Visa Requirements & Letter of Invitation

General Information

The documents you need to enter France vary depending on where you are from.

If you are a citizen of the European Union, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein: all you need is your Identification Card, or a valid passport. Minors travelling with their ID card must have a document that shows parental authorisation.

If you are from any of the following countries: Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, El Salvador, United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, New Zealand, Panama, Paraguay, Korea, Romania, San Marino, the Holy See, Singapore, Uruguay, and Venezuela: all you need is a valid passport to enter France, where you can stay for a maximum of 90 days.

If you are from any other country, according to the criteria of the EU: you must request a visa at a France Consulate in your country of residence. You will also need a valid passport.

For these cases, France authorities may ask documents showing where you will stay, confirmation of an organised tour, return air tickets, tourist circuit, or a personal invitation letter. You may also be asked to show proof of having enough financial resources to support yourself during your stay in France. Since conditions may vary, we recommend you contact your local France Consulate or Embassy for more information on these requirements. More information can be found at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Letter of Invitation

Participants that require an official invitation letter in order to obtain a visa, to raise travel funds or for administrative purposes should apply for this invitation by at least 8 weeks prior to the meeting at the very latest. It should be understood, however, that such an invitation is not a commitment on the part of the organisers to provide financial support. The deadline for requesting a Letter of Invitation is 31 July 2009.

It should be understood that the organisers can only issue an invitation which includes the period of the conference plus the Saturdays and Sundays directly before and after the conference, respectively.

Please send your request for a Letter of Invitation to ems-sec@met.fu-berlin.de.

Include your name, affiliation, abstract number and title, and the session of your contribution.