The TIV — titre d'identité et de voyage — is issued by French prefectures to foreigners living in France who cannot obtain a passport from their own country. It is most often held by subsidiary protection beneficiaries.
It is neither a passport nor a 1951 Convention refugee document. The holder keeps their nationality, but 'visa-free for citizens of X' is usually tied to a passport of X, so a visa is usually needed with a TIV.
Within Schengen, a TIV together with a French residence permit allows visa-free travel for up to 90 days in any 180 (Article 21 of the Schengen Convention).
Few rules mention the TIV explicitly. Where a country refers to 'travel documents other than passports', we apply that to the TIV too.
Countries with specific rules in our database · 23
For other countries the checker applies a general rule: if a country admits almost everyone visa-free, it probably admits you too; otherwise a visa is probably needed.
| Country | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Armenia | Visa on arrival · up to 120 daysA travel document issued by Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia or the US: a visa is required but can be obtained online in advance (evisa.mfa.am, up to 3 working days — recommended by the MFA), at the Armenian border or at a consulate. The document must be valid for the whole stay.Only for documents issued by certain countries (9) | Armenian MFA: visa check by issuing country and document type (Travel Document) confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| Armenia | E-visa needed · up to 120 daysArmenia's visa-free regimes apply only to national passports. For travel documents issued by Australia, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia and the US the Armenian MFA explicitly allows an online or border visa; its database has no data for other issuers. Try the e-visa at evisa.mfa.am (it accepts 'passports or travel documents'); if refused, apply at an embassy. | Armenian e-government portal: e-visa for passports and travel documents secondary source · needs confirmationCheck → |
| Australia | E-visa neededeVisitor and ETA cannot be obtained on a refugee or stateless travel document, a Titre de Voyage or a certificate of identity. Apply for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) online via ImmiAccount. | Australian Department of Home Affairs: eVisitor (subclass 651), eligible passports confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| Canada | Visa neededWith a refugee travel document (other than a Canadian one) you need a Canadian visitor visa; you cannot get an eTA with it. | IRCC Canada: can I apply for an eTA with a refugee travel document confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| Georgia | No visa needed · up to 90 daysOrdinance No 256 allows visa-free entry for holders of EU/Schengen residence permits without restricting the document type; the French Foreign Ministry confirms it for French refugee documents. For other documents (stateless, TIV, other issuers) check with a Georgian consulate.If you hold: Schengen residence permit | Government of Georgia Ordinance No 256: visa-free entry for visa and residence permit holders secondary source · needs confirmationCheck → |
| Georgia | No visa needed · up to 90 daysOrdinance No 256 allows visa-free entry for holders of EU/Schengen residence permits without restricting the document type; the French Foreign Ministry confirms it for French refugee documents. For other documents (stateless, TIV, other issuers) check with a Georgian consulate.If you hold: Schengen permanent residence | Government of Georgia Ordinance No 256: visa-free entry for visa and residence permit holders secondary source · needs confirmationCheck → |
| India | Visa neededThe e-Visa is not available on travel documents other than a passport — apply for a regular visa through an Indian mission. | Government of India: countries eligible for e-Visa confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| Ireland | Visa neededIreland has suspended visa-free travel for refugees under the 1959 Agreement: with a Convention travel document you need an Irish visa. Other non-national documents need a visa anyway. | Government of Ireland: visa-free travel for refugees (1959 Agreement) suspended confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| Israel | Visa neededIsrael MFA: visa exemptions apply to national and official passports only, not to other travel documents. Get a B2 visa from an Israeli consulate. | Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs: tourist visa requirements for foreign nationals confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| Japan | Visa neededJapan's MOFA describes visa exemption only for passport holders of listed countries; it says nothing about refugee or stateless travel documents. Such documents usually need a visa from a Japanese embassy — confirm before travelling. | MOFA Japan: visa exemptions for short-term stay secondary source · needs confirmationCheck → |
| Kosovo | No visa needed · up to 15 daysA refugee (1951 Convention) or stateless (1954 Convention) travel document, or a travel document for foreigners, issued by an EU or Schengen country, the UK, the US, Canada, Australia or Japan: entry, transit and stay without a visa for up to 15 days. Source: the archived Kosovo MFA site; the ministry's new site is unavailable.Only for documents issued by: EU countries, Schengen countries, United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, Japan | Kosovo MFA (archived site): special categories exempted from visa requirements confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| Malaysia | Visa neededThe Malaysian Immigration Department explicitly lists 'Titres de Voyages' (refugee and stateless travel documents) and Certificates of Identity among travel documents that require a visa to enter Malaysia, regardless of nationality. Apply at a Malaysian embassy. | Immigration Department of Malaysia: visa requirement by country confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| Morocco | Visa neededThe Moroccan e-visa is issued only on ordinary passports: the eVisa terms explicitly exclude refugee and stateless travel documents and other travel documents. Apply at the Moroccan embassy or consulate general for your place of residence. | Morocco, official portal acces-maroc.ma: e-visa conditions confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| Nepal | Visa neededWith a refugee travel document, visa on arrival is not available — get a visa from a Nepalese embassy in advance. | Embassy of Nepal: visas (nationalities not eligible for visa on arrival, fees) confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| New Zealand | E-visa neededVisa waiver and NZeTA apply only to travellers on a passport from a visa waiver country. With a refugee or stateless travel document you need a Visitor Visa, applied for online. | Immigration New Zealand: Visa Waiver Visitor Visa confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| North Macedonia | Visa neededSources disagree. North Macedonia's MFA allows 'third-country nationals' with an EU or Schengen residence permit to enter visa-free for up to 15 days without specifying the travel document. The French Foreign Ministry (updated 15 Sep 2026) states explicitly that holders of a French refugee or subsidiary protection travel document must obtain a visa and should contact the North Macedonian embassy in Paris in advance. Until the embassy confirms in writing, it is safer to assume a visa is needed. The UK Foreign Office likewise requires a visa for UK refugee travel documents. We found no traveller reports of entering with a titre de voyage without a visa.Only for documents issued by: France | French Foreign Ministry travel advice: North Macedonia — entry (updated 15 Sep 2026) sources disagreeCheck → |
| North Macedonia | Visa neededSources disagree: North Macedonia's MFA allows visa-free entry for up to 15 days to holders of EU or Schengen residence permits without specifying the document, while the French Foreign Ministry explicitly requires a visa for French refugee documents. For other countries' documents, ask the North Macedonian embassy in writing. | French Foreign Ministry travel advice: North Macedonia — entry (updated 15 Sep 2026) sources disagreeCheck → |
| Schengen area | No visa needed · up to 90 daysThe travel document and the residence permit must be issued by the same Schengen country. Then you can travel to other Schengen countries.If you hold: Schengen residence permit | DOFI (Belgium): visa-free travel with Schengen residence permits confirmed by an official source |
| Serbia | Visa neededWith a refugee or stateless travel document you need a Serbian visa obtained in advance (in Paris, at the Serbian embassy). Without it you will be refused at the border, even with a Schengen residence permit or visa. | French Foreign Ministry travel advice: Serbia — entry and stay confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| Singapore | Visa neededSingapore ICA: a visa is required when travelling on a refugee travel document or an alien's passport, regardless of nationality. Apply through a local sponsor, an authorised agent or a Singapore embassy. | Singapore ICA: countries whose travel documents require a visa confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| South Korea | Visa neededKorea's visa exemption and K-ETA depend on holding a visa-exempt country's passport; official pages say nothing about refugee travel documents. A visa from a Korean embassy is usually needed — confirm there. | Korea Ministry of Justice, K-ETA portal: visa-exempt countries and periods of stay secondary source · needs confirmationCheck → |
| Taiwan | Visa neededTaiwan's visa exemption applies only to formal passports; emergency, temporary and other travel documents are ineligible. Get a visa from a Taiwan representative office. | Taiwan Bureau of Consular Affairs: visa-exempt entry confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| Thailand | E-visa neededThe Thai embassy explicitly excludes refugee documents (Belgian and Luxembourg) from the visa exemption; other countries' documents are most likely treated the same — apply online at thaievisa.go.th. | Royal Thai Embassy in Brussels: visa exemption secondary source · needs confirmationCheck → |
| Türkiye | Visa neededHolders of travel documents (not passports) must obtain a visa in advance from a Turkish mission, whatever the regime for citizens of the country. | Turkish MFA: general information about Turkish visas confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| United Kingdom | Visa neededWith a refugee, stateless or other non-national travel document not issued by the UK, you need a UK visa. | GOV.UK: UK visa requirements for international carriers, updated 3 Aug 2026 confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |
| United States | Visa neededVisa-free travel (ESTA) is only for citizens of programme countries on their national passport. With a refugee or stateless travel document you need a US visa. | US CBP: ESTA and the Visa Waiver Program — passport of a participating country only confirmed by an official sourceCheck → |