American citizens (among others) may stay in France for 6 months without a visa

In the context of the entry into force of the Entry/Exit System (EES) in the Schengen Area, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reiterated its position regarding the rights of American citizens (and others) to visit France for short stays.

For clarification, nationals of many countries, including the US, are entitled to enter the Schengen Area (of which France is part) without a visa and stay there for a maximum of 90 days within any 180-day period¹, provided they meet certain conditions (hold a valid passport, demonstrate sufficient means of support, not be listed for non-admission, etc.)².

At the end of this 90-day period, some individuals may exceptionally remain in the Schengen Area if this results from the application of a bilateral agreement signed between a European state and a non-European state that entered into force before 1995³.

This applies to U.S. citizens, who may stay in France for an additional 90 days beyond the standard Schengen allowance, as France and the United States signed a bilateral mobility agreement that entered into force on April 1, 1949. The French government confirmed in 2019 that this agreement remains in force, even though it apparently hasn’t been actively applied by the U.S. side for some time⁴.

In summary, any U.S. citizen may visit France and the Schengen area visa-free for 90 days under Schengen rules, then stay an additional 90 days in France under the Franco-American agreement. They would only need to leave the Schengen Area after 180 days in total.

Meanwhile, European institutions have gradually implemented an automated border control system called EES (Entry/Exit System). Consequently, the French government needed to clarify how U.S. citizens who have stayed in France for up to 180 days under the bilateral agreement should depart without this extended stay being flagged negatively in the EES database.

In a message posted on the website of the French Consulate in Washington, D.C., on January 8, 2026, the French government indicated that any U.S. citizen who benefited from a stay under the bilateral agreement must report at departure so that a French border officer can manually update their record in the EES.

Please note that all information in this article also applies to citizens of Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and South Korea.

1. Article 20 of the Schengen Convention of 14 June 1985 and Regulation 2018/1806 of 14 November 2018) ↩︎
2. Article 6 of Regulation 2016/399 of 9 March 2016 ↩︎
3. Article 20 of the Schengen Convention ↩︎
4. EU list of bilateral visa exemption agreements allowing extended stays under Article 20(2)(b) of the Schengen Convention, 2019/C 130/07 ↩︎