France has introduced a mandatory online visa appointment system for international travellers. The new process applies to both short-stay Schengen visas and long-stay national visas and changes how applicants book visa appointments.

Travellers must now begin their application on the official France-Visas portal. They are required to use the Visa Wizard tool to check if a visa is needed, select the correct visa type, review the required documents and confirm the applicable fees. Applicants can request an appointment only after completing this step.

Once eligibility is confirmed, travellers must submit an appointment request through the Démarches Simplifiées platform. They need to provide basic details such as travel dates, purpose of visit and destination. After submitting the request, applicants receive an email. They must confirm the request to secure the appointment. If they do not confirm, the system may cancel the request.

After confirmation, applicants must complete the visa application form online, print it and prepare the required documents. At the visa application centre, officials verify the documents, collect the visa fee and record biometric data, including fingerprints and photographs. Applicants who provided biometric data within the last 59 months may not need to appear in person in some cases.

French authorities introduced the system to improve efficiency and reduce misuse of visa appointments. The digital process also aims to make the application journey more transparent for travellers. Applicants are advised to use only official government platforms and avoid third-party websites that charge additional fees. Travellers are also encouraged to apply well in advance.