france-visas.gouv.fr

Appointments delays

The usual time to make an appointment varies according to attendance.

• For short-stay visas, users are required to anticipate in order to obtain their appointment at least 3 months before the departure.
• The deadline for long stay visas is 2 months before the departure.

Applications cannot be submitted more than 6 months before the departure date.

Practical information on the appointment process

Taking Appointments

Once all the required documents (forms, passport, photographs, medical insurance covering your trip, various proofs, visa fees, etc ...) and your visa application is ready, you are invited to take an appointment online. All requested documents must be submitted at the time of filing the application. Any incomplete file may be refused.

The Visas Center only receives applicant by appointment made online (appointment details)

• An appointment must be made for each visa applicant
• You can make an appointment up to 3 months before the scheduled date of travel
• You must print the appointment confirmation letter in order to present it at the Visas Center entrance.

Preparation before coming to the center

Personal Appearance: Each visa applicant must appear in person to file a visa application, after making an appointment, with the exception of applicants exempted from collecting biometric data:

• Children under 12 years old; their visa applications (including the form, photos, passport, visa fees, proof) must be lodged at the Visa Center by the father or mother of the child, or the person having parental authority,
• Applicants holding VIS visas issued for less than 59 months.
• When making an appointment on the VFS GLOBAL website, you must provide an email address to receive the confirmation letter of your appointment. This letter will be required when you visit the VFS GLOBAL Visa Application Center. You must print it before going to the center with your visa application.

Your appointment at the Visa Application Center

You must arrive at the VFS Visa Center approximately 10 minutes before the appointment time in order to pass security checks. Only visa applicants are allowed to enter the Visa Center. No visitor or companion is allowed to enter except:

• The companion of a child aged 12 to 18;
• The accompanist of a person with reduced mobility;
• Anyone who has obtained a permission from the consular authority.

Do not forget to take with you:

• The appointment confirmation letter (to be printed);
• The file containing all the required documents classified in the order of the list of documents;
• Means of payment of visa fees and service fees

On arrival at the Visa Center you may choose:

• For general service (basic package);
• For the premium service (additional service).

On arrival in the waiting area, you must wait to be called to a counter with your token number.

Reception
At the visa application counter, an employee of VFS checks to see if the contents of your file correspond to the list of required documents provided by the French Consular Authority.   VFS employees are not allowed to express an opinion on the quality of the file or the decision to be made by the Consular Authority.

If the content of your application does not correspond to the list of required documents (missing documents), you can decide not to submit your file, to complete it and to return to the Visa Center another day by getting a new appointment; if you do not submit your file, you will not have to pay a visa fee, but the service fees paid online will not be refunded;

If you decide to file an incomplete file, the VFS employee will ask you to sign a document indicating that your file is incomplete and which documents will be missing. An application without the complete set of documents according to the checklist mentioned on the website may result in the rejection of the visa application.

The French Embassy in Abu Dhabi reserves the right to request additional supporting documents if necessary. Issuance of the visa cannot be guaranteed.

The filing of a complete file does not in any way mean that the Consular Authority will issue you the visa requested.