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I am in France on a student exchange up to December 2014. My Indian passport with Schengen visa was stolen. I got a duplicate passport from Indian embassy in Paris but not from the Schengen visa. How can I get it reissued in France?

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    Did you contact the authorities (e.g. the préfecture)? We already have multiple related questions (see e.g. travel.stackexchange.com/questions/21692/… or travel.stackexchange.com/questions/10590/…) but unfortunately no definitive answer until now so I am afraid that asking again will not yield one either. Maybe you could come back and let us know if you figure it out?
    – Relaxed
    Commented Nov 4, 2014 at 10:13
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    Another idea (a long shot obviously): Maybe the Indian embassy would know? They obviously can't do it themselves but they might have heard from other students in the same situation (it must be a reasonably common problem, I guess).
    – Relaxed
    Commented Nov 4, 2014 at 10:16

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I don't know if there is an established procedure but, promoting my comment to an answer, note that the relevant department for all things related to foreign nationals staying in France is the “service des étrangers” of the “préfecture” of the département where you currently are or, in Paris, the “préfecture de police”. That's who you should be trying to contact (ideally have a French-speaking friend contact them, they are not always the easiest to deal with).

Also, do report the theft to the police (go there with a French speaking person, never alone), it would be useful to have a police report and any document establishing what you are doing in France and for how long for the exit check or if there is a control before that.

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  1. You may not need the visa to continue staying, unless some immigration officials catch hold of you somewhere and ask to prove status. I doubt if you should face issues when exiting/ flying out.

  2. Whoever/ whichever organization that sponsored your visa, will have legal counsel who can help you figure out your next steps/ action plan should be; as they had helped you with paperwork that got you your visa - any restamping or reapplication should be with their help

  3. Not sure how risky it would be, but if you were to email/ go to a local French foreign services office and ask them what you should do, you may get a response.

    • Maybe ask a local french friend to do the above for you - less risky

    • Maybe ask a friend / family to do it at a Consulate local to them

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    Border guards are supposed to check the length of your stay based on the entry stamp in your passport so you could face issue at exit (showing a police report regarding the theft and perhaps the ticket used to enter France should presumably be enough to establish you haven't overstayed but you can't assume nobody cares about your passport and visa on exit).
    – Relaxed
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 10:00
  • Also, in France, regular police can and does routinely check people's ID and immigration status, the details of the law are a bit involved but they don't need probable cause or anything and it's not only “immigration officials” who care about it.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 10:01
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    I am sorry to post criticism of one of your posts for the third time in a row, especially since there are some good ideas in your answer, but it seems to me that you are taking all this a tad too lightly.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 10:02
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I'm not sure you can get your Visa reissued in France. Quoting the Apply for Visa to France in India and Nepal site, question 10:

What do I have to do if I have lost or misplaced my Indian passport with a valid Schengen visa?

You are strongly recommended to keep photocopies of your passport’s data pages and of the Schengen visa. A visa is a valuable document. Inform The Embassy / The Consulate from where your visa was issued immediately if you have lost your passport. You must apply for a new visa by submitting all documents and payment of visa fees. You must submit a copy of the Police First Incident Report (FIR) with your application. It is preferable to also submit a copy of the visa and the lost passport for ready reference of the Visa Officer.

Have you made copies of your passport and Schengen visa before it was stolen?

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  • Years ago (but post-Schengen), I knew an Indian student in France whose passport was stolen. He ended up getting a temporary passport, and he didn't need to leave the country. I don't know the details, I've long lost contact with him, and it's possible that the rules have changed, but I doubt that it's impossible to get the visa reissued or get a new visa without leaving the country.
    – Gilles 'SO- stop being evil'
    Commented Mar 23, 2015 at 12:05
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    Maybe this info is intended for people who lost their passport/visa in India (e.g. someone with a long multiple-entry visa) and would wish to visit France again at some later date. After all, “First Incident Report” is the terminology used by Indian police, you would not exactly get that if you reported your passport stolen in France.
    – Relaxed
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 9:52
  • @Relaxed, perhaps it is, I can't be sure. If you lose your passport outside it's issuing country don't you have to warn your embassy? In that case, won't you get a FIR anyway?
    – gmauch
    Commented Mar 24, 2015 at 10:43

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