Do I need a visa for a short layover in Paris? [duplicate]

I am traveling from the USA. I have a valid L1 USA visa and I'm going back to South Africa with a 12-hour stop in Paris. I have a South African passport.

Can I go and see the Eiffel Tower or do I need a visa?

Best Answer

To leave the airport in Paris, you have to pass through the passport checkpoint. Because you are a South African citizen, you need a visa. The duration of your intended stay is not relevant to the visa requirement (as long as your stay doesn't exceed 90 days). Neither is the fact that you have a US visa.

(Some people need an airport transit visa if they don't plan to pass through passport control, but South African citizens are not subjected to that requirement.)

Do I need a visa for a short layover in Paris?

To leave the airport, yes, you do. To stay in the airport, no, you don't.

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Do you need a visa if you have a layover in Paris?

Foreigners in Transit through a French airport do not need VISAs as long as they do not leave the \u201cinternational transit\u201d area of the airport, as they'll not be entering French territory.

Do you have to go through immigration on a connecting flight in France?

You won't have to go through customs or immigrations (assuming you're ticketed through) and you'll be passed through as a transit passenger. If you arrive and leave from different terminals (which is often the case), I wish you luck -- you'll need it. 6.

Do I need a visa to catch a connecting flight?

In general, travelers in transit through the United States require valid C-1 visas.

How to see the Eiffel Tower from the airport | 8 hour Paris layover tour | Solo female traveler

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