Are you planning on visiting France this summer but are unsure if you need a visa or not?  The answer is relatively simple to find.  The French government has put in place a website which, first of all, helps you to determine whether or not a visa is necessary and, if it is, it will instruct you as to how you should proceed to request one.  This is determined by your nationality, the country where you currently reside and your reason for desiring to come.  You can find this website by clicking here.

It’s important to understand that the visa process will be different for each country of origin.  

  • For some, the requirements will be minimal (the address where you will stay and the dates of your voyage, for example)
  • For others you may be obligated to show proof that you can pay the cost of your room and board once you arrive.  This may mean sending copies of bank statements.
  • For others, you may be required to have a letter from an official French organization that is willing to cover your expenses if you are unable to.  (NB Ensemble 2024 is a network, not an official organization.  We do not have the ability to write this kind of letter.  The only option would be to request such a letter from a French church/organization with which you already have a trusted relationship).  We don’t advise that any church or organization do this with an individual or team that is unknown to them.
    Any French church or organization who wishes to write a letter of this type can contact us at 20ensemble24@gmail.com for a sample of what would be required.

Of course, we encourage everyone to be as honest as possible in their responses during this process.  The testimony of Christ’s Church is at play and we don’t want to tarnish that.  That said, if you are asked “why” you are coming to France, the best answer is that you are a tourist.  Why? Words we tend to use for ministry and outreach are often misinterpreted and make the visa process unnecessarily complicated.  For example:

  • If you say you’re a volunteer or an “intern” your dossier risks to be passed on to the education department which has nothing to do with your visit
  • If you say, “I’m here to work with the church” you’re seen as looking for a work visa which will be denied.

If you have any other question that comes up during the visa process, we will do our best to answer them.  We do not and cannot guarantee that everyone will get a visa but our prayer is that God will find a way to you to France if that’s where He wants you.