France travel advice
A summary of the UK government’s (FCDO) travel advice for France, last updated by the FCDO on 19 October 2026. The full advice on GOV.UK is the authoritative version.
FCDO status
No areas listed where FCDO advises against travel
The FCDO’s alert status for France names no areas where it advises against travel. The FCDO says no travel can be guaranteed safe. Read the full advice.
Latest FCDO update (19 October 2026): Updated information on local curfews (‘Warnings and insurance’ page)
FCDO notice
Local Curfews
In response to recent events, the French government has announced that local curfews may be introduced at short notice. To find out if you are in an affected area check local media. Follow the instructions of local authorities.
Warnings (from the FCDO, word for word)
Wildfires in France
There is a high risk of wildfires during the summer season from April to October. For advice, visit the wildfires section on the Safety and security page.
Passport validity
France follows Schengen area rules. Your passport must:
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have a ‘date of issue’ less than 10 years before the date you arrive – if you renewed your passport before 1 October 2018, it might have a date of issue that is more than 10 years ago, making it invalid for entry to the Schengen area
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have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave the Schengen area (the expiry date does not need to be within 10 years of the date of issue)
Check with your travel provider that your passport and other travel documents meet requirements. Renew your passport if you need to.
You will be denied entry if you do not have a valid travel document or try to use a passport that has been reported lost or stolen.
From FCDO: entry requirements. Written for British passport holders.
Recent FCDO updates
- 19 October 2026: Updated information on local curfews (‘Warnings and insurance’ page)
- 11 August 2026: Updated information on European Entry-Exit System (EES) (‘Entry requirements’ page).
- 3 August 2026: Removal of information about wildfires affecting parts of Gironde and Landes (‘Warnings and insurance’ page).
Plan your trip
- France is in the Schengen area: count your 90/180 days, read about the Entry/Exit System and ETIAS.
- Passport validity checker · airport and airline rules
- Mobile data: compare France eSIM prices on eSIMAlts
This page shows the FCDO’s headline status and quotes its text word for word; we don’t reword safety advice. It refreshes automatically, so it can lag GOV.UK by up to a day. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: FCDO foreign travel advice on GOV.UK. FCDO advice is written for British nationals; other nationalities should also check their own government’s advice.