Attestation d'accueil: how your host in France gets it, step by step

The attestation d'accueil is the document a person living in France gets from their town hall to host a foreign visitor for less than three months. It is your host who applies, in person, at the mairie of the home where you will stay. You then submit the original with your short-stay visa application. The rules below come from the official French administration page.

The essentials in 30 seconds

• Who applies: the host, in person, at the town hall of the home. Most town halls require an appointment.
• For whom: a non-European visitor coming for a private or family visit of less than 3 months.
• Form: cerfa n°10798, filled in and signed at the counter.
• Cost: 30 EUR in tax stamps (timbres fiscaux), not refunded if the request is refused.
• Timing: not always immediate. If the town hall does not answer within one month, the request is treated as refused.
• Then: the host sends the original to the visitor, who submits it with the visa application.

Do you need one?

You need an attestation d'accueil if you come to France for less than three months to visit someone who hosts you at home, and you are not a citizen of the EU, the EEA or Switzerland. This includes a visit to a boyfriend or girlfriend.

It is not required if you hold a Schengen circulation visa, a long-stay visa for which you will apply for a residence permit within two months of arrival, or a visa as a family member of a French citizen (for example a spouse). It is also not required for humanitarian stays, cultural exchanges, medical emergencies or a relative's funeral.

What the host brings to the town hall

Bring originals:

1. Identity: ID card or passport if the host is French or from the EU, Switzerland, Andorra or Monaco; a residence permit otherwise.
2. Proof of the home: title deed, tenancy agreement or proof of occupancy.
3. Recent proof of address.
4. Proof of income: usually the 3 latest payslips and the latest tax notice. Some town halls expect income at least equal to the French minimum wage; ask yours.
5. Proof the home is suitable: size, safety and hygiene. The town hall may inspect the home.
6. The 30 EUR tax stamp.
7. The visitor's details: full name exactly as in the passport, date and place of birth, nationality, passport number, dates of the stay.

The host also commits to cover the visitor's costs in France if the visitor cannot. Take this commitment seriously before signing.

The 30 EUR tax stamp

Buy an electronic tax stamp on the official website (CB, Visa or Mastercard) or at a participating tobacconist. Choose the stamp for the attestation d'accueil, not a fine stamp (timbre amende), a common mistake. An unused stamp can be refunded, but the tax is not refunded if the attestation is refused.

Step by step

1. Agree on the dates of the stay with your visitor.
2. Book an appointment at the town hall of the home (in Paris, Lyon and Marseille: the district town hall).
3. Buy the tax stamp.
4. Go in person with all originals. The cerfa form is filled in and signed on site.
5. Wait for validation. It can be immediate, or the town hall gives you a receipt and checks the home first.
6. Collect the validated attestation when the town hall tells you it is ready.
7. Send the original to your visitor by a tracked courier, and keep a scan.

When to apply

Plan for at least one month before the visa appointment: the town hall can take up to a month, and silence after one month counts as a refusal. Do not apply too early either. The official page sets no validity period, and town halls apply different practices, so ask yours how long the attestation stays valid before choosing your dates.

Health insurance: 30,000 EUR minimum

The visitor, or the host on their behalf, must hold health insurance covering at least 30,000 EUR of medical costs for the whole stay. The attestation records who holds the policy. The dates must cover the stay shown on the attestation.

Visiting a partner: what the attestation does not prove

For an unmarried couple, the attestation d'accueil is the right document: it proves where the visitor will stay and that the host takes responsibility for the visit. It does not prove the relationship, and it does not replace the visitor's own file. Plan to add:

• proof that you have met: photos together with dates and places, past trips, entry stamps;
• a short cover letter explaining how you met and the purpose of the trip;
• the visitor's own ties to their home country: employment certificate, approved leave, bank statements;
• a return flight reservation whose dates match the attestation and the insurance.

The most common avoidable problem is inconsistent dates between the attestation, the insurance, the flight reservation and the visa form. Check them together before the appointment.

If the town hall refuses

The mayor can refuse if the host cannot provide the documents, the home is not suitable, the information is inaccurate, or earlier attestations were misused. The host can then:

1. Appeal to the préfet within 2 months of the refusal. Silence for one month counts as a rejection.
2. Then, if the préfet refuses, go to the administrative court. This step is only open after the appeal to the préfet.

Mistakes that cost weeks

• Buying a fine stamp instead of the attestation stamp.
• Sending a copy instead of the original.
• A name that does not match the passport exactly.
• Applying too late for the visa appointment.
• Dates that differ between the attestation, the insurance and the flights.
• Losing the original: the host has to start over and pay again.

FAQ

Can one attestation cover several people? One form per visitor. A spouse and minor children can appear on the same attestation.

Can the host apply online? No. The host must be present at the town hall, where the form is completed and signed.

Does the attestation guarantee the visa? No. It is one supporting document. The consulate decides on the whole file.

Is a flight reservation enough for the visa file? Follow the consulate's checklist. Many accept a genuine flight reservation for a visa when you apply, rather than a paid ticket. Use the same dates as the attestation.

What if the visa is refused? Read the ground ticked on the refusal, then see our guide on why visa applications get refused and how to appeal a Schengen refusal.

This guide summarises the official rules and is not legal advice. Your town hall and the consulate have the final word.