How to get a France visa from Botswana

• The French tourist visa is a short-stay visa.
• It allows the individual to engage in tourism, business, visits and sight-seeing purposes for up to 90 days.
• Most applications are to be submitted in person as biometrics of the applicant could be required.
• A short-stay visa allows the applicant to attend conferences, seminars and business meeting. For individuals attending a conference, pre-registration and proof of payment is required.
• This visa costs €60 for individuals above 12 years of age, €35 for 6-12 years and is free for children younger than 6 years.
• Your passport should not be older than 10 years and should have at least three months to expiry after you exit France.
• Ensure that the visa application form is filled correctly and completely. Incomplete or wrongly filled forms would not be accepted.
• Individuals travelling should provide proof of accommodation. It could be a hotel reservation or the applicant can stay with friends or relatives.
• If you will be staying with relatives or families, the host will have to submit an invitation letter from the host in France stating contact details of the host, purpose of the trip and how long the individual will stay.
• The French embassy requires that applicants have a medical travel insurance with a minimum of 30,000 € coverage within France and the entire Schengen area.
• Proof of the applicant's civil status(marriage certificate, birth certificate, etc) in Botswana is required.
• A detailed description of things to be done and places to go during the trip should be submitted along with a flight return ticket. This detailed explanation is known as the trip itinerary.
• Before you will be issued a visa, you have to show that you can cover your expenses throughout your stay. As of 19 June 2014, the European Commission specifies that any individual without hotel reservation should have a minimum of 120€ to spend per day but there is a prepaid accommodation then it is 65€/daily.
• If you are travelling for business purposes, the host company will be required to send an invitation letter. This letter should state the nature of business to be carried out, duration of the business and who will sponsor the trip.
• All employed applicants are to submit a letter from their employer stating that the individual is on official leave to embark on the trip and that the individual would return to the job at the end of the trip.
• The letter should also state the applicant's position at the office and monthly wages.
• For self-employed applicants, the certificate of business registration and income tax revenue certificate is required.
• Overstaying your visa will result in you being deported regardless of your reason for overstaying.

• France issues a student visa to Botswanans who intend to study, train or intern in France.
• It is usually issued for 90 days but if your course of study exceeds 90 days then you have to apply for a long-stay visa that is valid through the duration of your course.
• This long-stay visa is also called a residence permit and it is obtained upon arrival in France.
• If you would be gone for less than 90 days, the visa fee is 60€ but if you are staying over 90 days then the fee is 99€.
• Certificates of previous degrees earned would be required.
• Before applying for a France study visa, you must have enrolled and been accepted into the recognized institution in France.
• The acceptance letter issued by the institution would be required during visa processing.
• Individuals travelling to France are subject to local laws of the country and should ensure that they obey them at all times.
• The applicant should have a sponsor or sufficient funds to cater for the educational bills.
• If you are on scholarship, the valid scholarship certificate would be required.
• Applicants need to pay for at least 2 terms of 10 weeks each for an academic year to get the certificate issued and sent of them by the University.
• Holders of this visa are not allowed to work, however, if you have a residence permit then you can work for a few hours in a week.
• It is advisable that you apply for the visa about three months before the trip.

• Medical visa is issued by France to foreigners who need to travel and stay in France temporarily to obtain medical treatment.
• If you cannot get adequate treatment for the particular condition in Botswana, getting a medical visa to France would be easier.
• A Letter of invitation from the medical institution or a formal Agreement of the French Hospital for Patient’s Admission should be presented.
• Either of the documents should include information such as the current diagnosis, information about the treatment recommended, the length of it, appointment date, medical costs involved, and the main doctor in charge.
• The France clinic's financial department should present detailed information on the medical treatment fee for uncovered medical treatment.
• For critical or emergent cases, the invitation letter must be enclosed together with a formal confirmation from the medical institution stating the readiness to treat the patient on a specific date of arrival.
• Minors are required to present an original birth certificate and a photocopy.
• A letter from the individual's employer confirming that the individual has the capacity to cover the debts incurred during the medical treatment should be included in the documents.
• Parents of minors are to include a consent letter if the child is travelling alone. This is to prove that they have no objection to the trip.
• A medical report from the doctor in charge of the treatment in Botswana is required.
• If you are travelling for a treatment that cannot be covered in Botswana, a certificate from the national medical authority for the incapacity of the country to offer the appropriate medical treatment for the applicant’s condition is required.
• The applicant is also to submit a guarantee letter stating that they can carry the weight of the medical bill.
• There should be proof that the medical treatment is covered by a sponsor if the applicant cannot carry the weight of the bill.
• Applicants are to have a confirmed hotel reservation or reserved bedspace in the clinic.
• If the applicant would be accompanied by parents or a minor then they have to get a visa too.

The pan-European emergency number is 112, other emergency numbers are 15 for medical aid, 17 for the police and 18 for fire and rescue. The pan-European emergency number is the best to call if you do not know how to speak French. Call to all emergency numbers are free and can be dialed from any phone including locked phones.