A passport is essential
for travel within France (unless you are
from an EU country) and must be applied
for well in advance, generally in your home
country. All travellers to France except
EU nationals visiting from other EU countries,
must have a passport which is valid until
after you return home. EU citizens do not
need a valid passport, a national identity
card is sufficient. Citizens of Australia,
Canada, New Zealand, most European countries,
can enter France for up to three months
without a visa. South Africans must have
a visa to visit.
Make two photocopies of your passport's
data page one to be kept by someone at home
and another for you to carry with you but
keep separate from your passport. If you
lose your passport, promptly call the nearest
embassy or consulate and the local police.
Here are the procedures and contacts for
obtaining passports for the following nationalities:
Canada
Required: two current photos; proof of Canadian
citizenship; any previous Canadian passport,
certificate of identity or refugee travel
document issued to you in the last five
(5) years; a completed application form
and the application fee. Cost: $60-$62 plus
an additional $25 consular fee Time: Usually
issued within 8 working days (allow additional
time) Where to apply: In person at your
local passport office or send your application
to:The Passport Office, Place du Centre
Commercial Level 2, 200 Promenade du Portage,
Hull, Quebec J8X 4B7. Tel: (819) 994 3500
or 1800 567 6868. For more details:
www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca
Ireland
Required: two passport photos (which have
been signed and certified) as well as proof
of citizenship and the application fee.
Valid: for 10 years Cost: IE£45 for a 32-page
passport and IE£55 for a 48-page passport.
Time: Usually issued within 10 days (allow
additional time) Where to apply: Passport
application forms are available from all
Garda stations and from Post Offices which
provide the Passport Express service. Completed
application forms should be sent to the
passport office in Cork (if you live in
the counties of Clare, Cork, Kerry, Limerick,
Tipperary or Waterford) or Dublin (if you
live elsewhere in Ireland, including Northern
Ireland). Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street,
Dublin 2 Tel: (01) 671 1633 1a South Mall,
Cork Tel: (021) 272 525.
For more details: www.irlgov.ie
New Zealand
Required: proof of identity, proof of citizenship,
two passport photos and the application
fee Cost: NS$80 Valid: 10 years Time: Usually
processed within 10 working days (allow
additional time) Where to apply: You can
download application forms from the passport
office website or get them from most travel
agencies. Completed aplication forms should
be sent to the passport office in Wellington:
The Department of Internal Affairs, Passport
Office, PO Box 10-526, Wellington Tel: 0800
22 50 50 .
For more details: www.passports.govt.nz
South Africa
Required: Cost: 80 rand. Valid: for 10 years
Time: Can take 3-6 months. Where to apply:
Passport application forms are available
at all Department of Home Affairs offices
in South Africa and South African consulates
and embassies abroad.
For more information:
http://www.dfa.gov.za the Department
of Home Affairs in Pretoria ph (012) 3148911.
United Kingdom
Required: Cost: £28 for a 32-page passport
and £38 for a 48-page passport; additional
fees ranging from £4-£12 apply when lodging
your application at an agency. Valid: for
10 years. Time: Passport applications lodged
at post offices and travel agents are normally
issued in around a month, while applications
lodged at UK Passport Agency branches are
processed in less than two weeks. Where
to apply: British citizens can apply for
a passport at offices of the UK Passport
Agency in Belfast, Durham, Glasgow, Liverpool,
London, Newport and Peterborough or at one
of 2000 High Street partners throughout
the UK including post offices and Worldchoice
travel agents.
The UK Passport Agency is currently trialing
an online application process. You can apply
online at www.passport-application.gov.uk.
However online applications are not recommended
if you need your application processed quickly.
For more details:
www.ukpa.gov.uk or phone the passport
agency on 0870 521 0410 .
United States
Required: Cost: US$60 Valid: Time: 6 week
processing. However if you lodge an application
at a passport office it takes about two
weeks. Passport Express www.passportexpress.com
can process applications in one week however
it costs substantially more to do this.
Where to apply: Courthouses and post offices.
For more details: www.travel.state.gov
or phone the US passport office at
(202) 647 0518 Australia.
For more details: www.dfat.gov.au
VISAS
A passport (or a valid identity document
for nationals of Austria, Belgium, Finland,
Italy, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg,
the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden)
is necessary to enter France. Nationals
of the USA, Canada and most European countries
and Australians and New Zealanders can enter
France for up to three months without a
visit. However South Africans need a visa
to visit France (apply before leaving home).
A tourist visa is usually three months.
