A country steeped in rich culture and heritage, France offers a wide variety of landscapes ranging from sandy beaches and expansive countrysides to snow-capped mountains and magnificent cities. 89 million visitors landed on the shores of France in 2017 alone, making it the most visited country on earth.
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.
Although this article is written keeping Bangalore in mind, the process to get France visa appointment is the same for all countries.
Close to 32,000 French Schengen visas were issued from the Bangalore consulate in 2017. Needless to say, the high volume of applications implies that at times, getting a France Schengen visa appointment can be a tedious and cumbersome process.
Do not worry though! You can read this article to find out what to do to get a France Schengen visa appointment and what you should do if you are unable to get an appointment date. You can also ask us to book your France Schengen visa appointment by filling out our Schengen visa appointment form.
Once you have your appointment, you can head on over to our related article to get all of your required documentation in order.
How to get a France Schengen Visa appointment in Bangalore- The Basics
Here’s how you can book a France Schengen Visa appointment from Bangalore:
- The France Consulate has outsourced all visa applications from India to VFS Global.
Visa applications from Bangalore are collected and examined by the French Consulate after they go through the VFS Global appointment and tracking systems.
After filling in the visa application form, you will be redirected to the VFS Global official website.
Click on “Schedule an appointment“.
You will then be redirected to the following page:
You will have to register as a new user. For this, click on ‘New User‘.
To gain access to the online appointment booking portal, fill in the details in the form below. You can select any available date and time slot.
VFSGlobal has the bandwidth to support at least 30 applicants a day. An appointment at VFSGlobal is subject to availability and is not usually easy to get. The handling charge for this service is $25 or more based on when you want your appointment slot.
Head on over to the France visas official website for more information on the application process.
What to do when there are no appointment slots available for France Schengen visa?
In case you are having trouble getting a France Schengen visa appointment date, you can try one of the following methods:
Try applying in a different jurisdiction
If the wait for your VFS France visa appointment is cutting too close to your travel date, you should try and apply at the next closest jurisdiction. We advise you to turn your attention to other nearby centers.
In case you are applying for a France Schengen visa from Bangalore and are unable to secure an appointment, you can try the nearby VFS global offices in Kochi, Pondicherry and Chennai.
Change the main Schengen consulate of your visit
The consulates for the main Schengen countries like Germany, France, Italy, and Spain are usually booked out for a couple of months at a stretch. In these cases, you can try your luck by applying to another consulate.
Countries like Slovakia or Malta do not have a large influx of applicants which makes it easier to secure an appointment with these consulates.
In case you are planning to travel to multiple Schengen countries, the first country of your visit is the main Schengen consulate that you should be applying to. You will, however, have to show tentative travel plans to this country in order to secure a visa. We can help you out in getting these temporary flight and hotel bookings.
To know more about what we mean by applying to a different jurisdiction, check our article on how to book an appointment when no appointment slot is available.
Wait for someone to cancel their France Schengen visa appointment
This option is slightly risky and there are no guarantees that you will be able to secure a visa. You can wait for someone to cancel their France visa application and immediately try and book that slot once it becomes available. For this, you will have to keep multiple browser tabs open for all the consulates in your area. Do not forget to keep refreshing the tabs.
There have been multiple cases wherein our customers have secured an appointment just by waiting for a cancellation. So we strongly suggest that you do not discard this option.
We also have a dedicated team that watches for any Schengen visa appointment cancellations and can help secure a booking once a slot opens up. If you are interested in this service, please fill out our Schengen visa appointment form.
Want us to get you your France Schengen visa appointment?
We can help you get your France Schengen visa in the following countries:
- UK
- US
- India
We have customers residing in India, US and UK, who are corporate employees and business professionals, usually in need of a visa immediately. We can arrange for Schengen visas for our customers within 7-15 days.
This option, however, is subject to the availability of slots in the consulate of your choice. We will also try in all the nearest consulates.
We do not fix the fee for an appointment, but we need to get in touch with the travel agents to get a price quote from them for an appointment and this price depends on the demand.
Click here for our Schengen visa appointment form.
- Fill the above form. No payment needed initially. We will contact our agents for an appointment for you in France.
- Within 8 hours of the payment, you will receive an email regarding the availability of a slot and the consulate.
- Once we receive your confirmation, we will send you the appointment details and reference number for verification.
You can then attend your France Schengen visa appointment.
Read more about getting a French Schengen visa appointment in 7 days here.
Common questions that might be asked during an interview?
One of the first things that must be kept in mind is that one must remain calm and composed during the interview. Even when you don’t know the answers to certain questions, make sure you don’t answer it wrongly. Also, one must be there on time for the interview along with the accurate list of documents.
Here is a list of some common questions:
- Why is the purpose of your visit?
- Is your trip sponsored? If yes, by whom?
- Are you married? If yes, what does your spouse do? For how long have been married?
- Do you have any children? If yes, how old are they, what do they do and where are they?
- Do you have any close family or friends in the Schengen area.? If yes, when did you meet the last time?
- Where do you plan to stay?
- What is your educational qualification?
- How will you travel from one place to another?
- How do you guarantee me that you will come back?
- Which company do you work for?
- What does your company do?
- What is your profession?
- What is your role in the company? How many years of total experience you have
FAQs on France Schengen visa appointments
Can I take one France Schengen visa appointment for my whole family?
No. You will have to make individual appointments for each member of your family. If you are making an appointment through VFSGlobal, then you can book up to five Schengen visa appointments using a single account. Note that the dates might vary for each of the 5 appointments as they may not be available on a single day.
Can you make a France Schengen visa appointment on my behalf?
Yes! We can assist you in getting a France Schengen visa appointment. We can handle the appointment request for your whole family as well. Just fill our Schengen visa appointment form.
Where can I have my France Schengen visa appointment verified?
You can get your appointment verified on the government or the VFSGlobal website.
What amount do I pay to get a France Schengen visa appointment?
The amount to be paid varies from consulate to consulate. We charge INR 1000 as the service fee, over and above the quote specified by the agents. The date of the appointment also contributes in determining the fee for an appointment. The earlier your request for an appointment, the higher you will have to pay.
Can I pay a higher fee and get the France Schengen visa appointment on priority?
We operate only on a first come first serve basis. You will have to wait for your turn to come up.
Is the France Schengen visa appointment fee refundable?
It is fully refundable if you cancel before we get you an appointment or if we are unable to get you one. But once we get you an appointment, we will not be able to refund you.
Could my France Schengen visa application get rejected?
Yes, your France Schengen visa application could be rejected by the consulate for a number of reasons. Common reasons are:
- Travel insurance invalidity
- No evidence of travel itinerary
How early can I apply for France Schengen visa?
Applicants can apply up to 90 days prior to the date of travel. We recommend that you apply at least 3 weeks prior to the date of travel to accommodate any processing delays.
Can I apply for my visa if my passport is more than 10 years old?
All applicants must have a passport that is not more than 10 years old. The same can be said about passports issued more than 10 years ago and have not been extended. Applicants must renew their passport before making their visa application.
What are the details required in order to book the France Schengen Visa appointment?
Your name, passport number, expiry date, and passport issue date are needed. The information needed varies from one country to another. For additional information, we will correspond with you by email.
Do I need to have a travel insurance for France Schengen visa?
Yes, you have to provide proof of travel insurance that covers emergency medical expenses up to a minimum of 30,000 Euros.
How long will it take for you to get me my France Schengen visa appointment in Bangalore?
We usually take around 8 to 10 hours to get back to you, as we will be checking with all nearby consulates for the availability of a slot.
Within how much time do I have to complete the payment?
We make close to 250 appointments a day. You will have an hour to complete the payment once we inform you about an appointment slot. In case we do not hear back from you within the hour, our reseller may put the appointment to auction for other customers in need of an appointment.
What mode of payment is accepted?
You can make a direct bank transfer to complete the payment. You can also make the payment via PayuMoney or Western Union.
In which countries do you provide the service for booking a France Schengen visa appointment?
We currently operate in India, UK and USA. We are adding more countries regularly.
VFS Global, Bangalore Contact Information
VFS Global Bangalore Address:
No: 11, O’ Shaughnessy Road
Global Tech Park, First Floor
Langford Town, Bengaluru 560025
Karnataka – INDIA
Tel: (+91) 22 67866014
Bangalore French Embassy Contact Information
Address:
21 Palace Road
Vasanthnagar
Bangalore – 560 052
Karnataka, India
Tel:
+91 80 2214 1200
Related France Schengen visa articles
French Schengen visa for Indians
France Schengen visa in 7 days
How to Apply for France Schengen visa at the consulate in Manila?