Visa and customs
Safety measures
Before your departure please make sure you are familiar with the regulations and entrance formalities in force at your destination.
Before traveling abroad, familiarize yourself with the country's entrance and residence formalities at their embassy or consulate, and determine the forms of identification you will be asked to present and their expiration dates.
Unaccompanied children
- Children less than 18 years old must present their identity card (which is the only piece of identification required in France and certain countries in the European Union) or their own passport.
- For international travel, if the accompanying traveler is not the child´s father, mother, or legal guardian, then he or she must hold the child´s travel documents (ID, authorization to leave the country, etc.). If a passport is required for entry into the country of destination, then the authorization to leave the country is not necessary.
Customs
Certain products cannot be brought into certain countries (food products and equipment, for example):
find out from the consulate or tourist office of the destination country which products it is illegal to transport.
Important:
The import and export of counterfeit goods is considered a customs misdemeanor.
find out from the consulate or tourist office of the destination country which products it is illegal to transport.
Important:
The import and export of counterfeit goods is considered a customs misdemeanor.
The buyer:
- risks fines of up to 300,000€ and up to 3 years in prison for the mere possession of a counterfeit item,
- may compromise his/her health (counterfeit spirits, perfumes and cosmetics),
- undermines French industrial heritage and craftsmanship,
- finances criminal networks.
Breeze through passport control with PARAFES
You no longer have to wait in long lines before departure or upon arrival in the Schengen area. PARAFES, the automated fast-track crossing system at external Schengen borders, is a new, free service that will help you save time at passport control.
Once you have registered, all you need to do is present your passport at an automated kiosk and place your finger on the fingerprint reader in order to enter or leave the Schengen area.
This service is available for departures and arrivals in terminal 2E of Paris-Charles de Gaulle 2 airport and will gradually be extended to Paris-Charles de Gaulle 1 and Paris-Orly airports, then all across France.
Once you have registered, all you need to do is present your passport at an automated kiosk and place your finger on the fingerprint reader in order to enter or leave the Schengen area.
This service is available for departures and arrivals in terminal 2E of Paris-Charles de Gaulle 2 airport and will gradually be extended to Paris-Charles de Gaulle 1 and Paris-Orly airports, then all across France.
Special formalities for Cuba
Visitors to Cuba, regardless of their nationality, must possess a tourist card (the equivalent of a visa). This mandatory document must be purchased and received from a Cuban consulate before departure.
Visitors to Cuba, regardless of their nationality, must possess a tourist card (the equivalent of a visa). This mandatory document must be purchased and received from a Cuban consulate before departure.