Short-stay visa (C) — tourism & visiting: Chinese citizen in China → France
Chinese citizens need a Schengen short-stay visa for France — apply at the France visa application centre and give biometrics.
Uniform Schengen short-stay visa for tourism or visiting, applied for through France as the main destination.
- Validity
- The consulate decides how long it lasts. A first or occasional visa usually just covers your trip; the more you travel (with a clean record), the longer a multiple-entry visa you can get — up to 5 years (the EU visa cascade).
- Entries
- Single, double or multiple entry — shown on the visa as 1, 2 or MULT
- Max stay per visit
- Up to 90 days in any 180-day period — this cap applies even with a 5-year visa
When to start
Start 30 days–6 months before your travel date.
You can lodge your application as early as six months before your trip — do so early, because appointment slots for France are in high demand.
Applicant intake and document submission for France are handled by TLScontact centres in China (Beijing, Canton, Chengdu, Shanghai and more). Book an appointment and attend to submit documents and give biometrics.
Beyond the visa fee, TLScontact charges a non-refundable base service fee of about 250 RMB per application, payable at the centre.
Only the French Consulates-General (Canton, Chengdu, Shanghai) and the Embassy in Beijing decide visa applications — TLScontact cannot. Your file routes to the consulate for your region.
For complete short-stay files needing no further checks, processing is officially around 24–48 working hours after the consulate receives the file; allow longer in peak season.
What you'll need
- Identity photo — One colour photo 3.5 × 4.5 cm, white background, mouth closed, taken within the last 6 months, no head covering. ✓ verified
- Schengen application form — Short-stay Schengen form filled in English or French and signed by the applicant (signature must match the passport). ✓ verified
- Round-trip flight booking — Round-trip flight reservation from China to France (copy); add onward bookings if visiting other Schengen states. ✓ verified
- Travel medical insurance — Valid for the whole Schengen area (France-only is not accepted), covering medical and repatriation costs up to €30,000 (~RMB 300,000). ✓ verified
- Hotel booking — Hotel reservation covering your whole stay in the Schengen area (optional but recommended). ✓ verified
- Bank statement — Applicant's bank statement for the last three months (not a credit-card record or deposit account); originals. ✓ verified
- Hukou — Copies of the whole hukou (household booklet) — Chinese citizens only. ✓ verified
- Passport — Issued within the last 10 years, expiry at least 3 months after your return from the Schengen area, with two blank visa pages. ✓ verified
- Employment certificate — Employed: original employer letter on company paper (stamp, signature, date) with company address, applicant's position/salary/years and leave approval (+ sealed business licence). Students/retired/sponsored have their own variants. ✓ verified
Where you'll apply
Where you'll apply in China
Apply in your districtWho runs the centre: TLScontact (France's provider in China)
Applications are decided by the French consulate for your region — the Embassy in Beijing or the Consulates-General in Canton (Guangzhou), Chengdu, Shanghai, Shenyang or Wuhan. You lodge at the TLScontact centre in your consular area.
Application centres: Beijing · Shanghai · Guangzhou · Chengdu · Shenyang · Wuhan · + 9 more TLScontact cities
Getting a slot — book early · community-reported, checked 2026-06-13
- Slots are released in batches with no fixed public schedule — most often early morning local time, on Monday mornings, and around the 1st of the month.
- For popular consulates (e.g. France, Italy and Spain in big cities), a fresh batch can be gone within minutes — be registered and logged in before you look.
- Cancellations free up slots throughout the day, so check daily even when it shows ‘no availability’.
- Because of this, apply as early as you are allowed — up to 6 months before travel. Waiting until 1–2 months out often means no slots are left at all.
Fees
Gotchas to watch
- Apply through France only if it is your main destination (longest stay) — applying via a different country to get a faster slot is a standard refusal reason.
- The base TLScontact service fee (~250 RMB) is separate from and on top of the visa fee.