Are the start dates of French visas flexible?
Entering France before or after your visa's start date is possible, with specific conditions and requirements
Entering France after the start of the visa’s start date will pose no issue but be sure to respect any rules for prolonging the visa
Lena Chert/Shutterstock
Reader question: Do I have to travel into France on the exact start date of my visa?
No, it is not vital to travel into France on the exact date given on your visa sticker as the start of its validity.
It is, for example, possible to enter slightly before the date using short-stay visa waiver rights, assuming you already have the visa sticker in your passport.
Read more: Cost of short-stay visa to visit Schengen area to rise from June, 2024
Visa waiver
This was confirmed to The Connexion by the French border police, who noted that staying for a stay under a visa waiver assumes that you have a valid passport, sufficient means for the stay, somewhere to stay etc.
They said that, assuming you leave at the end of the visa period, you should be ready to explain to the border police on exit that you had carried out a short stay followed by a long-stay, if necessary, showing relevant supporting documents.
Entering France after the start of the visa’s validity date will pose no issue. However, be sure to respect any rules for prolonging the visa, for example, the requirement to ‘validate’ a valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS) within three months of entry into France.
