General information
Visa requirement and invitation letter

France is a member of the “Schengen Agreement” and so are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Island, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden and The Netherlands. Participants from outside these countries and the European Union (EU) but with a valid visa for one of the Schengen countries may freely move into and within any other Schengen country without any further controls.

Visitors from outside the European Union (EU) should check whether or not a visa is required. In most cases a valid passport will be sufficient. Moreover, visitors from central and east Europe should check whether or not a special health insurance is required for receiving a visa. All insurance and visa costs must be borne by the participant.

Participants who require an official invitation in order to obtain a visa should apply for this invitation by at least 4 weeks prior to the meeting. Requests received later may not be processed by the embassies.

Participants who require an official invitation in order to raise travel funds or for administrative purposes should also apply for this invitation by at least 2 weeks prior to the meeting. It should be understood, however, that such an invitation is not a commitment on the part of the organizers to provide financial support.

It should be understood that the organizers can only issue an Invitation for the period which includes the time of the meeting plus the Saturdays and Sundays directly before and after the conference, respectively.