Can I enter France before my visa starts and if so must I register for EES?

Reader Question: I have a temporary visa that begins on November 1, but I want to arrive in France in October to buy a car for my stay. Is this possible, or do I have to wait for my visa to begin? Do I still need to register with EES even if my visa is about to start?

You will be able to enter France before your visa begins, depending on your nationality. 

This is possible if you are a citizen of a country that benefits from visa-free short-stay access to the Schengen area through the rolling 90/180 day-rules.

This includes Britons, Americans, Canadians, Australians, Argentinians and many other nationalities. If you are a dual citizen of one of the countries benefiting from visa-free access and of another non-EU/non-EEA/non-Swiss nation, remember to use the passport that allows you to benefit from this visa-free access upon arrival.

If you are a citizen of a nation that does not have visa-free access to the Schengen area, you must wait until the official start of your visa to cross the border. Such countries include China, India, Pakistan, and Nigeria. 

EES registration required 

If you enter the Schengen area before the start of your visa, your arrival will be recorded digitally using the Entry/Exit System (EES). 

You will likely also need to register with the system, unless you have done so previously. 

Registration is carried out by border control agents who capture your biometric data on arrival at a port of entry.   

However, biometric data (fingerprints/facial image) is not being captured at all French borders at present due to the high volumes of summer arrivals and because of ongoing glitches in the EES technology. 

As of writing, EU regulations state that airports will no longer be able to suspend the capturing/checking of biometric data from September 6, but this exemption period is expected to be prolonged due to long queues this summer. 

Note that digital recording of arrivals and exits is never suspended.

Digital recording of your arrival and potential EES registration is the case even if only arriving a day before your visa – all entries not made by the holder of a visa, residency card, or EU/EEA/Swiss passport holder must be recorded in the system.

If arriving before your visa date there is no official requirement for you to leave France and re-enter once the visa period begins. 

You are automatically covered by your visa from the day it officially begins (ie. the date printed on it) and will stop using your 90-day visa-free access from this point.

You will only need to leave if you use up your full 90-day allowance before the visa begins. 

For example, if you arrive 15 days before your visa, you will use 15 of your 90 days and then be covered by your visa. 

Depending on the length of your visa (if it is six months or more), you will ‘gain’ these 15 days back in your 90-day allowance before your visa ends. 

On certain visas such as a six-month VLS-T visa you are able to stay in France using your 90-day allowance after your visa expires, helping you extend your stay. 

On longer visas however, such as 12-month visas, seen as equivalent to residence permits (where holders must validate their arrival), or working holiday visas, it is typically advised that you leave France and re-enter. 

May be flagged for ‘overstaying’

If you choose to stay however, there will be no record of you leaving the country through the EES (which also digitally tracks all exits) within the expected 90-day period. Authorities registering your arrival will not account for your visa in the database, as it is not yet in force.

This may lead to you being flagged on the system during your next international journey, and in this case you will need to explain the situation to border officials so they can correct the record.

It is therefore important to keep proof of your travels, including arrival date, visa documents, etc to show you have followed rules.

Authorities will be able to update your information on the system, to prevent it from showing that you are overstaying. If you have any difficulties, you can contact French authorities to have your EES information updated. Read our article on how to do so here.

As a reminder, you do not need to arrive on the first day of your visa – you can in theory arrive at any time across the visa period – and will not be registered for EES if you arrive during your visa validity period.