Legal Notices
All editorial, graphic design and technical tasks are carried out by the Ministry of the Interior (Immigration Department) and the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (Department for French Nationals Abroad and the Information Systems Department), referred to hereinafter as the “Government”.
- Publishing Director: Immigration Director.
- The site is hosted by the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (information systems department). 37 Quai d’Orsay - 75351 Paris.
- The creation of content is provided by the Ministry of the Interior (Immigration Department).
- Information of a general nature is available in six languages (French, English, Arabic, Chinese, Spanish, Russian) and specific local content is available in the official languages of the countries concerned.
Rights to reproduce the content
The content of the site france-visas.gouv.fr, with the exception of trademarks and logos and content subject to the intellectual property rights of third parties or which contain personal information, are information which is free for public use and can be reused free of charge in accordance with the conditions defined by law no. 78-753 dated 17 July 1978. If you wish to reuse the content contained in this site, please refer to the site’s contact section and get in touch.
Reproductions for commercial or promotional purposes are not permitted.
The development of a product of service intended for third parties, whether free of charge or for a fee, on the basis of public information, shall be considered reuse for commercial or promotional purposes.
Hypertext links
Links to other sites
The site contains links to other sites. The existence of such links does not constitute a ground for the Government’s liability with regard to their content and are merely intended to make it easier for internet users to find other resources on the topic they are searching for.
Creation of links to the site
Any public or private site can create a link (including deep links) to the information distributed by the Government without prior permission.
For websites, the reproduction, subject to permission, of content must make very clear mention of the origin of the document in the form of a website address: france-visas.gouv.fr
The mention "Rights reserved" should also be added at the bottom of each page.
The use of deep links that connect directly to the document desired must take precedence over the reproduction of content.
As such, in this case, the use of links to the site france-visas.gouv.fr is not subject to any prior agreement. However, explicit mention of the site in the title of the link is recommended.
Sites that decide to link to france-visas.gouv.fr will become liable if they harm the image of the public site.
Responsibility for the content
Content of the site
Despite the care taken by our editorial and technical teams in the writing and upload of documents, typographical errors or technical inaccuracies cannot be excluded. If the Government learns of any errors, it reserves the right to correct these errors at any time.
The information and documents contained in the france-visas.gouv.fr site may be updated at any time. In particular, they may be updated between the time of their download by the internet user and the time when he or she becomes aware of the updates.
Liability
The information contained in this site is intended for the use of the general public. Despite the careful transcription of official texts and the verification of content and information, we cannot claim that any elements put online are, in any way whatsoever, entirely accurate and they cannot give rise to the liability of the Government.
Availability of the site
The host will endeavour to enable access to the site 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except in the event of force majeure or an event outside of the control of the Government and subject to any breakdowns and maintenance required for the proper functioning of the site and the services.
As such, the Government cannot guarantee the availability of the site and/or services, the reliable transmission of data and performance in terms of response time or quality. No technical support is available to users of the site, whether by digital means or by telephone.
However, users can contact the external service provider or the consulate of the country where they are submitting their application to report any malfunctions they find or problems they encounter during the application process. The host cannot be held liable in the event that it is impossible to access the site and/or use the services.
The Government may have to suspend the site or a part of the services at any time without prior notice without giving rise to any entitlement to indemnification. The user understands and accepts that the Government is not responsible for any interruptions for nor any consequences that might arise for the user or any third party.
Protection of personal data
This data protection policy sets out the various rules that the Minister of the Interior and Overseas Territories (Directorate-General for Foreigners in France) and the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs (Directorate for French Nationals Abroad and Consular Administration) follow, as data controllers, for the collection and processing of your personal data which are carried out on the France-Visas website (hereinafter “the website”).
Data controllers shall ensure the compliance of such processing with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of personal data (hereinafter, “the GDPR”), as well as with the French law on the protection of personal data and the recommendations, benchmarks or any other binding decision of the institutions in charge of personal data protection.
Why do data controllers collect your data?
When you browse the website, data controllers collect personal data about you. The data is processed for the following purposes:
- To process visa applications
- To improve the conditions for issuing visas through an internet portal and teleservice designed to inform applicants and enable them to submit visa applications online
- In the context of the examination of visa applications, to combat the illegal entry and residence of foreigners in France, by preventing documentary fraud, identity theft and abuse of procedure.
In addition, this processing makes it possible to draw up statistics on the issuance and refusal of visas. This processing may also be consulted during the examination of applications for administrative and contentious appeals relating to visas.
The legal basis for this processing is the public interest.
What categories of personal data are used by data controllers?
Only the data strictly necessary to achieve the purposes of the France-Visas processing are collected. These data are documentary, biographical and biometric data as well as the necessary supporting documents. The France-Visas processing allows the necessary checks to be carried out in the databases provided for by national and European legislation.Who are the recipients of your data?
The recipients of your data are:
- Agents of the central services of the Ministry of the Interior and Overseas Territories (MIOM), the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (MEAE), and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MineFI) - Directorate-General of Customs and Duties (DGDDI), involved in the examination of visa applications
- Agents of diplomatic missions and consular posts
- Agents of prefectures
- National police, customs and national gendarmerie officers responsible for border control and visa issuance
- Employees of external service providers involved in the collection of processing data.
The following may also receive your data:
- Agents of the security and intelligence services of the MIOM and the Ministry of the Armed Forces (MinArm)
- Agents of the central services of the MIOM involved in the examination of compulsory administrative appeals and contentious appeals against visa refusals.
How is your data protected?
Data controllers ensure the security and confidentiality of the personal data that you communicate via the website. Technical and organisational measures have been adopted, having regard to the nature of the data and the risks presented by the processing, to preserve the security of the data and, in particular, to prevent them from being distorted, damaged or accessed by unauthorised third parties.
To contribute to the protection of your data, you must follow the rules and good practices for the protection of your login details according to the principles recommended by the French National Cybersecurity Agency.
How long are your data kept?
The data collected via the forms on the website are kept for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which they were collected, in accordance with European regulations on short and long stay Schengen visas:
- The data for the creation of the France-Visas user account are kept for 1 year to facilitate the procedures of regular travellers applying for a French visa, and then are automatically deleted. Beforehand, the user receives an e-mail one month in advance to warn them that their account will be closed if they do not log in again.
- The data required to complete the online form (biographical and documentary data of the user, etc.) are kept for 9 months after the date of completion of the form to cover the case of a long-term examination, and then are automatically deleted.
- The data necessary for the examination of the application are kept for 5 years after the decision has been taken and then are automatically deleted.
What are your rights?
In application of the regulations on the protection of personal data, you have rights over the data that you communicate via the website and their processing. These rights are as follows:
- Right of access and rectification of your data as provided for in Articles 15 and 16 of the GDPR
- Right to limit the processing of such data under the conditions provided for in Article 23 of the GDPR
Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority
Visit cnil.fr for more information on your rights.
To exercise these rights or if you have any questions regarding the processing of your data in this system, your requests may be addressed to the issuing authority of the visa you applied for:
By e-mail:
By mail:
- To the consulate responsible for processing the visa application
- To the Ministry of the Interior (DIMM/SDV) : 11, rue de la Maison Blanche, 44036 NANTES CEDEX.
In order to follow up your request to exercise one of the above-mentioned rights, you must communicate to the data controllers [in your letter or e-mail, depending on the method you choose to transfer your request]:
- The subject of the request (right concerned),
- A proof of your identity and/or that of the proxy you have appointed in case of representation.
If you believe, after having sent us your request, that your "Data Protection" rights have not been respected, you can submit a complaint to the CNIL.