Old visa start advice

For the record the old advice is retained. It is set out below.

The Start of the Visa

Experts have not been able to find any rules specific to the start of a VLS-T visa:

• We asked the French Consulate in London about this in 2021. The Consulate's viewpoint in 2021 is that your passport must be stamped to trigger the start of the visa. They stated that it is acceptable to use the stamp from when you first entered the Schengen Area provided that the stamp is dated on or after the visa start date. This advice has been reiterated in early 2024

• There are others who consider that based on EU regulations you can roll directly from Schengen 90/180 into the visa without having to re-enter France. 

For the avoidance of doubt if you arrive in France before the visa start date and you have a visa waiver (this applies to UK citizens) then you can remain in France until you exhaust your 90/180 days

Whatever travel plans you take be aware that border officials have the right to question you about your travel dates. It is prudent to anticipate this, and to be able to demonstrate where you have travelled and when.