residence permit). In that case, you’ll need to provide supporting documents to apply for your student visa and pay the fee, 50 euros for countries and territories with the EEF procedure and 99 euros for other countries. 

Working Holiday Visa

Fee: 99 euro (400 QAR)

Processing time: 15 to 20 days

There is also a special type of visa which allows you to work and stay in France up to 1 year, if you meet the following conditions:

• You’re a citizen of Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, South Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Taiwan or Uruguay.

• Your age is between 18 and 30 (36 if you’re from Canada, Argentina, or Australia).

Most likely, you’re looking for a short-stay tourist visa to France. Here’s how to obtain it in a step-by-step manner: 

1. Use a visa wizard to check if you need a visa. Maybe you don’t, in that case — congratulations and bon voyage!

2. Begin your application here. Сhoose «Start your visa application», create a new account if you apply for the first time, open the form, and fill it out.

3. Book an appointment online at the VFS Global centre in Doha. It’s located on the second floor of the Al Nuaimi building, next to the Oqba Bin Nafie metro station. The centre is open from Sunday to Thursday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

4. Prepare the necessary documents. If you apply for a short-stay visa, you would need:

5. Visit the Centre VFS, pay the required fee with cash or a card there, and submit your application.

6. Track your application. You can track its progress online, although the process should be relatively quick — it typically takes up to 15 days.

7. Once the visa is completed, return to the VFS Centre to collect your documents. And have a great trip!