Free printable · November 2026 edition
The France Trip Checklist for Americans
The things that trip Americans up in France are rarely the sights. They are the passport issued eleven years ago, the toll you were meant to pay online, the museum that closes on Tuesdays. This checklist puts them on three pages you can print or keep on your phone, each line tied to the official source we checked on November 9, 2026.
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Three pages to save before you fly: passport and EES/ETIAS status, the proof the border police can ask for, cards and phones, driving rules and the bookings worth making early. Every line links an official source, checked November 9, 2026.
What’s inside
Before you buy the flight Two to three months out
Check the issue date on your passport, not just the expiry. The EU wants it issued within the last 10 years and valid at least 3 months after the day you plan to leave the Schengen area.
+ 3 more checks in the PDF
Papers to carry, offline The week before you fly
Proof of where you sleep for the whole trip, your return or onward ticket, and an insurance certificate covering medical and hospital costs, medical repatriation and expenses in the event of death. France-Visas lists all four as documents the border police may ask for.
+ 2 more checks in the PDF
Money and phone Before you pack
When a card terminal or ATM offers dollars, choose euros. Visa says that home-currency option often costs 3 to 5 percent more through the exchange rate.
+ 3 more checks in the PDF
If you rent a car Before pickup
Speed limits are in km/h: 130 on motorways (110 in rain), 80 on two-way roads without a divider, 50 in towns. Signs can set lower limits.
+ 4 more checks in the PDF
Book and time the big visits As soon as dates are fixed
Normandy American Cemetery: open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., last admission 4:30 p.m., closed December 25 and January 1. The path down to Omaha Beach is closed.
+ 4 more checks in the PDF