France visa from Cameroon: cost, documents and timelines (checked on France-Visas)

The Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the French Riviera… For a tourist trip to France with a Cameroonian passport, you need a Schengen short-stay visa. Here is the full process, as described on the French government's official website, France-Visas.

Which visa should you apply for?

The Schengen short-stay visa (type C) lets you stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period, across the 29 countries of the Schengen area. You apply to the country where you will spend most of your stay: here, France.

The process in 3 steps

1. Fill in the online form on France-Visas (the assistant tells you which documents to provide for your profile).
2. Book an appointment with TLScontact, the official service provider. The centres are in Douala and Yaoundé; sessions are also held from time to time in Garoua.
3. Submit your application: your fingerprints and photo are taken.

When to apply? No earlier than 6 months before departure, and no later than 15 working days before. Appointments go fast, especially before summer and the festive season: don't leave it to the last minute.

How much does a France visa cost?

On top of that: a €38 service fee at TLScontact. These amounts are not refunded if your application is refused.

The documents you need

• a passport less than 10 years old, valid for at least 3 months after your return, with 2 blank pages;
• your booked return ticket;
• your hotel booking, or a letter of invitation (attestation d'accueil) if you are staying with family or friends;
• a letter from your employer confirming your job and leave;
• your last 3 payslips and last 3 bank statements;
• travel insurance covering at least €30,000 in medical and repatriation costs.

Money to show at the border

Even with a visa, the border police can check that you have enough to live on during your stay. The reference amounts:

For a week in a hotel: €455, or about 300,000 FCFA. Since April 2026, the EES (Entry/Exit System) also records your face and fingerprints every time you cross the border, instead of passport stamps.

What if you are refused?

The refusal comes with reasons (the grounds are stated). You have 30 days to appeal. Fix the weak point before reapplying: an application that was refused and sent again unchanged will often be refused again.

The flight to Paris

Air France connects Douala and Yaoundé to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, direct or with one stop depending on the day (allow about 7 hours 30 minutes on a direct flight). Check the exact routing when you book.

Once there: the same time as in Cameroon in winter, one hour ahead in summer. And €1 = 655.957 FCFA, a fixed rate.

What to do in Paris (and beyond)

• the Eiffel Tower: €36.70 to the top by lift;
• the Louvre and the Mona Lisa: €32 for visitors from outside the European Economic Area, since January 2026;
• Montmartre, a Seine cruise and the Palace of Versailles;
• by TGV high-speed train, the French Riviera.

When to go? From April to June or in September-October. From November to February, it's cold.

Budget on the ground: allow from about 450,000 FCFA a week, excluding flights, according to Travora.

The full page, with the budget simulator and the application checklist, is on Travora: France from Cameroon.