French Schengen Visa Processing

[Donutz]

Hi Guys,

I would like to know how long is the processing of Schengen visa for France.
I just got my BRP (FLR) card, the earliest appointment I can get from TLSContact to apply schengen visa is August 17. Our problem is we need to travel on August 22 to attend hubby's aunt birthday party, we will be back the next day. So basically we will just stay in France overnight.

Do you think we can get the visa in time to the travel date.

Your help will be very much appreciated.

That is a bit long, since EU/EEA spouse applicants need to be given an appointment ASAP. But at the most within 2 weeks of the request. So perhaps the embassy can be of better assistance if you contact them directly (bypass the entirely optional service providers, no person, especially not EU/EAA applicants, can be required to use them) and see what is possible.



- An appointment MUST be given within 2 weeks of the request being made (unless ofcourse you desire an other date, you can apply up to 3 months in advance of the intended travel date).
- If you are an family member (spouse) of an EU/EEA national the apointment should be given ASAP (max 2 weeks but preferably sooner,since should be ASAP
- TLS and VFS are entirely optional for all applicants, especially EU/EEA applicants, a direct application via the embassy must be possible (avoiding the optional external party and thus their service fee)

- The embassy is required by the visa code to provide all this information clearly (the French don't give a damn though I think). Complaints can be sent to Solvit and EU Home Affairs.

See:
- http://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens...y/index_en.htm (Solvit under "more help" at the bottom).

- http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/home-affairs...y/index_en.htm (see contact page for well... contact..).


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3.1. Visa Fee
No visa fee can be charged.

3.2. Service fee in case of outsourcing of the collection of applications
As family members should not pay any fee when submitting the application, they cannot be
obliged to obtain an appointment via a premium call line or via an external provider whose
services are charged to the applicant. Family members must be allowed to lodge their
application directly at the consulate without any costs. However, if family members decide
not to make use of their right to lodge their application directly at the consulate but to use the
extra services, they should pay for these services.
If an appointment system is nevertheless in place, separate call lines (at ordinary local tariff)
to the consulate should be put at the disposal of family members respecting comparable
standards to those of "premium lines", i.e. the availability of such lines should be of standards
comparable to those in place for other categories of applicants and an appointment must be
allocated without delay.

3.3. Granting every facility
Member States shall grant third country family members of EU citizens falling under the
Directive every facility to obtain the necessary visa. This notion must be interpreted as
ensuring that Member States take all appropriate measures to ensure fulfilment of the
obligations arising out of the right of free movement and afford to such visa applicants the
best conditions to obtain the entry visa.

3.4. Processing time
The visas must be issued as soon as possible and on the basis of an accelerated procedure and
the procedures put in place by Member States (with or without outsourcing) must allow to
distinguish between the rights of a third country national who is a family member of an EU
citizen and other third country nationals. The former must be treated more favourably than the
latter.

CHAPTER II

Application

Article 9

Practical modalities for lodging an application

1. Applications shall be lodged no more than three months before the start of the intended visit. Holders of a multiple-entry visa may lodge the application before the expiry of the visa valid for a period of at least six months.

2. Applicants may be required to obtain an appointment for the lodging of an application. The appointment shall, as a rule, take place within a period of two weeks from the date when the appointment was requested.

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-conte...LEX:32009R0810


And:

"4.4. Direct access
Maintaining the possibility for visa applicants to lodge their applications directly at the consulate instead of via an external service provider implies that there should be a genuine choice between these two possibilities.

Even if direct access does not have to be organised under identical or similar conditions to those for access to the service provider, the conditions should not make direct access impossible in practice. Even if it is acceptable to have a different waiting time for obtaining an appointment in the case of direct access, the waiting time should not be so long that it would render direct access impossible in practice.

The different options available for lodging a visa application should be presented plainly to the public, including clear information both on the choice and the cost of the additional services of the external service provider (see Part I, point 4.1)."

See: http://filipinaroses.com/showthread....l=1#post538023

I added a new post to the very useful Schengen sticky thread:
http://filipinaroses.com/showthread....ina-wife/page4