Visa Application Procedure at the Consulate General of France in Mumbai

With effect from 13th November 2006 every applicant (12 years and above for a Schengen visa and 6 years and above for a long stay/national visa) is required to complete the process of finger-printing at the office of the Consulate General of France at:7th Floor, Hoechst House,193,BackBay Reclamation,Nariman Point,Mumbai – 400021.

Step 1: Applicants wishing to apply for a transit visa or a short stay visa up to 90 days are required to submit their applications after taking a prior appointment at the France Visa Application Centre at: France Visa Application Centre, 2nd Floor, Aurum House, Plot no.25, Dadyseth Lane, Chowpatty Band Stand, Near Bombay Garage, Babulnath, Mumbai-400 007.

Appointments can be taken online at www.vfs-france.co.in or by telephoning the France Visa Call Centre in Mumbai (phone number: 022-6631-4000). The Internet facility is available 24x7 while the phone-in facility is available 0900-1200 noon and 1245-1730 hours, Monday-Friday.

Step 2: On the day of submission every applicant will be given an interview appointment with the office of the Consulate General of France for the next working day. The interview appointment is for completing the process of biometrics. It is a MUST for every applicant to visit the Consulate office in person.

If your application is complete, processed passports can be collected from the Consulate office on completion of the biometric process.

There will be a service charge of Rs. 607/- (inclusive of service tax) levied per application over and above the visa fees. The visa fee and service charge are payable in cash at the time of submitting your application.

New long stay (national) visas equivalent to a residence permit

As of 1st June 2009, holders of long stay visas for France (3 months +) will be exempted from applying for a residence permit (carte de sejour) at the Prefecture after their arrival in France.

  Beneficiaries of the reform

• foreign dependents of French Nationals
• visitors
• students
• employees
• temporary workers

This reform does not apply to the following categories :

• Scientists
• Employees on assignment
• Applicants for skill and expertise permit
• Children joining primary/secondary schools in France

The new provisions are valid for metropolitan France, French Overseas Departments (Guadeloupe, Guyanne, Martinique and Reunion) as well as St Pierre and Miquelon. They do not extend to the French Overseas Territories of New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna and Mayotte.

• As holder of a long stay visa, you no longer need to apply for a residence permit at the Prefecture.
• The applicant must enclose with his application a document called Attestation OFFI Form PDF that will have to be posted by registered mail to the local “Delegation territoriale de l’OFII” within three months of arrival in France - Addresses can be found at the back of the Attestation OFII or online at website of the OFII.
• Note that this registration process is compulsory and non-compliance will result in the person being considered illegal by the French Authorities.
• Holders of one of these visas are allowed to travel in all Schengen States for a period of stay up to 3 months within the validity of the visa.
• Visa processing time will be about one week (depending on nationality and purpose of stay).

• The application form
• The supporting documents.

• Appointments can be taken online at www.vfs-france.co.in or by telephoning the France Visa Call Centre (VFS) in Mumbai (phone number: 022-6631-4000). The helpline facility is available from 0900-1200 noon and 1245-1730 hours, Monday-Friday.
• It is MANDATORY to first visit the France Visa Application Centre (VFS - 2nd Floor, Aurum House, Plot no. 25, Dadyseth Lane, Chowpatty Band Stand, Near Bombay Garage, Babulnath, Mumbai 400 007) one hour prior to the appointment at the Consulate to pay the logistic fees of Rs. 221/- per application inclusive of service charges & courier fees Rs. 200/- (optional).
• Once the Logistics fees and courier fees (optional) have been paid at the France Visa Application Centre, applicants will get a bar coded envelope which they need to hand over to the Consulate General of France, along with other documents as per their appointment timings, where they have to appear IN PERSON for the collection of biometrics data (fingerprints and photography).
• Address of the Consulate General of France (7th Floor, Hoechst House, 193 Backbay Reclamation, Behind NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai 400 021).
• Post submitting your application and processing the same by the Consulate General of France in Mumbai, all processed passports can be collected from the France Visa Application Center from Monday to Friday between 1600–1700 hours. You are requested to carry the original fee receipt issued by the French Consulate at time of submission for collecting your passport.
• If you wish to send a representative or a Travel Agent kindly send an Authority Letter along with the original fee receipt. Please note that it is mandatory for all representatives / travel agents to provide a proper, clear photo identity of self at the time of collection of the passport.

         Click here to schedule an appointment.

Click on respective purpose of travel from the links below for more details:

Effective immediately Consulate General of France in Mumbai will stop issuing the "Ordinary Transit visas" (B type). Instead all applications for Ordinary Transit visa “B Type” (Including Seaman Transit Visas) will be issued "Business Schengen visas" (C type)

Click here for documents for Dependant married to French nationals