French Guiana Travel Guide
Visa summary
247 passport nationalities researched for entry into French Guiana.
Official government links
View official visa and immigration links for French GuianaTravel news
No travel news yet for French Guiana.
Guide
French Guiana sits on South America's northern coast, wedged between Brazil and Suriname, and like Guadeloupe and Martinique it is French EU territory that sits outside the Schengen Area, so a short stay Schengen visa from France or elsewhere in Schengen does not grant entry, a separate visa is required for the nationalities that need one. As of 2026, regular passport holders from 85 countries, including Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, the Bahamas, Barbados, and Belgium, can visit for tourism without a visa and receive permission for a short stay on arrival. EU citizens get the standard 90 days within 180.
Travelers already holding a valid long stay, D type, visa or a residence permit from France or another Schengen country can enter without applying for anything new, for up to 90 days within a 6 month period, and visa processing for those who do need to apply is described as taking around 15 days, worth building into your planning timeline rather than leaving for the last minute.
Border crossings
- Cayenne-Félix Eboué Airport
French Guiana's main international gateway, where the distinct overseas department visa is checked for nationalities that need one, alongside the standard 85 country visa free list.
- Land borders with Brazil and Suriname
French Guiana's neighbors are both South American countries with their own separate entry systems, worth checking each independently if an overland crossing is part of your trip, this site's Brazil and Suriname guides cover those respective sides.
Transit routes
- Budget around 15 days for visa processing if you need one
Not an instant process, worth applying well ahead of your planned travel date.
- Check whether your nationality is on the 85 country visa free list
A genuinely broad list, worth confirming your own passport's status before assuming a visa is required.
Entry point notes
- A separate overseas department visa, not a Schengen one, is what is needed here
The same rule that applies across France's other Caribbean and South American territories.
- Its land borders lead into two very different countries
Brazil and Suriname each have entirely separate entry systems worth researching on their own terms.