VISAHJELP

Airport transit visa (ATV) — NOT REQUIRED for Vietnamese passport holders (as of 2026-05-14)

**Airport Transit Visa (ATV, Type A) is NOT required for Vietnamese passport holders as of 2026-05-14.** Per france-visas.gouv.fr/visa-de-transit-aeroportuaire, the ATV applies only to nationals of a specific list of countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, DRC, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka + Angola, Bolivia, Cameroon, CAR, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mali, Mauritania, Nepal, Philippines, Republic of Guinea, Republic of Congo, Russia under certain departure-country conditions, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Togo, Turkey, Uzbekistan) — **Vietnam is not on this list**. Vietnamese passport holders transiting through a French airport's international zone without leaving it do NOT need a separate ATV. **However**, if the Vietnamese applicant intends to leave the international zone (e.g., overnight transit requiring hotel stay outside the airport) they must hold a standard Schengen short-stay visa (Type C). This atlas entry is informational — to clarify the closure for consultant audiences who may receive applicant queries about transit visas.

LAST VERIFIED · 2026-05-14 SOURCE: France-Visas · Independent · not affiliated

From the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs

“No ATV application required from Vietnamese passport holders for pure transit in airport international zones. For transit needs that involve leaving the international zone, apply for a standard Schengen short-stay visa instead. Re-verify the ATV-required nationality list on france-visas.gouv.fr/visa-de-transit-aeroportuaire before each consultation; the list is set by EU regulation and may be updated. EES does NOT apply to pure airport-transit-zone movement (no border crossing); EES DOES apply if the international zone is exited.”
— French Ministry of Foreign Affairs · French consulates

What you need

  • Not applicable — Vietnam is not on the ATV-required nationalities list per france-visas.gouv.fr/visa-de-transit-aeroportuaire. Re-verify the list before each consultation; ATV-nationality lists can be updated. **Operational note**: if the Vietnamese applicant needs to exit the airport international zone (e.g., for overnight layover with hotel stay outside the airport), they must obtain a standard Schengen short-stay visa (Type C) — see the tourism or family-visit subtypes for that procedural path.

Checklist

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  • ATV NOT required for Vietnamese passport holders — verify list before consultation *

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