🇫🇷 Flying to France
Visa · Health · Arrival · Flights — everything you need before you fly.
Content under review. Entry requirements and health rules change frequently. Information marked [VERIFY] has not yet been confirmed against authoritative sources. Do not rely on this page for travel decisions until verified content is published. Always check IATA Travel Centre and your government's travel advisory.
Last verified: July 23, 2026 · Recheck ETIAS launch-date status — EU removed its 2026 target in July 2026, next official update expected after eu-LISA meets in September 2026.
Sources: www.gov.uk, home-affairs.ec.europa.eu, etias.com, wwwnc.cdc.gov, www.bonjour-ratp.fr, europa.eu, www.douane.gouv.fr
Avi's Insider Tip
Roissybus — the cheap direct bus everyone's old blog post tells you to take from CDG to Opéra — stopped running in March 2026. RER B is the only real train option into the city now, and it's fine, just budget an extra 10 minutes.
Travel essentials
Scannable data for the efficient traveler.
Sources: www.gov.uk, home-affairs.ec.europa.eu, etias.com, wwwnc.cdc.gov, www.bonjour-ratp.fr, europa.eu, www.douane.gouv.fr
Visa-free entry
France is in the Schengen Area, so the same rule applies as for any Schengen country: citizens of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and roughly 60 other visa-exempt nationalities can enter for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period without a visa, for tourism, business, or family visits. That 90 days is shared across the ENTIRE Schengen Area, not per-country — time spent in Italy or Germany in the last 180 days counts against your French allowance too. Overstaying risks a Schengen-wide ban of up to 3 years.
No visa-on-arrival scheme exists for France or the wider Schengen Area. If your nationality isn’t on the 90/180 visa-exempt list, you need a Schengen visa approved in advance from a French consulate (or the consulate of your main destination country).
Health & vaccines
No vaccinations are legally required to enter France. Being up to date on routine vaccines (MMR, tetanus/diphtheria) is standard general travel advice, not a France-specific requirement.
France does not require a yellow fever certificate for entry from any country for mainland/European France. (Note: French overseas territories like French Guiana have their own yellow fever rules — not relevant for a CDG/Paris trip.)
Customs
Non-EU arrivals: 200 cigarettes (or equivalent) duty-free; alcohol allowance of 4 litres still wine + 16 litres beer, plus either 1 litre of spirits over 22% ABV or 2 litres under 22% ABV. Cash of €10,000 or more (or equivalent, including checks/securities) must be declared at customs; amounts over €50,000 require documented proof of origin.
🛂 Entry requirements
⚠️ Since 10 April 2026 the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is fully operational Schengen-wide, including at CDG: non-EU visitors now register fingerprints and a facial photo at the border on first entry instead of getting a passport stamp, and that digital record is reused for 3 years. Expect this to add time at CDG immigration on your first Schengen entry — there were reports of kiosk crashes and long manual-processing queues at CDG/Orly in the days right after the April 2026 rollout. Build in extra buffer, especially on first entry.
💉Health & vaccine requirements
⚠️ Sourced from the CDC Yellow Book country page for France. Always confirm with your doctor or a travel clinic before departure, especially if you’re connecting through a country with its own entry/health requirements.
Essential local apps
Download these before you land — tap a card to open the real app or site.
Uber
Ride-shareFully legal in Paris, operating as licensed VTC (private-hire) — widely used for airport runs to/from CDG, including an electric/hybrid "Uber Green" fleet.
Bolt
Ride-sharePopular alternative to Uber for shorter hops within Paris — often cheaper, also operates as licensed VTC.
Bonjour RATP
NavigationThe official Paris transit app (metro, RER, bus) — also where you buy the Navigo Easy pass and RER B airport tickets digitally.
Arriving at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG)
SIM & connectivity
Orange, SFR, and Bouygues Telecom all sell tourist prepaid SIMs at CDG (mainly via Relay convenience-store counters in Terminals 1, 2E, and 2F), roughly €25–€30 for a data bundle. Airport prices run higher than buying in central Paris — an eSIM bought before you land is usually cheaper and skips the queue. Passport required for SIM registration (standard EU rule).
Euro (EUR). Contactless card and Apple Pay/Google Pay are widely accepted, including on the RER and metro — cash is still useful for small cafés/markets but not essential. ATMs widely available at CDG.
Getting into town
RER B is the only direct rail link into central Paris: flat €14 fare (Paris Region ↔ Airports ticket), trains roughly every 10–15 min, about 5:00–23:30, ~35–50 min to central stations like Châtelet–Les Halles or Gare du Nord. Note: the old Roissybus direct-to-Opéra bus permanently stopped running on 1 March 2026 and has not been replaced — RER B or a taxi/Uber/Bolt are now the only practical options. Taxis to central Paris run a flat rate ([VERIFY: current flat-rate figure before publishing, periodically revised — commonly cited as roughly €53–€58 right bank, €64 left bank]).
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Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa to visit Paris?▼
If you hold a passport from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, or one of roughly 60 other visa-exempt nationalities, you can visit France (and the rest of the Schengen Area) visa-free for up to 90 days in any rolling 180-day period. That 90 days is shared across all Schengen countries combined, not reset per country.
What is ETIAS and do I need it now?▼
ETIAS is an upcoming EU pre-travel screening system for visa-exempt visitors, similar to the UK’s ETA — but as of mid-2026 it still hasn’t launched. The EU dropped its "late 2026" target in July 2026, and a 2027 start now looks more likely. You do not need ETIAS to visit France right now; check back closer to your trip since the timeline keeps shifting.
What is the Entry/Exit System (EES) and how does it affect me at CDG?▼
EES is the EU’s new biometric border system — since it became fully operational on 10 April 2026, non-EU visitors get fingerprints and a facial photo registered at the border on first entry (replacing the old passport stamp), reused for 3 years. It can add time at CDG immigration, especially on a first entry — there were reports of long queues and kiosk issues right after the April 2026 rollout, so build in extra buffer.
How do I get from CDG airport to central Paris now that Roissybus is gone?▼
Roissybus (the direct bus to Opéra) permanently stopped running on 1 March 2026. RER B is now the main option — a flat €14 fare, roughly every 10–15 minutes, about 35–50 minutes to central stations like Gare du Nord or Châtelet–Les Halles. Taxis and Uber/Bolt are the other realistic options, especially with luggage or late at night.
Can I get a SIM card at Charles de Gaulle airport?▼
Yes — Orange, SFR, and Bouygues Telecom all have counters (mostly inside Relay convenience stores) in Terminals 1, 2E, and 2F, roughly €25–€30 for a tourist data bundle. It’s cheaper to buy an eSIM online before you land, or wait and buy in central Paris if you don’t need data immediately on arrival.
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