You’re planning the trip of a lifetime to the UK and to France. You’ve read the guidebooks and you’re making your travel plans. But do you need a visa for both countries? Or will one visa suffice for both? In short, London – located in the UK – is not part of the Schengen group of countries while Paris, France, is. You will therefore need two separate visas for your trip. Read on for more information and how to plan your European visit.
European Visa Requirements
It is often difficult to understand whether you need a visa to travel to a foreign country. Visa requirements are different depending on where you are from, and where you are traveling to – plus, why you are traveling. Take the UK, for example. Before visiting London or taking a trip to Manchester you need to check if you need a UK visa. On the gov.uk website you go through a checklist procedure to find out if you need a visa depending on your nationality (the passport you hold.)
Indian citizens need a visa to visit the UK, for example. The type of visa you need usually depends on the reason for your visit – if it is a short stay, either a general visit or visiting family or friends. You will need a different type of visa if you are studying, working, or visiting the UK on business.
In the same way, the visa requirements for visiting France depend on your nationality and why you are visiting the country. Find information on French visas on the France in India website – here you can read about the different types of visa available and also the application process.
Why Do I Need Two Visas?
You may still be confused. Isn’t the UK part of the European Union; the same as France? Can’t you travel to both countries on the same visa? While the UK is part of the European Union, it is not part of the Schengen group of countries. Therefore you need to apply for a Schengen visa as well as a UK visa.
Schengen Visa
The Schengen visa is designed to make life easier if you are traveling between any of the 25 member countries. When you apply for a Schengen visa you don’t have to worry about getting individual visas for every country on your European trip – provided you stay within the Schengen group of countries. The countries in the Schengen group are:
- Austria
- Belgium
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
Where Can I Get My Visa?
Some people think it will be an easy matter acquiring a visa for France once you are in the UK, but this is not technically true. It can take some time to process a visa and you are likely to run out of time if you are in the UK for a short stay. It is best to get all your visa processing completed in your own country, leaving enough time before you leave in order to get everything sorted out. Remember that there are often long waiting times for visa interviews, if you need one, so to avoid stress apply in advance up until the limit.
Practicalities for a UK/ French Trip
As well as arranging your visas in advance, you also need to make sure you have good quality travel health insurance for the whole trip. You don’t need to buy two separate travel health insurance policies to visit the UK and France – your entire trip is covered under a health insurance policy that includes the two countries.
Make sure that your travel insurance includes complete health provision for treating accidents or illness while you are visiting Paris and London. Health insurance for visitors includes coverage for hospitalization, doctor’s visits, prescription drugs, consultations, treatments, and emergency medical services. Insurance plans also include the cost of repatriation as well as emergency evacuation cover. In addition to health cover you can also buy policies that protect your baggage from loss or theft. Trip cancellation and trip interruption insurance is also helpful if you are traveling to more than one country – this prevents loss of money should you need to cut your trip short or need to cancel your European visit due to illness.
