Approved Visa | French Embassy in Washington, USA & TLS Contact in San Francisco Experience
Sharing my journey of obtaining a visa appointment and getting back my passport with a French Schengen visa from the USA, with the hope that it helps someone in a similar situation.
A summary of the overall visa application process can be found at https://visas-fr.tlscontact.com/country/us/vac/usSFO2fr/application-process?lang=en-us
- May 21: TLS appointment in San Francisco. It was a morning slot. The end-to-end process took 1.5 hours.
- May 23: Application transferred to the consulate (TLS sent email notification)
- May 24-26: Long weekend
- May 27: "In Progress" in yellow on the TLS tracking page (no email notification)
- May 29: Passport returned. (TLS sent email notification)
- May 30: Received passport in hand.
Some thoughts:
- When I looked for visa appointment slots in SF around the end of April, I could see appointments 3 weeks out.
- I submitted all the documents as per the France Visa form checklist. The only additional things I gave were 1) a "cover letter" explaining each section of that requirements list in 2-3 lines. 2) brief itinerary in a tabular format with columns date, hotel, and activities planned.
- At the TLS SF center, we were allowed to take electronic devices like phone, laptop. Taking appointments earlier in the day is better to avoid delays and longer wait times.
- Overall costs for the process: ~$50 for TLS appointment, ~$100 for visa fees, $40 for UPS for returning passport.
- TLS takes your fingerprints but not photos. I got mine from UPS for $18. My suggestion would be to take the strip (with 6 photos for me) that they give you without cutting it to size. TLS cuts it based on the size they think works. Here are the photo requirements: https://france-visas.gouv.fr/documents/d/france-visas/iso_iec_fv_visa_photograph_requirements_en
Reddit Posts that helped me the most for my case
https://www.reddit.com/r/SchengenVisa/comments/1kcnlmu/comment/mqr226x/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SchengenVisa/comments/1kofgu2/schengen_visa_for_france/
I am sharing only generic information that could help most applicants. Reddit already has much more helpful information and guidance.
All the best to those applying.
Posted Jun 1, 2025, 6:17 PM UTC