Passport validity rules for France
France follows Schengen rules. The 10-year issue rule catches out British travellers with older passports more than anything else.
France and the Schengen 10-year rule most people miss
France applies the standard Schengen rules: your passport must be valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure from the Schengen Area, and it must have been issued within the last ten years on the day you enter. The ten-year rule is what catches British travellers with older passports that had extra months added on renewal — those months are invalid for Schengen entry regardless of what the expiry date says.
Charles de Gaulle, Orly and Nice all use PARAFE e-gates for UK, EU, US, Canadian, NZ and Australian passport holders. The gates check both the expiry and the issue date, and a failure on either sends you to the manual desk where queues at peak times can run past an hour. If you're on a tight connection this alone is a reason to renew early.
From late 2025 the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) replaces passport stamps with biometric records. First entries take longer while fingerprints and a photo are captured, so allow extra buffer time on your first post-EES trip. The ETIAS travel authorisation follows shortly after and will apply to UK visitors alongside the passport requirements.
3 months beyond entry. Schengen rules — 3 months beyond departure, issued within last 10 years.
Verify with France Diplomatie — entry requirementsCan I travel to France?
A date check based on the published entry rule — not a boarding guarantee.
What this means at the airport in France
- Major arrival points
- Paris CDG · Paris Orly ORY · Nice NCE · Lyon LYS
- Entry position
- Visa-free for UK and US passport holders for up to 90 days in any 180-day period under Schengen rules.
- If you need to renew
- If your passport was renewed early and carries extra months on the end, count from the issue date — those extra months do not extend the ten-year limit.
Entry allowances and validity requirements change. Verify before booking with France Diplomatie — entry requirements. We summarise the rule and explain how it is applied in practice; we are not a government service. How we check and update this page.
France: your questions answered
- Do I need 6 months on my passport for France?
- No — France uses Schengen rules: 3 months of validity beyond your departure date, and your passport must have been issued in the last 10 years.
- What's the 10-year rule about?
- Older UK passports were sometimes issued with extra months on top of 10 years. Those extra months don't count for France — your passport must have been issued no more than 10 years before your day of arrival.
- Does this apply if I'm transiting through Paris?
- Yes. Any Schengen entry — including just changing planes airside in some cases — applies these rules.
- Are UK travellers still treated the same since Brexit?
- UK passport holders now travel to France as third-country nationals and must meet the full Schengen passport rules, plus the 90/180-day stay limit.
Next, if you're flying to France
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