What is the visa process?

Use the visa wizard 

The first step is to obtain information at France-Visas.

Start by using the “Visa wizard” (found by clicking “Do you need a visa?”). Enter your nationality, age, and other requested details, remembering to click to say if you are married to a French person or are joining or travelling with someone of EU/EEA or Swiss nationality, or a Brexit WA beneficiary.

Make sure you put your own country of current residency as the “place of submission” and France as the desired destination.

Generally speaking, Connexion readers applying for visas need to click to indicate that they want a “long stay”.

Confusingly, however, if you plan to come to live with a beneficiary of the Brexit WA, you must choose that you are coming for a “short stay” in order to obtain the correct results with this tool. Similarly, with close family of EU citizens, who are also dispensed from needing a visa to come to live with them in France.

For people of a nationality that would usually require a short-stay Schengen visa to visit France, they should enter “entry visa for beneficiary of the Withdrawal Agreement” when asked about their plans. Their relationship to the beneficiary is entered in the next box. This should generate the information needed for a special free visa.

The tool will tell you if you need a visa or not. It then requests information on “Your plans”.

Under this, you need to click “visitor” if you are a retiree or early-retiree and are not coming under any other visa heading, such as certain family links.

In the latter case, choose “family or private settlement” and then the relevant relationship in the next box. For salaried work, click “business” and then “recruitment or posting workers”. For starting a trade or other small business, click “business” and “entrepreneur”.

The tool will indicate the amount of the visa fee (€99 for a long-stay visa, or about £84 or $112 when converted) and the supporting documents required.

If you need a visa, you then start by applying online at the same website.

Official French sources state that you should not apply for a long-stay visa more than six months before your planned date of travel to France (which would be the start of the visa) if applying from the UK, or three months if applying in the US.

There is a grey area as to whether this refers to the date of completing the initial application forms online or the date at which the complete application, including supporting documents, is taken to the offices of the French consulate’s visa contractors and forwarded to the consulate.

We advise, in any case, starting to fill out the form several months before you plan to travel. You can save it as you go, and finish and sign it off at your convenience.

Information on visas can also be obtained on the website and on the sites and helplines of the contractors.

The French consulate in your country of origin may also be able to answer queries (for example, Washington DC for the US and London for the UK).

The visa application itself is started at France-Visas by clicking “Start your visa application”.

Find information for your country 

In many countries, France works with a partner organisation to collect applications and paperwork, and the websites of these organisations can be one source of information.

You will usually have to make an appointment to visit in person with your paperwork after you have completed your initial application at France-Visas. However, it is useful to check the website for further information before you start.

See here for information local to your country. Click your part of the world, then your country of residence.

For example, in the US, visas are issued by the Consulate General of France in Washington DC, and visa paperwork is collected by one of 10 TLS centres. You are advised to book an appointment at least one month before the intended departure day. Further details of centres and bookings can be found through the US information at the link above. 

There is a service fee from TLS which, since 2025, is quoted as €220 ($256) per application. In 2024, former provider VFS Global was citing $34, so this appears to be around a seven-fold increase since the change of providers.

 Help is offered by phone or online message. An “apply anywhere” option exists where someone will come to your home to complete the formalities. There is a minimum charge of $1,140, plus $380 for each additional applicant.

Assistance with an application is available at $60 (or just with form filling, for $45), and use of a premium lounge at the visa centre for $115.

Appointment slots outside standard hours are sometimes available for $80 extra. There is also express courier return of your passport for $40.

In the UK, visas are issued by the French Consulate General in London, but paperwork is collected and checked by TLScontact in Wandsworth (west London), Manchester, or Edinburgh. 

France-Visas say visas are usually processed within two to 15 working days of being passed to the consular service, however this can vary case by case. 

In 2026, the service fee charged by TLScontact is €55 for a long-stay visa and the Wandsworth (London) centre, for example, lists the following optional extras:

For Wandsworth (London), TLScontact currently lists these optional extras:

• Premium lounge: £100

• Apply Anywhere: £250

• Royal Mail Special Delivery passport return: £30 UK / £50 international

• Prime Time appointment: £60

• Form-filling assistance: £15

• Photocopies: 30p each

• Passport photos: £10

In 2026, TLScontact in the UK states it also has a 'pop-up' centre in Kennington (central south London), but using this costs an additional £50. This fee also includes services such as a pre-appointment document check and passport delivery.

What details are asked for when applying?

You fill out the form at France-Visas and the route through this varies depending on your reason for visiting France. However, the main steps are similar whatever kind of visa you are applying for.

Click on “Start your visa application” and you will be invited to create an account on the site using your email address. You can choose to apply in French or English. Click the link in your email to continue, then click Créer une nouvelle demande (Create a new application), which will open a form.

On the first page, you are asked to enter your nationality, whether you are travelling with or joining a close family member who is an EU/EEA (but not French) citizen or a Brexit WA beneficiary, the country you are applying from, the place you want to go (France), and the town where you will submit your paperwork. In the UK, this is London, Edinburgh, or Manchester, and in the US it is Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, or Washington. You must also select the type of visa, for example long-séjour (long-stay).

You then give your passport number and expiry date and are asked to select your plans. Options include études (study), travailleur (business), or talent (for highly qualified people). Installation familiale refers to joining family in France, while visiteur is for people such as retirees and early retirees moving to France.

Under motif principal (main purpose), you select the reason for your travel, such as visiteur majeur (adult visitor) or regroupement familial (family reunion). After this, click “verify” and then “next”.

You must then enter further personal information, including your address, date of birth, job, and employer’s address. You are also asked whether you will be joining or travelling with French family members or if you have family in France. In the profession section, you may select retraite (retired) if you can provide proof of being a state pensioner, or sans profession (no profession) if applicable.

Next, you are asked about previous stays in France lasting more than three consecutive months. You must enter your intended dates and double-check your plans, such as “visitor”. Enter the intended start date and choose “between three and six months” for a VLS-T. In some cases, a VLS-T may be issued for six months to a year, but this is not typical. If you are moving on a settled basis, choose “more than one year”. You are also asked if you plan to travel with family members.

You must then provide details of where you will stay, including names, addresses, and contact details. You are asked how you will fund the trip. If you choose “myself”, you will be asked to indicate funding sources such as numéraire (cash) or credit cards. You may also indicate funding from a host or guarantor.

The system then displays a summary of your application, which you should print as a PDF by clicking the small document icon. You can still edit details at this stage, but not after you confirm everything. You should check carefully for mistakes, as correcting errors later can be difficult, especially for misspelt names or incorrect visa reasons.

After making your first application, you may add up to six group members so that you can attend together.

Non-EU children require a visa, but parents should apply for minor children. Under-12s do not have to give fingerprints and are not allowed into visa centres, so their parents may complete their formalities for them (note that some TLS centres allow them into premium lounge facilities). 

Once your account is created and your application is complete, a green tick will appear. You should print both the application form and the application receipt, which contain ID numbers.

The site then shows the supporting documents you need and how to book an appointment. In the UK and US, this is done through TLScontact. Some UK users have reported that TLScontact expected travel arrangements to be in place. You must click on the contractor’s site to create an account and book an appointment. You will be shown available appointments in the coming weeks. New slots are released regularly.

You should choose an appointment that allows several weeks for processing before your planned departure. The processing fee must be paid online when booking, and you should print your appointment notification. You will also be asked whether you are applying as part of a group.

Tips: One source of help filling forms is TLScontact's own form-filling assistance. To contact the organisation, in the UK, you can call +44 (0)203 8921485 or 0800 06 68 788. In the US, call +1 305 602 5861 or use the online contact form. The visas office in Washington DC can also be contacted at visas.washingtonfslt@diplomatie.gouv.fr.

Some applicants have reported difficulty finding appointment slots, so it is advised to start around three or more months before departure.

In the UK, Edinburgh is usually quieter than London.

You may consider paying extra for early morning or Saturday slots under “Added value services” or “Apply Anywhere”. 

Be aware that services are often already busy by spring.