Please help? Confused about french visa!!

Okay so this is a bit complicated so will explain my situation. I am a New Zealander currently living and working in the UK on a 2 year working holiday visa (which doesnt expire for awhile).

But... I want to go to France for 2 months in September and October and keep being told different things about the visa.

As a New Zealander I am told I can be in the country for up to 90 days without a visa... or is this the tourist visa? (am confused...)
--> Is this the tourist visa?
--> Am I allowed to work? (without getting the working holiday visa)
--> Do I need to apply for a visa or go straight through to France?
--> Do I need proof of funds etc?

Only for 2 months and would IDEALLY love to work but think Im unable to unless anyone has any ideas??

Any more information would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

New Zealand citizens don't need a visa to visit France for up to 3 months. So you can turn up at the border with just your passport — but do have proof of financial means of support, hotel bookings or a return ticket to your country of residence (which I think can be taken to the UK for this purpose) in case the passport officer asks you: information here from the website of the French consulate in London.

If you intend to work, you would need a visa. There is information here from the website of the French Embassy in Wellington about the working holiday visa for New Zealanders. According to this page, though, you must apply for this visa in New Zealand.

Christophe (or anyone else), here's an important question: is it 90 days or 3 months? I ask because some months have 31 days (so technically 3 months can be 90-93 days) and it might well be important to distinguish so as to not overstay in the Schengen area!

Fairypie - as Christophe mentions, you cannot work on the visa-waiver (or any other tourist visa, I suspect), and you would need a work permit or equivalent to work legally. Also, your three months (or 90 days) is for the whole of the Schengen area, not just France - so if you wished to stay longer, 'hopping over' to Spain or any other Schengen country would still count in the 90 day period.

Well, taking a straw poll, the website of the French embassy in London says: "Short stay Schengen visas are visas that allow the holder to travel freely within the Schengen space, including France, and spend a maximum of 90 days over 6 months. Those are issued for various purposes such as tourism, shopping, business or family visits."

The website of the Swedish embassy in London agrees: "Visas are granted for a maximum of 90 days at a time."

On the other hand, the website of the European Commission talks rather vaguely of three months: "As a citizen of a third country you may enter and travel within the territory of the Member States applying in full the Schengen provisions for a period of up to three months, provided you fulfil the entry conditions..."

In most cases the difference is immaterial, but for some people in some cases it could make a difference, as you say, sakura.

Having said that, are not people admitted to the UK for six months? That presumably means six calendar months, and so the time could vary depending on the date of entry. But that seems pretty definite: there doesn't seem to be any doubt that it is six months.

And to add to my post above, the website of the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration is overall a model of clarity compared with many others and one suspects it is accurate when it says: "A visa for Norway and the Schengen area may be granted for up to 90 days. However, you may not stay in the Schengen area for more than 90 days in the course of the past six months. This means that any stay in the Schengen area in the past six months must be taken into consideration when calculating the duration of a visa. The duration of the visa is stated on the visa sticker. The visa sticker also states the first permitted entry date and last permitted exit date."

My bet is on 90 days!

A very detailed and useful response, Christophe. Thanks!