Planning to visit France soon? Do you know whether or not you need a France Schengen visa to enter France? If yes, do you know how to go about the procedure? This guide explains just that.
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.
France is one of the most-visited countries in Europe. It received more than 3 million visa applications and among that many were rejected. France had a high rejection rate of 11%.
The rejection rate was high as many applicants didn’t know how to go about the process.
If you’re planning a trip to France from New York, USA you’re at the right place. From New York alone, the French consulate processed more than 4500 visa requests in 2016.
Read this guide well to understand the entire process. It explains clearly as what you need to know and how you need to do it.
5 Key Steps to Follow to Apply for France Schengen Visa
The first step is same for all French consulates in the USA.
Let’s take a look at all the five steps involved in the application for a France Schengen visa:
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Find out if you at all need a visa to enter France
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Visit the official website of the Consulate General of France to find out what consulate you need to apply at
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Make an appointment with the consulate for the submission of your documents ( Get Schengen visa appointment for $ 10 )
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Collate all the documents that you need to submit
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Submit the documents to get your visa request processed
Click to Get France Visa Appointment
Want temporary flight, hotel or insurance for your Schengen visa appointment?
Below is a detailed explanation of each of these steps. This is for people looking for a short-stay visa.
Find out the consulate from where you need to apply for your France Schengen Visa
This is the first thing that you need to do. A few clicks of your mouse is all that you need to find the right French consulate for your visa application.
It depends on your resident address. Visit the official Consulate General of France website, as already mentioned above.
Consulate General of France—this is the main consular website of French representation in the US. It shows the map of the USA in a gray color with all the states demarcated clearly.
Move your cursor over the map to find New York. It’s on the righthand side of the map.
The residents of the blue-highlighted states can apply at the Consulate General of France in New York. These include New York and New Jersey. So, if you’re residing in any of these states, you can apply at the French consulate in New York. If not, then you’ll have to find the right one for you. Move the cursor to your resident state and find out the location of the French consulate that has jurisdiction over your state.
Here, we’re selecting New York.
Click on ‘New York‘ on the map to get to the official website of the Consulate General of France in New York. Choose ‘English’ from the top right as your preferred language.
Take your cursor to ‘Going to France‘ and click on ‘Visas‘. Keep this webpage open till you complete your application.
This is the website where you can find out whether you need a visa to enter France. This is the place where you can book an appointment for the submission of your documents as well.
Do I need a visa to enter France?
This depends on your nationality. You can find that out easily on this website by furnishing a few of your details. Click on the arrow below ‘Do I need a visa‘ to find out if you need a visa to enter France. Once you click on the arrow, a new webpage will open. One the webpage, you’ll see the ‘Visa Wizard‘ and few blanks where you’ll need to enter the correct details.
Enter the details and click on ‘Search‘.
Do I need a visa to enter France?
The search result will depend on the details you enter. You’ll need a visa to enter France unless you’re a US citizen.
I’m a green card holder. Do I need a visa to enter France?
Most likely, you’ll need a visa to enter France. US Permanent residents do need a visa to enter France, though this can vary depending on the issuing authority of your travel document. Please find out from the French visa wizard by entering the correct details.
Can I visit Italy with my France Schengen visa? What about the other Schengen countries?
Yes, you can visit Italy or any Schengen country with your France Schengen visa. However, for this, the theme of your travel should be France.
This means either your travel plan has France with the longest stay, or if you’re planning to stay in all the countries for the same duration, France should be your point of entry.
I have found out that I need a visa to enter France. How can I book an appointment at the Consulate General of France in New York?
Now that you have found out that you need a visa to enter France, you’ll have to schedule an appointment.
On the ‘Visas‘ page, you’ll find ‘Complete your application online‘. Click on the blue arrow to get to the application page.
You will now be able to access the France-Visas portal.
Click on ‘Access‘ to register.
Enter the details asked, enter the ‘Captcha‘ code and create your account.
You’ll receive a verification code in your email inbox. Verify your account by entering the correct code.
After this only, you can schedule an appointment at the Consulate General of France in New York.
Scroll down the ‘visas‘ page. I hope you’ve not closed the window, as we told in beginning.
Click on the blue arrow below ‘Submit your application to the visa center‘.
Click on ‘Whom should I contact’ to schedule an appointment with the Consulate General of France in Chicago.
Scroll down to find ‘New York‘.
Now you need click on ‘Set up an appointment‘ to schedule an appointment with the consulate. You’ll now reach the France Diplomatie website.
Accept the conditions and click on ‘Next‘.
You now will be able to access the online calendar system of the French consulate and book an appointment.
Uh-oh! It seems that all dates are booked. Please remember that the Consulate General of France in New York is one of the busiest consulates in the US. Ensure that you make your bookings well ahead.
Get your visa appointment booking first and then make your travel plans.
If you find an available date, grab it. Click on ‘Next‘ to confirm your appointment.
Now you’ll be asked to furnish a few of your details. Enter the details, click on ‘Confirm’ and you’re all set.
The following screenshot is from the Consulate General of France in Chicago. This page is the same for all French consulates in the US.
Now you’ll need to collate all the documents you’ll need to submit. Let’s take a look at them:
Documents you need to submit to the Consulate General of France in Chicago for France Schengen Visa
Here’s an exhaustive list of all the documents you’ll need to submit:
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Your passport in original or any other travel document
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US Permanent Residency Card
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Schengen Visa Application Form
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Photograph
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Confirmed Flight Tickets
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Confirmed Hotel Reservations
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Travel Insurance valid in the Schengen Area
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Cover Letter
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Sustenance Proof
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Company Registration (if you’re self-employed)
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Employment Contract (if you’re employed in the US)
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Here’s what you need to know about these documents:
Passport: Bring your passport for the appointment. This, of course, should be valid and the validity shouldn’t expire at least three months from the date of your return to the US. Bring a photocopy of your passport as well. The consulate may keep your passport. Bring a US Postal Services envelope so that the consulate can return your passport.
US Residency Card: Bring your Alien Card or US Residency Card for the appointment. This document should also be valid. Get photocopies too.
Schengen Visa Application Form: Download the Schengen visa application form. Fill it and then takes it print-out. Ensure that you fill all the details correctly. It should be the same as what is there on your passport. Make a copy of the filled-in form as well.
Photograph: You’ll need to paste a photograph on your Schengen visa application form. Follow the France visa specifications for this.
Confirmed Flight Tickets: The consulate needs to know your arrival and departure dates from France. Don’t book before your visa gets approved. Opt for temporary flight reservation services from us instead. These tickets are accepted by most Schengen embassies.
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.
Confirmed Hotel Reservations: The consulate also needs to know where you’re going to stay. Having confirmed hotel reservations proves that your accommodation is sorted. Opt for temporary hotel bookings from us. In events of visa rejected, you’ll end up making huge losses in case you make actual hotel bookings.
Travel Insurance: A minimum coverage of €43,000. Your visa request will not be approved without Schengen travel insurance.
Cover Letter: A detailed cover letter is also required. Avail our cover letter writing services for this.
Financial Sustenance: The consulate needs to know how you’re going to sustain it in France. Bring photocopies of your latest bank statements and credit card statements as proves. Travel cards are also accepted as proof.
Employment Contract: If you’re working in the US, bring a copy of your employment contract that should mention your salary, date of joining, etc.
Company Registration: If you own your own business, bring a copy of its registration document.
Along with these, you’ll also need to submit the visa fee.
What is the France Schengen visa fee?
Visa fee is not the only fee that you need to pay. Along with that, you’ll have to pay for travel insurance and temporary bookings. Shown below is a detailed breakdown of the costs that you’ll need to incur:
How long will it take for the visa to get processed?
It usually doesn’t take more than 2 weeks.
How will I know that my visa is ready?
You can track your visa application. Open the ‘visas’ page and scroll down to see ‘Follow your visa application‘ and click on the blue arrow below.
Once you submit your application, you’ll get a receipt with a number. Enter this number to know the status of your visa application.
Can I apply for France Schengen Visa from the USA if I’m a B1/B2 visa holder?
No, you can’t. Go to your own country to apply for your visa to France.
Consulate General of France in Chicago Information
Address:
10 East 74th Street
10021 New York
NY
United States of America
Tel:
+1 212-606-3600
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