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France visa from India: the complete file

France’s five visa posts in India received 204,184 short-stay visa applications in 2025. Here is where to apply, how much money to show and which documents to prepare, with a cover letter already written as an example.

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What the 2025 figures say

In 2025, France’s five visa posts in India received 204,184 applications for short-stay Schengen visas. 172,072 visas were issued, 36.1% of them for multiple entries. 31,058 applications were refused, or 15.3% of decisions, against 14.6% on average across all Schengen consulates worldwide.

The refusal form set out in the Visa Code lists the possible grounds: purpose of the stay not justified, insufficient means, doubts about the intention to return, missing insurance. Each one matches a document in your file: that is where everything is prepared. Our guide to Schengen visa refusals explains each ground.

84.7% of decisions granted a visa
French visa posts in India, 2025 · Source: European Commission
Applications204,184
Multiple-entry visas62,053
Other visas issued110,041
Refusals31,058
Mumbai · 64,765 applications88.2% granted
Bengaluru · 54,046 applications92.1% granted
New Delhi · 46,477 applications72.6% granted
Chennai · 28,780 applications80.4% granted
Kolkata · 10,116 applications91.3% granted
Average of Schengen consulates85.4% granted

Where and how to apply

Five French visa posts in India entrust the reception of applications to VFS Global, in 14 centres.

Ahmedabad · Bengaluru · Chandigarh · Chennai · Goa · Hyderabad · Jaipur · Jalandhar · Kochi · Kolkata · Mumbai · New Delhi · Puducherry · Pune

What you pay

Visa, adult€90
Visa, child aged 6–11€45
VFS service fee€22, paid online

Visa fee payment: card, UPI or cash. Processing: usually within 15 days.

  1. 01 Fill in the online form on France-Visas
  2. 02 Book your appointment online on the VFS Global site
  3. 03 On the day, come in person
The process in full

In India, French visa applications are examined by five posts: the consulates general of France in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Puducherry (with a bureau in Chennai), and the visa section of the Embassy of France in New Delhi. They entrust the reception of files to VFS Global, their exclusive service provider in India. France-Visas lists 14 centres: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Puducherry and Pune. You can apply at the centre of your choice.

  1. Fill in the online form on France-Visas. It gives you a reference number, the list of documents for your case and the visa fee.
  2. Book your appointment online on the VFS Global site. Appointments are not booked by phone. Each member of a family or group needs their own appointment, in the visa category that matches the trip. VFS Global asks you to apply at least two weeks before the trip and no more than six months before; France-Visas sets the minimum at five days for Indian passport holders born in India.
  3. On the day, come in person with your appointment confirmation, the signed France-Visas form, the list of documents printed with it, and your documents in the same order as that list. Your fingerprints are taken at the centre; children under 12 are exempt.

The fees. The visa costs €90 for an adult and €45 for a child aged 6 to under 12; it is free under 6. You pay it in rupees at the VFS Global centre, converted at the French chancery rate, by debit card, credit card, UPI or cash. VFS Global adds its service fee of €22 per applicant, paid online in rupees. The decision usually comes within 15 days, and can take up to 45 days in some cases.

Multiple-entry visas. Under a European Commission decision of April 2024, Indian nationals living in India who have obtained and lawfully used two visas in the previous three years are issued a two-year multiple-entry visa, if they meet the entry conditions. It ends at the latest three months before the passport expires. According to the EU Delegation to India, a five-year visa will normally follow.

Appointments are booked only on the VFS Global site. Its optional services, such as the premium lounge or form filling, are not required and change neither the waiting time nor the decision.

How much money to show

France sets a minimum amount of money per day of stay, depending on where you sleep: €65 with a hotel booking, €32.50 if a private person hosts you with an attestation d’accueil, €120 without booked accommodation (France-Visas, in French). The attestation d’accueil is the official form your host in France fills in and has validated at their town hall.

You show these funds with the original statement of your personal bank account for the last three months, stamped and signed by the bank, and your income tax return acknowledgements for the last two assessment years. If someone sponsors your trip, add their proof of sponsorship.

The rupee amount uses the European Central Bank’s euro reference rate of 10 November 2026 (€1 = ₹105.33); it is a guide. If the hotel covers only part of your stay, count €65 for the booked nights and €120 for the others.

Work out your amount

Your accommodation
days
€650 about ₹68,000 to show on your statements

The documents asked for in India

On top of the common base for every Schengen visa (form, passport, photo, insurance, flight reservation), the European Commission sets a list of documents for applicants in India, updated in July 2025, which every Schengen consulate in India applies. Here is what it asks, depending on your situation.

Documents in English or French are accepted as they are. Documents in another language, such as Hindi, may be requested translated into French (France-Visas). Take your travel medical insurance from an insurer on the list approved by the Schengen consulates in India: every Schengen state applies it, and other Indian policies are not accepted. A policy from an insurer in another country may also be used if claims against it can be recovered in a Schengen state. France-Visas prints your own list of documents with your application form: follow it for anything specific to your case.

  • Get a flight reservation for your visa →

And for everyone: the France-Visas form, passport, photo and travel insurance.

Your letter, already written in English

With the Safeonward file, your cover letter is written for you, with your dates, your job and your itinerary, then checked against the rest of your documents. Here is Rohan’s, a software engineer in Bengaluru, for twelve days of tourism in Paris, Lyon and Nice, with his itinerary and his checklist.

Have my letter written Included in the full file, €29

Rohan Iyer
Indiranagar, Bengaluru 560038
Karnataka, India
Email: [email protected]

Bengaluru, 12 March 2027

Consulate General of France in Bengaluru – Visa Section

Subject: Application for a short-stay Schengen visa (tourism) – Rohan Iyer

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am applying for a single-entry short-stay Schengen visa for tourism, for a 12-day stay in France from 10 to 21 May 2027. I will travel alone.

1. Purpose of the trip
I will spend five nights in Paris (10 to 15 May), two nights in Lyon (15 to 17 May) and four nights in Nice (17 to 21 May), travelling by train from one city to the next. The enclosed itinerary sets out each day. France issued me a Schengen visa in 2024, and I returned to India on the planned date, as the stamps in my passport show.

Sample made with Safeonward for a fictional traveller

Frequently asked questions

Where do I apply for a France visa in India?

At VFS Global, the exclusive service provider of the French authorities in India, in one of its 14 centres, such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, New Delhi, Chennai or Kolkata. You first fill in the form on France-Visas, then book your appointment online.

How much money do I need for a France visa?

€65 per day with a hotel booking, €32.50 per day with an attestation d’accueil, €120 per day without booked accommodation. For ten days at a hotel, that makes €650, shown with your bank statement for the last three months.

How much does a France visa cost in India?

€90 for an adult and €45 for a child aged 6 to under 12, paid in rupees at the VFS Global centre; it is free under 6. VFS Global adds its service fee of €22 per applicant, paid online.

How early should I apply for a France visa from India?

VFS Global asks for at least two weeks before the trip, and no more than six months before; France-Visas sets the minimum at five days for Indian passport holders born in India. Waiting times vary with the season, and the decision usually comes within 15 days.

Do I need to translate my documents into French?

No, documents in English or French are accepted as they are. Documents in another language, such as Hindi, may be requested translated into French, according to France-Visas.

How many months of bank statements do I need?

Three months, on an original statement of your personal account, stamped and signed by the bank. The list for applicants in India, updated by the European Commission in 2025, also asks for your income tax return acknowledgements for the last two assessment years.

What is the refusal rate for France visas in India?

In 2025, 15.3% of the decisions taken by France’s visa posts in India were refusals, according to the European Commission: 172,072 visas issued for 204,184 applications. The average across all Schengen consulates worldwide is 14.6%.

Primary sources

Other visa pages

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