Border check & Entry requirements
Make sure you’re familiar with the passport control and immigration procedures at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Always carry a valid passport or ID card when traveling by air. Don’t forget to check if you need any other documents, like a visa.
Travel documents are systematically checked by Border Police in the following cases :
Departing for a Non-Schengen flight
Arrival from a Non-Schengen flight
Transit from a Schengen flight to a Non-Schengen flight
Transit from a Non-Schengen flight to a Schengen flight
Schengen area countries
France + Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
Entry requirements & Visa
French Border Police officer will ask to see your passport or identity card and any supporting documentation necessary for your visit.
Have your boarding pass and travel documents ready open at the photo page and proceed in the appropriate line :
- EU/EEE/CH passports
- Other passports
- Automated border control (e-Gates)
- Fast Lane (by invitation only) | Access No. 1 | Sky Priority | Families with children under 12 years old
EU/EEA/CH Nationals
Non-EU Nationals
Please click below for details
List of countries whose nationals need a Schengen visa
NATIONALS OF COUNTRIES LISTED BELOW
NEED A VISA TO ENTER FRANCE & THE SCHENGEN AREA :
A
Afghanistan
Algeria
Angola
Armenia
Azerbaijan
B
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belize
Benin
Bhutan
Bolivia
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Burma/Myanmar
Burundi
C
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Central African Republic
Chad
China
Congo
Cote d’Ivoire
Cuba
D
Democratic republic of Congo
Djibouti
Dominica
Dominican Republic
E-F
Ecuador
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Fiji
G-H
Gabon
Gambia
Georgia
Ghana
Grenada
Guinea
Guinea-Bissau
Guyana
Haiti
I-J
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Jamaica
Jordan
K-L
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kiribati
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liberia
Libya
M
Madagascar
Malawi
Maldives
Mali
Marshall Islands
Mauritania
Micronesia
Moldova
Mongolia
Morocco
Mozambique
N-O
Namibia
Nauru
Nepal
Niger
Nigeria
North Korea
Oman
P-Q
Pakistan
Palau
Palestinian authority
Papua New Guinea
Philippines
Qatar
R-S
Russia
Rwanda
Samoa
São Tomé and Principe
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Solomon Islands
Somalia
South Africa
Sri Lanka
St Lucia
St Vincent and the Grenadines
Sudan
Surinam
Swaziland
Syria
T
Tajikistan
Tanzania
Thailand
The Comoros
Timor-Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Tuvalu
U-V-Y-Z
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Uzbekistan
Vanuatu
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Do you need a visa for connecting flights at Paris-CDG ?
TRANSFERRING/ENTERING TO FRANCE & SCHENGEN AREA FROM NON-SCHENGEN COUNTRIES
Non-EU nationals may need a visa, depending on their nationality (see list of countries above) and on the rules in the country where they wish to travel to.
TRANSFERRING WITHIN NON-SCHENGEN COUNTRIES
Passengers with no need to check-in or pick-up bags at Paris-CDG do not need a visa for connecting flights.
Please note, if you need to leave the transit area to pick up baggage and check-in, you must clear a border control, please ensure that you comply with entry & visa requirements.
Which countries are in the Schengen area ?
France + Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
What is Schengen ?
The Schengen Agreement (takes its name from the town of Schengen in Luxembourg, where the original agreement was signed) is a treaty which led to the creation of Europe’s Schengen Area.
The Schengen area includes 26 European countries which have decided to remove all internal border controls, which means that travellers can move freely within the area without having to show their passports.
How to apply for a Schengen visa ?
A Schengen visa must always be applied at the Embassy of the country of your main destination.
If you do not have a main destination and if you are visiting several countries within the trip, you should apply at the Embassy of the country of your first destination.
ENTRY CONDITIONS TO THE SCHENGEN AREA
- You must be able to explain why you want to enter the Schengen area and to prove the conditions of your stay.
- You must be able to show that you have sufficient financial means for the duration of the stay and for your return.
- You must not be considered to be a threat to public policy, internal security, public health,…
- You must not have an alert issued in the Schengen Information System for the purposes of refusing entry.
With a Schengen visa you can travel to any or all of the 26 Schengen area countries for the period of validity of your visa.
You do not have to show your passport when crossing borders between countries within the Schengen area.
France Visas Information
e-Gates PARAFE
PARAFE (Automated Fast Track Passport Control) is a self-service system that lets eligible travelers speed through immigration using e-gates – no need to wait in the regular passport control line.
You can use the eGates if your passport has a biometric symbol on the cover and you are at least 18 years old (or 12+ when accompanied by an adult)*.
The system is available to citizens of EU/EEE countries and some other eligible countries (e.g., nationals of Australia, Canada, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Switzerland, Singapore, or the United Kingdom, United States).
* European minors aged 12 and over can use PARAFE when arriving in France only (they are not allowed to use PARAFE on departure).