Dummy ticket for a France visa from India

Begin your France short-stay visa application on France-Visas, then submit the documents at a VFS Global centre in India. Include the round-trip flight reservation requested for your application; a paid ticket is not required at this stage. The French consular authorities decide the application. Ensure that the reservation dates correspond to those entered in the online form.

Two steps: France-Visas online, then VFS in person

France runs its own portal. You first complete the application on France-Visas, which requests your travel dates, purpose and accommodation and then produces a receipt and a list of supporting documents for your case. Only after that do you book a slot with VFS Global, the company that collects French applications and biometrics in India.

The France-Visas page for India lists centres in New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Kochi, Goa, Jaipur, Jalandhar and Puducherry at the time of writing. Check the portal for the current list and for which centre serves your address.

The detail to verify on your flight document: the entry and exit dates on the reservation must be the same as the dates on the France-Visas form. The form is printed and is included in the application, so a mismatch is visible on the first page.

Reservation or ticket: what goes in the file

Follow the document list France-Visas generates for you. For tourism it requests proof of your travel arrangements, and a round-trip reservation in your name can serve that purpose. A paid, non-refundable ticket is not what is being requested.

The Schengen-wide rules are the same as for any member state: apply where you spend the most nights, stay within 90 days in any 180, carry €30,000 medical cover, and wait before purchasing the actual ticket until the visa is issued. Our main Schengen guide explains each of these.

Paris nonstop, the rest of France with one stop

Paris Charles de Gaulle is the only French airport with nonstop flights from India. Air India flies there from Delhi, and Air France serves Paris from Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru at the time of writing; confirm current schedules with the airline. From Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi or Kolkata the usual plan is one stop through a European or Gulf hub, or a domestic connection to one of the nonstop cities.

For Nice, Lyon, Marseille or Toulouse you have two realistic choices: fly to Paris and take the TGV, or connect by air through Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich or Amsterdam. If the reservation ends in Paris and your first hotel is in Nice, include a short explanation about the train in your cover letter.

France announced in 2026 that Indian passport holders no longer need an airport transit visa to change planes airside at French airports. That matters only if France is a transit point for a non-Schengen trip; verify the current position on France-Visas before relying on it.

Paris plus another country: who gets the application

Most Indian itineraries pair Paris with something else, and the pairing determines the relevant consulate.

• Paris and Switzerland. The standard package is three nights in Paris and four or five in Switzerland. That is a Swiss application, even though the group lands in Paris. See the Switzerland page.
• Paris, then Italy. Count the nights. Equal nights means the first country entered, which is France if you land at CDG.
• Paris and London by Eurostar. The UK is outside Schengen and needs its own visa. Your exit from the Schengen area is the train from Gare du Nord, so include the Eurostar booking or reservation as the exit proof and indicate the flight home from London separately. If you come back to Paris afterwards, you need a multiple-entry visa.

Places a French Schengen visa will not take you

A Schengen visa issued by France covers European France. It does not cover Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Polynesia or the other overseas territories, which have their own short-stay visa categories on France-Visas. If you are booking Réunion with Mauritius, select the right category on the form; a Paris-style Schengen application is the wrong one.

Monaco is the opposite case. It has no border control with France, and a day trip from Nice needs no separate paperwork or flight.

Summer slots and the order of booking things

April to July is the tightest period for French appointments from India, and in 2026 slots in the metros were reported gone weeks ahead. Schengen rules allow you to apply up to six months before travel, so start early for a summer trip.

Get the appointment date first. Then order the reservation a few days before it, with a departure date comfortably after the expected processing time. FDT furnishes a genuine airline reservation with a PNR that can be checked on the airline's Manage Booking page for ₹799 per passenger, sent by email and WhatsApp approximately 10 minutes after payment. It is a held booking, not a ticket you can fly on. You can order through the booking form or the chat assistant. The visa decision remains with the French authorities.

Frequently asked questions

Do the dates on my reservation have to match the France-Visas form exactly?

Yes. The printed form is included in your application with the reservation. If you change your travel dates after completing the form, correct the form before your VFS appointment.

Can I use a Eurostar booking as my exit from France?

It illustrates how you leave the Schengen area, so include it. You also need a valid UK visa, and a flight home from the UK should be shown so the entire journey is consistent.

Does a French Schengen visa cover Réunion?

No. Overseas territories have separate visa categories. Select the correct territory on France-Visas instead of applying for a Schengen visa.

My tour lands in Paris but spends more nights in Switzerland. Is a France visa correct?

No. The country with the most nights handles the application, which in that itinerary is Switzerland. The landing airport only decides it when nights are equal.

Which Indian cities have nonstop flights to Paris?

At the time of writing, Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. Check airline schedules for your dates, since frequencies change by season.