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Algeria visa: how to get one in France
You apply for an Algeria visa at the Algerian consulate covering your address in France, with no outside provider. French passport: €80 visa fee plus €30 processing fee, 14 days to process. A visa on arrival is possible on a Deep South tour run by an approved agency.
You apply for an Algeria visa before you leave, at the Algerian consulate that covers your home address in France. The consulate offers no e-visa and refers to no provider such as TLScontact or VFS: you hand in the application yourself, often by appointment. For a French passport, the Paris consulate lists an €80 visa fee and a €30 processing fee, with a 14-day processing time (checked in November 2026).
The one notable exception: a tour of the Deep South run by an approved agency lets you get the visa on arrival. The rules depend on your nationality, not on the country where you live. Check your own case with our Algeria visa tool.
Who needs an Algeria visa?
Almost everyone. France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry's travel advice) puts it plainly: “Entry into Algerian territory is subject to a visa requirement” (our translation). The British government says the same for its citizens. What counts is the passport you show, not the fact that you live in France.
| Your situation | Algeria visa | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| French passport | Yes | Apply at the consulate covering your place of residence |
| Other nationality, living in France | Yes, in general | The Paris consulate asks you to contact its visa section to learn the rules that apply to you |
| Algerian or dual national with an Algerian passport | No | You travel on your Algerian passport |
| Algerian with only a foreign passport | No, until December 31, 2026 | Valid foreign passport, plus an Algerian biometric passport or ID card, even expired |
| Tunisian, Libyan, Mauritanian or Malian passport | No | Exemption confirmed by several Algerian embassies |
| Moroccan passport | Yes | Visa reinstated in September 2024, including for dual nationals |
Dual nationals
The exemption for Algerians holding a foreign passport is an exceptional measure, extended year after year. The Embassy of Algeria in Switzerland renewed it until December 31, 2026. You must show the valid foreign passport and an Algerian biometric passport or ID card, even expired.
Children aged 15 or under without Algerian papers can benefit if they travel with their parents or guardians. They then show the family record book, a birth certificate, a kafala or a guardianship ruling. You must leave with the same documents you entered with. If your trip falls after the end of 2026, check with your consulate that the measure has been extended.
Our advice
If you are a dual national, carry both documents, even if your Algerian passport has expired. Without proof of Algerian nationality, the foreign passport alone is not enough to enter without a visa.
Other nationalities
The lists of exempt countries published by Algerian embassies are not all up to date. The one from the embassy in Finland (2023) still names Morocco, although Moroccans have needed a visa since September 2024. If you do not hold a French passport, call the consulate for your district before you book.
Which visa should you apply for?
France Diplomatie lists seven categories: family, tourism, business, work, culture, study and transit. The Paris consulate adds the press visa. For a vacation, you need the tourist visa. To visit relatives who are hosting you, you need the family visa.
| Visa | Who it is for | Specific document |
|---|---|---|
| Tourist | Leisure stay, in a hotel, with a host or with an agency | Accommodation or an agency certificate |
| Family | Visiting family, including the foreign spouse of an Algerian | Accommodation certificate, proof of the family tie |
| Business | Meetings, trade fairs, assignments | Employer's letter and invitation from the Algerian partner |
| Press | Reporting, according to France Diplomatie | Accreditation visa |
The fees distinguish between visas valid 90 days or less and those valid more than 90 days. State the length you need on the form from the start.
Where to apply for an Algeria visa in France
At the consulate that covers your home address. France Diplomatie counts 18: Paris, Marseille, Strasbourg, Lyon, Lille, Bobigny, Créteil, Nanterre, Pontoise, Saint-Étienne, Nice, Besançon, Grenoble, Metz, Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse and Montpellier. Someone living in the Hauts-de-Seine département depends on Nanterre, not Paris.
According to the consulate's pages, you file at the consulate counter. In Paris, the Consulate General is at 1, passage du Trône, in the 11th arrondissement. It takes applications Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to noon, and returns passports from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Booking an appointment online
The Paris consulate offers online appointment booking. On a travel forum, travelers described weeks without a slot in 2025, in Paris as well as Nanterre. Slots often appear at night, and the confirmation email must be validated within ten minutes.
They don't accept accommodation certificates as proof of your address in Paris.
Practices vary from one consulate to the next. Call your consulate before you go.
Using a visa agency
Private agencies file the application for you, which saves you the appointment. Their fees come on top of the consular fees: Action-Visas, for example, listed a €190 service fee for a tourist visa, on a page modified in March 2024. This is a service, not a requirement.
Our advice
Before booking an appointment, check which consulate covers your address. An application filed at the wrong consulate can be turned away at the counter, and the appointment is lost.
Documents to provide
The Paris consulate's tourist visa page is empty at the moment. The list below combines the documents common to the same consulate's “family visa” and “business visa” pages, checked in November 2026. The consulate may ask for others.
- The application form, filled in, dated and signed, in two copies.
- Your passport, valid at least six months, with a photocopy of the first two pages.
- Two recent ID photos, and two for each minor child listed on the passport.
- A travel insurance certificate covering repatriation, hospitalization and medical costs, for the whole stay, with at least €30,000 in medical cover.
- Proof of accommodation: an accommodation certificate less than three months old, certified by your host's town hall in Algeria, or a hotel booking.
- For a business visa: an assignment order or a letter from your employer, and the invitation from the Algerian partner.
- For the foreign spouse of an Algerian: the spouse's consular card, and the marriage certificate or family record book.
For a tourist trip, the Visit Algeria site also accepts a certificate from an Algerian travel agency instead of accommodation. If you are staying in a hotel, ask for a confirmation in your name with your dates: our article on hotel bookings for a visa explains which document to request.
If you are not French, ask the consulate which proof of residence in France it expects, such as your residence permit. The Paris consulate refers other nationalities to its visa section and publishes no list.
How much does an Algeria visa cost?
The price depends on your nationality and on how long the visa is valid. The Consulate General of Algeria in Paris only publishes the rate for French citizens. Here is our reading of its table, checked in November 2026.
| French passport | Visa fee | Processing fee |
|---|---|---|
| Under 6, visa valid 90 days or less | Free | €30 |
| 6 to 12, visa valid 90 days or less | €40 | €30 |
| Over 12, visa valid 90 days or less | €80 | €30 |
| Visa valid more than 90 days | €100 | €30 |
The layout of the official table is confusing. Our reading gives €110 for an adult and a visa valid 90 days or less, which visa agencies confirm, but have the consulate confirm the amount. You pay by bank card or in cash, and fees are not refunded if the visa is refused. The business visa page states that only bank cards are accepted.
For other nationalities, the amount is not published. The consulate says it depends on nationality and length of stay: ask when you book your appointment.
How long does it take?
The Paris consulate states 14 days of processing. Add the wait for an appointment, sometimes long according to travelers' accounts, and the time to collect your passport. Meanwhile, you are without your passport.
Our advice
Do not take the 14 days literally. Start the process at least two weeks before departure, and ideally a month ahead if you first need to get an appointment.
Someone else can collect the visa for you. The Paris consulate then asks for a power of attorney certified at a town hall, a copy of the applicant's ID and the ID of the person collecting it.
The visa on arrival for a Deep South tour
This is the only way to skip the consulate. According to the Embassy of Algeria in Belgium and France Diplomatie, the visa can be issued on arrival to tourists on a tour organized by an approved travel agency based in Algeria.
The tour must go through the southern wilayas (provinces). The embassy in Belgium lists Tamanrasset, Illizi, Tindouf, Adrar, Béchar, Timimoun, Djanet, Bordj Badji Mokhtar, Béni Abbès, In Salah and Touggourt. France Diplomatie also mentions Ghardaïa and Ouargla: have the agency confirm that your itinerary qualifies.
Here is how it works:
- The agency files the request on a digital platform run by the Ministry of Tourism.
- It sends you a boarding authorization with a QR code, to show the airline at departure.
- You pay the visa fee on arrival in Algeria. None of the official sources we consulted gives the amount.
- The visa is valid for 30 days at most.
For any other destination, such as Algiers, Oran or Constantine, the consular visa is still required. The British government notes that this visa on arrival is only possible at some airports.
Journalists, bloggers and influencers
For reporting work, you need a press accreditation visa. France Diplomatie strongly advises bloggers and influencers to declare, when applying, any plan to publish online content about their trip. This applies even to non-professional activity.
Before you go: safety
The visa says nothing about areas to avoid. The French foreign ministry classifies part of the country as red and orange zones.
Watch out
France Diplomatie advises against all travel to the border areas, especially with Libya, Mali and Niger, and to the Tunisian border south of Tébessa. It advises against all but essential travel to the wilayas of Aïn Defla, Batna and Sétif, the Aurès and Chréa mountains, the Moroccan border, the Tindouf region and the Hassi Messaoud region.
The Sahara, around Tamanrasset, is under heightened vigilance. You cannot travel there without a guide: go through an approved agency and stay on the planned routes. Also check the travel advice of your own government. Our Algeria guide covers health, money and the regions to visit.
Frequently asked questions
Can you apply for an Algeria visa online?
No. There is no e-visa for Algeria. Only the appointment is booked online at some consulates. For the Deep South, the approved agency handles the process on an official platform.
Can you apply at any consulate?
No. You apply at the consulate that covers your place of residence. Travelers report that Paris canceled the appointment of someone who depended on Nanterre.
Do you need a plane ticket to apply?
The Paris consulate's lists do not require one. So you can wait for the answer before buying a nonrefundable ticket. The consulate may still ask for other documents.
What if my trip starts less than two weeks after I apply?
The Paris consulate does not mention an expedited procedure. If you are going on a Deep South tour, the visa on arrival through an approved agency may be a solution. Otherwise, push back your departure or call your consulate.