 Passport and Visas
Legally you require Passport and Visa to enter Paris. So, just to avoid any kind of inconvenience, it is good to apply for it 2-3 months beforehand.
Visitors from European Union countries who are planning to go to France need to have either a passport or a national identity card. Visa is not required in such a case. But if you are planning to stay more than 3 months, visas are required.
Citizens of the US, Canada, Australia, Israel and New Zealand wishing to stay in France for up to 90 days need to have a valid passport. It applies on infants too.
Citizens of other countries need to consult the French embassy in their country. On your visit to France, it is required to have visa depending on the duration and kind of your stay.
|
 Money Exchange
In the year 2002, France embraced the Euro currency along with other 11 European countries. The universal currency “Euro” applies to most of the European states thus can be used in any country who is member of European Union. €1 is equivalent to 100 cents or centimes. The different € denominations used are €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200 and €500 and the coins used are 1, 2 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents or €1 and €2 coin.
There are hordes of French and foreign banks in Paris where you can carry out transaction in between 9:00am and 5:00pm, five days a week. If you want to exchange your currency, there are many exchange bureaux besides some banks helping you with it. It is required to have some personal ID with you to carry on such transaction. However, not all banks in France offer currency exchange service. The Banque de France has stopped providing any currency exchange service to the customers.
You can withdraw Euro by accessing your credit cards from several automatic cash-points in the city. They are open for a whole day long. If you are a holder of other international cards, you can access the service of other cash dispensers present in the main French and foreign banks. You have choice to follow the instructions in French, English or any other language.
While making currency exchange, there are certain important things which should be taken into account in order to avoid unpleasant surprises. The rates are fixed by Banks and exchange bureaux like CCF, but they tend to fluctuate daily. You can any how make out if the exchange rate is correct or not. The difference between buying and selling rates should be 5% approximately. There will be some additional charges also which includes commission, the form of payment and also it depends on the place from where you are getting your currency exchanged. It is advisable not to exchange small amount of money as the commission will be higher when compared to the sum.
You can find a multitude of exchange bureaux in various areas which are frequented by tourists. You will find them open on Sundays too. Many major train stations and fancy hotels also have the facility of exchanging currency but usually offer poor rates. Some of exchange bureaux where you can exchange your country currency are as follows:
Change & Collection
1, rue Rouget de L’Isle
75001 Paris
Telephone No.: 01 42 60 00 35
Fax: 01 40 15 95 37
E-Mail: changeetcollection@wanadoo.fr
Comptoir des Tuileries
27, rue de L’arbre sec
75001 Paris
Telephone No.: 01 42 60 17 16
Fax: 01 42 60 38 23
E-Mail: contact@cdt.fr
The Comptoir des Tuileries provides every kind of useful information to the travelers. They are open from Monday to Friday from 10:00am to 7:30pm. On Saturday, they are open from 1:00pm to 8:00pm.
Multi Change
7, rue Marbeuf
75008 Paris
Telephone No.: 01 47 20 23 57
Fax: 01 47 20 01 03
E-Mail: contact@multi-change.fr
There are 6 desks of Multi Change in Paris and you can do your transaction between 9:30am to 6:30pm from Monday to Saturday. The Multi Change branch at 7 rue de Castigilone is open on Sunday also from 11:00am to 6:00pm.
Travelex
8, place de l’Opéra
75000 Paris
Telephone No.:01 47 42 46 52
Fax: 01 42 66 32 80
E-Mail: commande.devises@travelex.com
Travelex has its other branches at main tourist and shopping areas. You can find Travelex at Opéra, Champs-Elysées, 194 rue de Rivoli, 36-42 rue Rambuteau, 4 Boulevard St Michel, 84 bd de Clichy, Gare du Nord, Gare Montparnasse and Beauvais Airport.
Duty Free
Good news for the travelers coming from countries other than European Union. You can enjoy duty free shopping if you fulfill some of the conditions. Firstly, you are over 15 years of age. Secondly, within your 3 months stay, you have bought goods from the same store worth €175. If you make your purchase from any major shop store or “Tax free for Tourists” boutique, you can ask for a Tax free Shopping France invoice which enables you to get the VAT refund. To know how much refund you will get, check the amount stated under the heading “montant de la détaxe.” You need to get your invoices stamped at the customs office at the airport and should return the pink copies along with the stamped addressed envelope received at the time of purchase within three months.
Tourist Tax
The Paris City Council has made it obligatory to pay tourist tax which varies between €0.20 and €1.50 per person per day except for children under the age of 13. It is acceptable on all forms of commercial accommodations which include hotels, apartments, camp sites and others.
Most of the museums and monuments in Paris are free all the year round for children under the age of 18. They are also free on the first Sunday of every month. You can enjoy free admission to various national museums and monuments of Paris with your children any time when you visit the city.
|
 Vaccinations
Before leaving for any new country getting oneself vaccinated is the best precaution one can take. Get yourself vaccinated with the specific vaccinations required while visiting the city from your physician. But Health Certificates and vaccinations are not required to make entry to France.
|
 Travel insurance
Having Travel insurance can be of great help during your trip to Paris. In case of any kind theft, burglary or accident, the travel insurance can be of great help to you.
|
 Contact Information
It is better to have contact information of all the important people in Paris or of people back in your country. For whatever duration you stay at Paris, these contact numbers can be useful. In the time of crisis, it will be easy to reach contact them with out any problem.
|
 Color Copies of Documents
It is rather advisable to have the color copies of important documents like Passport, Visas and others. It would be of great help incase of theft or lose the original documents while traveling the country.
|
|
