The French consulates in the US are among the busiest consulates in the country. According to the numbers of 2016, the Consulate General of France processed more than 30000 visa applications in the USA. Out of that close to 3000 were processed from the French consulate in Houston.
If you’re planning to apply for a short-stay visa to France, you’re in the right place. It’s important to apply for the France Schengen visa, it’s important to do it in the right way. It is important that you submit the required documents as well.
Update : It is now mandatory to get COVID Insurance when you travel Abroad. Click the below link to get your COVID Insurance at cost price.
All these will ensure that your visa processing time is reduced. All these will also increase the chances of your visa approval.
This article explains the entire procedure that you need to follow to apply for a France Schengen Visa from the consulate in Houston.
However, before that, you’ll need to know whether you need a visa to enter France. US citizens don’t need a visa to enter France. However, if you’re a US Permanent resident or a green card holder, you’ll need a visa to visit France.
5 Steps to Get France Schengen Visa
- Find out the consulate where you need to apply from and this depends on your residential address
- Apply online and create your account
- Make an appointment for submission of your document ( Get Schengen visa appointment for $ 10 )
- Collect all the official documents that you need to submit to the visa center
- Submit all your documents and wait for your visa request to get processed
Want temporary flight, hotel or insurance for your Schengen visa appointment?
Below we guide through each of these steps.
Finding out the French consulate where you need to apply from
For this, you’ll need to visit the official Consulate General of France in the US website. You’ll see the map of US in the color gray. Move your cursor to locate Houston (Texas). That portion will get highlighted in blue.
Here we have selected Houston as the location of the French consulate. You can apply at the French consulate in Houston if you live in any one of the following states:
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Arkansas
Click on it and you’ll get directed to the Consulate General of France in Houston. Choose ‘English’ as the preferred language from the top right.
How to apply online for my France Schengen Visa at the consulate in Houston?
The official website is the one on which you’ll need to schedule an appointment for your France Schengen visa. Take your cursor to ‘Visa for France‘ and click on ‘Applying for a French visa in the US‘.
You will not get directed to the page on which you can schedule the appointment for your France Schengen Visa.
The first step will be to submit your online application. You will have to create a new account for this. Keep the credentials handy as you will need these everytime you login into the system.
Click on ‘Complete your application online‘.
Next click on ‘Access‘ to access the French visa portal.
Now, you’ll have to create an account to proceed further. You’ll have to enter a few of your details. Enter correct details, enter the verification code and click on ‘create an account‘ at the end of the page.
You’ll receive a verification code in your email. Enter the code to go to complete your online application.
I’m traveling to other Schengen countries. Is the French consulate the right place where I need to apply for my visa?
The French consulate is the right place for you if your main travel theme is Franch. This means that you have to stay in France for the longest duration. If you plan to stay in the other countries for the same duration/s, then France should be country through which you enter the Schengen area.
Click to BookFrance Visa Appointment
How to know where to submit my documents?
Now, you’ll need to schedule an appointment with the French consulate in Houston to submit all the relevant documents.
Click on ‘Submit your Application to the Visa Center‘.
Click on ‘whom should I contact‘ to schedule an appointment for the submission of your documents. The page that you’ll be directed too has all the consulate information.
Scroll down to find Houston.
Now you’ll get directed to the ‘France Diplomatie‘ website.
Click on ‘Booking an Appointment‘, accept conditions, click on ‘Next‘ and proceed to the next step.
Now you’ll get to schedule for submitting all the documents and document verification.
Choose a date and time based on your availability and click on ‘Next‘.
Next, enter the personal details asked by the portal. This includes your name, surname, date of birth, nationality, and passport number. Ensure all these details are accurate and match exactly with what is present on your passport.
Click ‘confirm‘ to finish the process. You will get your appointment letter once you complete the process. Take a printout of this and take it along with all the other documents on the date of your appointment.
This completes the online process. Now you’ll have to appear at the consulate on the date you just booked with all the documents. Make sure you’re on time. The consulate doesn’t entertain latecomers. You have the option of changing/canceling your appointment. Do so if you’re unable to make it to the appointment.
What are the documents that I need to submit to the visa center?
The list is pretty long. Ensure all the following documents are ready before the date of your appointment:
- Passport
- Filled Schengen Visa Application Form
- Photograph
- US Permanent Residency Proof
- Flight Tickets
- Hotel Reservations
- Travel Insurance
- Cover Letter
- Employment documents
- Proof of financial stability
- Letter from college (for students)
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Passport: Bring your original passport as well as photocopies. The validity of this document should be three months from the date of your return to the US. It should also have two blank pages.
Schengen Visa Application Form: Fill this form online and then download it. Take its printout and make a photocopy of the same. Carry both to your appointment.
Download the Schengen visa application form online.
Photographs: You will need one recent passport-size photograph and paste it on your Schengen visa application form.
Proof of being a permanent resident in the US: Carry the original documents and one photocopy as well. This can be your US Permanent residency card or I-20 or I-94 card. These have to be valid.
Flight Itinerary: You have to submit a copy of your confirmed flight tickets. Most people opt for temporary flight tickets as there is a chance of their visa request getting rejected. You should do the same to prevent loses.
What is the flight itinerary? Is it accepted by the Schengen consulate?
Of course, in fact, all the embassies mention the same. We have added links to the official visa pages which you can verify.
France Consulate
Your travel itinerary : you MUST BOOK your airline ticket but do not purchase until the visa has been approved.
We recommend that you do not purchase travel tickets until your visa has been approved. On the other hand, you may provide us with a reservation, a planned itinerary or an online printout of a roundtrip ticket.
Travel reservation to and from schengen area, not a ticket. Note: Make travel reservation which you can cancel
Flight (roundtrip)/travel reservations and full itinerary (if several Schengen States will be visited or if the trip covers several Schengen States and non-Schengen countries) with the name of passenger and one copy
Round trip ticket/reservation, originating in this jurisdiction to Europe (and ultimately to Italy) and back, including internal entry and exit points of travel i.e. EURORAIL tickets, car rental, internal flights. The names on reservations have to reflect the names on passports.
We can provide you with flight itineraries which are accepted by not only for Schengen visa but for all visas. We have customers using the same flight itinerary for Malaysia visa, Singapore visa, India visa, UK visa, etc.
In fact, the European union visa requirements for visa states the same.
As per the official document,
Round trip reservation or itinerary with dates and flight numbers specifying entry and exit from Schengen state.Schengen authorities accept the itinerary when applying for the visa but request the original air ticket when visa is collected.
That is why we have a 100% visa acceptance rate although some of our customer have been requested to provide “additional documents”, none of their visa has been rejected for providing fake documents.
With 80% of our customers being return customers or companies that process visas for their employees/clients, our approach is the best approach if you want to ensure the safety of your visa.
This is our orders screen for this month. Most of the orders have been placed by repeat customers.
The best part about our service is along with getting a flight reservation without payment, you can also get confirmed hotel bookings, personal cover letter, leave/no objection letter for your visa consulates.
Hotel Reservations: This also has to be confirmed. To be on the safe side don’t make your hotel bookings yet. Wait for your France Schengen visa request to get approved. Opt for your services to get temporary bookings. These are accepted by the consulates of Schengen countries.
Travel Insurance: This is required to enter all Schengen countries. The minimum coverage should be €43,000.
Cover Letter: Having a detailed cover letter improves the chances of your visa approval. Mention your purpose of visit along with the documents you’re submitting.
Proof of financial stability: You’ll need to prove to the consulate that you can sustain in France financially without any assistance. Submit copies of your latest bank statements, credit card statements or travel cards.
Employment documents: Photocopies of IT return documents, employment contract, company registration documents—whatever is relevant for you.
Letter from college: If you’re a student, you’ll need to bring a letter from your college or university.
What will happen during the appointment?
The French consulate in Houston will expect you to arrive for the appointment with the completed application and all the relevant documents. They will check your application, collect the visa fee, take your biometric data, and keep the copies of your documents. They might keep your original passport and if you wish to receive via mail, bring along a US Postal Service envelope as well.
The entire procedure will take around 20 minutes.
What is the France Schengen visa fee?
The visa fee that you’ll need to pay along with your insurance and temporary booking charges are explained below:
Can I apply at the French consulate in Houston being a B1/B2 visa holder?
Sadly no. You have to apply from the country of your citizenship.
Can I collect my passport physically?
Yes, you can. The consulate will notify you once your passport is ready. You can come and collect it after that.
Can I submit the documents via email or post?
No, you can’t do so. You have to be at the consulate in person to submit your documents.
How long will it take for the consulate to process my France Schengen visa application?
The time taken to process a short-stay France Schengen visa is not more than 2 weeks. However, it’s better to have some time in hand while applying for the visa. Ideally, applying 1-2 months earlier is advisable. You can’t apply prior to 90 days from the date of your departure from the US.
Can I track the visa application I made at the French consulate in Houston?
Yes, you can. Go back to the page on which you made your visa application online. Scroll down to find the option ‘Track your visa application‘. Enter the receipt number (you get this when you submit your application to the consulate) and date of birth to track your application.
Consulate General of France in Houston Information
Address:
777 Post Oak Blvd
Suite 600
Houston
Texas 77056-3252
Tel:
+1 713-572-2799
Email:
infos.houston-fslt@diplomatie.gouv.fr
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