Red Tape And Visas France travel discount package and tourist information

Citizens of EU (European Union) countries can travel freely in France; and citizens of Australia, Canada, the United States and New Zealand, among other countries, do not need any sort of visa to enter France, and can stay for up to ninety days. However, the situation can change and it is advisable to check with your embassy or consulate before departure. Note that the British Visitor's Passport is no longer available.

EU citizens (or other non-visa citizens) who stay longer than three months are officially supposed to apply for a carte de séjour , for which you'll have to show proof of income at least equal to the minimum wage (at least 6700F/¬1025 per month). However, EU passports are rarely stamped, so there is no evidence of how long you've been in the country. If your passport does get stamped, you can cross the border - to Belgium or Germany, for example - and re-enter for another ninety days legitimately.

French embassies and consulates overseas

BRITAIN

Embassy : 58 Knightsbridge, London SW1X 7JT (tel 020/7201 1004).

Ireland

Embassy : 36 Ailesbury Rd, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 (tel 01/260 1666).

Embassy : 4101 Reservoir Rd NW, Washington DC 20007 (tel 202/944 6195, www.info-france -usa.org ).

Consulates : Prominence in Buckhead, Suite 1840, 3475 Piedmont Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30305 (tel 404/495 1660, www.consulatfranceatlanta.org ); 31 St James Ave, Park Square Building, Suite 750, Boston, MA 02116 (tel 617/542 7374, www.franceboston.com ); 737 North Michigan Ave, Suite 2020, Chicago, IL 60611 (tel 312/787 5360, www.france-consulat.org/chicago ); 777 Post Oak Blvd, Suite 600, Houston, TX 77056 (tel 713/572 2799, www.consulatfrancehouston.org ); 10990 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90024 (tel 310/235 3200, www.etats-unis.com/consulat -la ); One Biscayne Tower, 17th Floor, South Biscayne Blvd, Miami, FL 33131 (tel 305/372 9799, www.info-france-usa.org/miami ); 1340 Poydras St, Amoco Building, Suite 1710, New Orleans, LA 70112 (tel 504/523 5772, www.info-france -usa.org/nouvelle-orleans/index.html ); 934 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10021 (tel 212/606 3689, www.franceconsulatny.org ); 540 Bush St, San Francisco, CA 94108 (tel 415/397 4330, www.accueil-sfo.org ).

CANADA

Embassy : 42 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, ON K1M 2C9 (tel 613/789 1795, www.amba-ottawa.fr ).

Consulates : 777 Main St, Suite 800, Moncton, NB E1C 1E9 (tel 506/857 4191, www.moncton.consulfrance.org ); 1 place Ville Marie Bureau 2601, Montreal, QC H3B 4S3 (tel 514/878 4385, www.montreal.consulat france.org) ; 25 rue St-Louis, Québec, QC G1R 3Y8 (tel 418/694 2294, www.quebec.consulatfrance.org) ; 130 Bloor St West, Suite 400, Toronto, ON M5S 1N5 (tel 416/925 8044, www.toronto.consulatfrance.org) ; 1100-1130 West Pender St, Vancouver, BC V6E 4A4 (tel 604/681 4345, www.vancouver.consulatfrance.org ).

AUSTRALIA

Consulates ( www.france.net.au ): 492 St Kilda Rd, Melbourne, VIC 3001 (tel 03/9820 0921); 31 Market St, Sydney, NSW 2000 (tel 02/9261 5779).

NEW ZEALAND

Embassy : 34-42 Manners St, PO Box 11-343, Wellington (tel 04/384 2555, www.ambafrance.net.nz ).

Customs

With the Single European Market you can carry most things between EU countries, as long as you have paid tax on them in an EU country and you intend them for personal consumption. Customs will only start asking questions if your car is groaning under the weight of goods and they think you are going to resell them. Duty-free restrictions for non-EU residents are standard in EU countries at 200 cigarettes, 250g tobacco or 50 cigars; one litre of spirits or two litres of fortified wine, or two litres of sparkling wine; two litres of table wine; 50mg of perfume and 250ml of toilet water.

Americans can bring home up to $400-worth of goods purchased overseas duty-free, including a litre of alcohol or wine, 200 cigarettes and 100 cigars. If you carry back between $400 and $1000 worth of stuff you'll have to go through the red lane and pay ten percent of the value in duty; above $1000 and the duty depends on the items. For the full rundown on customs niceties, request a copy of the pamphlet Know Before You Go from the US Customs Service, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave, Room 6.3-D, Washington DC 20229. Their information line (tel 202/354 1000) lists other publications for travellers, though they must be requested by mail. All their pamphlets can be viewed online at www.customs.gov .

Canadians are exempt from paying duty on up to CAN$750-worth of goods after spending seven days out of the country (or CAN$100-worth after a trip lasting two to six days). Those goods may include up to 1.5 litres of spirits or wine, 24 355ml bottles of beer and 200 cigarettes. For more details contact the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, Sir Richard Scott Building, 191 Laurier Ave West, Ottowa, ON K1A 0L5 (tel 1-506/636 5064, www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca ), and request a copy of the government's I Declare brochure.

Travellers returning to Australia from abroad can bring in $400-worth of "gifts" duty-free (for under-18s this is reduced to $200) - not including personal purchases such as clothing which don't incur duty - plus 250 cigarettes or 250g of tobacco and one bottle of alcohol (beer, wine or spirits). New Zealand permits $700-worth of "gifts", plus six 750ml bottles of wine or beer (4.5 litres in all), 1125ml of spirits, and 200 cigarettes, or 250g tobacco, or 50 cigars, or a mixture of these not exceeding 250g. In both countries, certain goods must be declared for inspection and may be prohibited: these include cordless phones purchased overseas, artefacts containing wood or other plant material, and foodstuffs.