Do I need attestation d’acceuil for my son to visit if he lives outside EU?

Reader Question: I have read conflicting information about whether my son, a British citizen living in the UK, needs an attestation d’acceuil to come and stay with me in France. Can you clarify the rules please?

This is a common point of confusion and The Connexion has received many questions on the topic over the years.

An attestation d’accueil is a document required, in theory, by everyone who hosts a non-European citizen at their home (i.e, when the person is not staying in a hotel or authorised rental such as an Airbnb). 

It is secured by the host and given to the visitor.

The Service public website states that it is required for those hosting visitors coming on a tourist basis for less than three months - including for visitors who do not need a visa to visit the EU, such as Britons, Americans, Canadians, Australians etc.

For visitors from a country where a visa is required for any Schengen area visit including tourist trips of less than 90 days (China, India, etc), those planning to stay at a private home such as a friend or relative’s house must include the attestation in their visa application in advance.

The person living in France who will be hosting the individual is expected to go to their mairie and ask for the attestation, which costs around €30 (you must pay for the request with a timbre fiscal or tax stamp), providing several documents including proof of address, ID, etc. 

It can then be sent to the person who needs it, via email or letter.

Document is only required in theory 

In the case of visitors coming to France on a visa-free status for a short-term tourist trip – Britons, Americans, etc – border officials, in practice, almost never ask for it. 

Indeed, The Connexion has never heard of a border official asking a visitor from these nations to present an attestation d’accueil, despite covering the issue a number of times.

In the unlikely case of a visitor being asked to present the attestation, if they provide evidence of having funds of around €120 per day for their planned trip they should be allowed into the country without issue – ways to prove this can be found in our article here.

You can send a letter to the person you will be hosting that officially invites them to stay on the dates they will be with you, which they can show if asked for proof of their plans as an extra precaution.

We stress it is extremely unlikely that border security officials will ask for proof of either of these in reality.

Does EES affect this? 

There have been questions over how this corresponds to the Entry/Exit System (EES), the new digital authorisation system for non-EU arrivals into the Schengen Area. 

As part of the EES procedure, visitors who are not yet registered on the system may be asked questions about their visit, either by border security officials, through self-registration kiosks, or where applicable the Travel to Europe app.

This may include a question about accommodation.

French Interior Ministry officials previously confirmed to The Connexion that a host’s invitation is enough to satisfy EES requirements in the case of short-stay visitors who do not need a visa.

However, there has been no indication since the system began its phased rollout on October 12 that travellers have been required to show documents about their stay, such as an attestation d’acceuil or a letter inviting someone to stay with them.

Note also that ‘travel questions’, such as asking about accommodation, may be turned off on the self-registration kiosks, and are likely to be, especially at busy times.