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Invite Lebanese family to France: visa and welcome certificate
- What it is
- Bringing a relative who holds only a Lebanese passport to France: the host gets a welcome certificate from their town hall, then the visitor applies for a short-stay visa in Lebanon.
- What it costs
- €30 tax stamp for the certificate; visa €90 per adult, €45 aged 6 to 11, free under 6; plus the visa centre's fee and insurance (recorded on 23.10.2026).
- How long
- Certificate: 2 to 5 days on average in Paris (no answer within one month means refusal). Visa: decision within 15 days as a rule, up to 45 days.
The steps
- before anything else
Check whether the visitor needs a visa
Lebanese passport only: yes. Dual national with a French or European passport, or Schengen residence permit: no. RL passport: replace it first.
- depends on the town hall
Book a town hall appointment (host)
Town hall of the place of stay; in Paris, the arrondissement town hall, online appointment compulsory in most.
- 1 day
Buy the €30 tax stamp
Online at timbres.impots.gouv.fr or from a tobacconist. Not refunded if refused.
- 2 to 5 days on average in Paris
Apply for the welcome certificate
Host attends in person with proof of identity, housing and income, and the visitor's passport number.
- a few days
Send the original to the visitor
The approved certificate must be attached to the visa application.
- 1 day
Fill in the application on France-Visas (visitor)
The official website gives the document list and the fee. Up to six months before departure.
- depends on appointments
Lodge the file at the Beirut visa centre
By appointment; visa fee, service fee, fingerprints and photo.
- 15 days as a rule, up to 45 days
Wait for the consulate's decision
Tracking on France-Visas. If refused: appeal to the deputy director for visas within 30 days.
What it really costs
| Welcome certificate (tax stamp) | €30 |
| Short-stay visa, adult | €90 |
| Short-stay visa, child aged 6 to 11 | €45 |
| Short-stay visa, child under 6 | free |
| Visa centre service fee | not checked |
| Travel insurance (at least €30,000 cover) | varies |
| Observed total | €120 for an adult (certificate and visa), excluding service fee and insurance |
Amounts recorded on 23.10.2026.
What most often gets stuck
- Lebanese RL (non-biometric) passport: refused for visa applications since 25.06.2026.
- Certificate sent as a copy: the original approved by the town hall is required.
- Home judged too small or incomplete proof of income: the town hall may refuse the certificate.
- No insurance, or cover below €30,000.
- Visitor's means insufficient or intention to return not shown.
- Passport issued more than 10 years ago, or valid for less than three months after the end of the stay.
- Appointment booked too late before summer or the end-of-year holidays.
To invite Lebanese family to France, the visa your relative needs is a short-stay visa: for a family visit, the host first gets a welcome certificate (attestation d’accueil) from their town hall (a €30 tax stamp), then the visitor applies for the visa in Lebanon (€90 for an adult, plus the visa centre’s service fee). In Paris, the certificate is issued in two to five days on average; the consulate decides on the visa within 15 days as a rule, and up to 45 days if the application needs closer examination.
The two procedures follow each other: the approved certificate must be sent, as the original, to the visitor before they lodge the visa application. Amounts and rules recorded on 23 October 2026.
Who needs a visa
- Lebanese passport only, living in Lebanon: a short-stay (type C) visa is required. It allows a stay of up to 90 days in any 180-day period in France and the Schengen area. It does not allow settling in France.
- French-Lebanese dual national: travels on the French passport, with no visa. The same applies with a passport from another European Union country. For any other dual nationality, the France-Visas visa wizard says whether a visa is needed.
- Residence permit or long-stay visa from a Schengen country: no short-stay visa is needed.
- Lebanese national living outside Lebanon (Dubai, Africa, the Americas…): the application is made to the French consulate in the country of residence, not in Beirut.
- “RL” (non-biometric) passport: since 25 June 2026, the French consulate in Lebanon no longer accepts it for visa applications. A biometric passport is needed first. See our alert on RL passports.
This guide is about entering France, not entering Lebanon. Studying in France needs a long-stay visa, with a separate procedure.
The host in France: the welcome certificate
It applies to any non-European foreign national coming for less than three months on a private or family visit and staying with a private individual. The host, whether French or a foreign national legally resident, applies at the town hall of the place where the visitor will stay. In Paris, Lyon and Marseille, this is the district (arrondissement) town hall. In Paris, an online appointment is compulsory at the town halls of the 6th, 8th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 19th and 20th arrondissements, and optional in the 18th.
Documents to show (originals, plus photocopies in Paris):
- proof of identity: identity card or passport for French or European citizens, residence permit for others;
- a document proving you own, rent or occupy the home (title deed, lease, property tax notice…);
- recent proof of address (water, electricity, gas or phone bill, rent receipt);
- your income: latest tax notice and proof for the last three months (payslips, pension…);
- information on the home (size, safety, sanitation, comfort) showing it can house the visitor in normal conditions;
- the €30 tax stamp;
- each visitor’s passport number;
- for a minor travelling without their parents: a signed note from the parents giving the length and purpose of the stay.
The tax stamp is bought online at timbres.impots.gouv.fr or from an equipped tobacconist; Paris town halls do not sell them. It is not refunded if the certificate is refused.
The form (cerfa no. 10798) is handed out at the counter; you fill it in and sign it there. You must attend in person. One certificate is needed per visitor, but the visitor’s spouse and minor children can appear on the same one. You undertake to cover the visitor’s costs during the stay if they cannot.
Wait time: two to five days on average in Paris, according to the City of Paris; 15 working days in Toulouse. The town hall may inspect the home. With no answer after one month, the application is refused. A refusal is first challenged before the prefect (in Paris, the Police Prefect) within two months, then before the administrative court.
Then send the original of the approved certificate to the visitor in Lebanon. They attach it to the visa application and must be able to show it at the border. If it is lost, the whole application must be made again, with a new stamp.
The visitor in Lebanon: the visa application
- Online application on France-Visas, the official website. Its wizard gives the visa type, the document list and the fee. The application can be made up to six months before departure, according to the French consulate and the European Commission, and at least 15 days before.
- Appointment at the visa centre. In Lebanon, visa applications for France are lodged at the TLScontact centre in Beirut, a private provider that receives applications for the consulate. The appointment is booked on the centre’s website.
- Lodging the application in person: payment of the visa fee and the service fee, fingerprints and a photo (except for children under 12). Keep the receipt.
- Decision: the Consulate General of France in Beirut examines the application and decides. Tracking is on France-Visas, which says when and how to collect the passport.
Documents usually required for a family visit (the exact list is the one France-Visas gives for your application):
- a biometric passport issued less than 10 years ago, valid for at least three months after the end of the stay, with at least two blank pages;
- the application form and a passport photo that meets the standards;
- the original welcome certificate approved by the town hall;
- travel insurance (see below);
- proof of financial means;
- evidence that the visitor will return to Lebanon at the end of the stay.
The France-Visas and Beirut visa centre websites refused our connections on 23 October 2026: we could not reread their detailed list or the amount of the service fee. Check them when creating the application.
What it costs
- Welcome certificate: €30 tax stamp per certificate, even if refused.
- Short-stay visa: €90 per adult, €45 for a child aged 6 to 11, free under 6. Other waivers exist (family members of an EU citizen under Directive 2004/38, pupils and students on study trips…).
- Visa centre service fee: on top, paid to the provider. Amount not checked.
- Travel insurance: the price depends on the insurer and the length of stay.
The visa fee is not refunded if the visa is refused. Only the visa fee and the visa centre’s fees are due: an appointment is not something to buy from an intermediary.
Insurance and financial means
Insurance: it must cover at least €30,000 of medical and hospital costs for the whole stay in France. According to the European Commission, it covers emergency care, hospitalisation and repatriation, including in the event of death. It can be taken out by the host or by the visitor: the welcome certificate states which.
Financial means: the visitor must show they have enough money for the stay. According to service-public.fr, the amount required per day is €32.50 with a welcome certificate, €65 with a hotel booking and €120 without a booking. The host’s undertaking signed at the town hall also counts. The border police may check these documents on arrival.
Staying in a hotel: the welcome certificate is only needed if the visitor stays with a private individual. In a hotel, they show a booking and must prove higher financial means.
Wait times: start early
- Certificate: two to five days on average in Paris; no answer after one month means refusal. Add the time to send the original to Lebanon.
- Appointment: the consulate warns that appointment and processing times lengthen depending on the time of year. No average wait time is published for Beirut. For a trip in summer or over the end-of-year holidays, start several months ahead.
- Decision: 15 days as a rule, up to 45 days if the application needs closer examination or extra documents.
Visa refusal: grounds and appeals
Grounds for refusal listed by service-public.fr: missing supporting documents (accommodation, means, insurance), false or doubtful documents, 90 days already spent in the last 180 days, intention to return not established, vague information on the stay, an alert in the Schengen Information System or a threat to public order. The refusal is written and gives reasons; with no answer after two months, the application is refused.
- Compulsory appeal first: write to the deputy director for visas (sous-directeur des visas) at the French Ministry of the Interior within 30 days of being notified of the refusal.
- Then: if that appeal is rejected, or there is no answer after two months, appeal to the administrative court of Nantes within two months.
- New application: still possible. Read the grounds for refusal first and complete the file; the fees must be paid again.
A rule has changed, a wait time is no longer right? Report it.
Sources
- Service-public.gouv.fr, “Attestation d’accueil” (in French), checked 21 October 2025.
- City of Paris, “Certificats et attestations” (welcome certificate, in French), updated 16 February 2026.
- Toulouse town hall, “Demander une attestation d’accueil” (in French), updated 13 October 2026.
- Service-public.gouv.fr, “Visa de court séjour Schengen” (in French), checked 13 August 2026.
- Service-public.gouv.fr, “Un étranger a-t-il besoin d’un visa pour venir en France ?” (in French) (daily means, insurance), checked 12 October 2025.
- Consulate General of France in Beirut, “Demander un visa” (in French), updated 6 March 2026.
- European Commission, “Applying for a Schengen visa” (fees, processing times), accessed 23 October 2026.
- European Commission, Schengen visa FAQ (waivers, refusals), May 2026 document.
- Campus France Lebanon, “Les procédures pour s’inscrire en France” (in French) (visa applications at the TLScontact centre), accessed 23 October 2026.
- L’Orient-Le Jour, non-biometric passports no longer accepted for Schengen visas (in French), 7 August 2026 (press source).
- Info droits étrangers, “Les recours contre les refus de visas” (in French) (non-profit source), accessed 23 October 2026.
- France-Visas, Lebanon page: unreachable from our servers on 23 October 2026.
Checked on 23.10.2026.