This varies depending on which visa you are looking for but for the general French schengen travel visa the following original documents need to be submitted:

• Application form completed and signed by the applicant in person.



• 2 Recent passport sized photographs.
  The photographs must be passport-size (3,5 x 4,5cm) in color, taken against a white background with good contrast, clear, good quality, printed on normal photographic paper, unmonted and full face without sunglasses or head covering. (Glassess should not appear in the photo for the visa, unless glasses appear in the passport photo too.)



• Passport or travel document
  Valid for at least three months after the date of expiry of the visa applied for. The visa sticker takes up a whole page in your passport or travel document. Please ensure that your passport has at least one blank visa page!



• Evidence that you have sufficient financial means to support yourself during your journey ( a recent less than one month old bank statement stating your name and address). Cash is not accepted as proof!



• Proof of accommodation booking This is to show where you are staying in France during your stay. Visa First can organize this accommodation for you.



• Proof of Medical Insurance Cover Visa First can provide you with schengen travel insurance.

If you intend to visit several of the Schengen countries without having main destination, you should apply for a visa at the Embassy or Consulate of the first Schengen country on your travel itinerary that requires you to have a visa.

Almost all nationalities outside of Europe except Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea, Japan If you are from one of the following countries you will need to apply at the embassy in person:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belize, Myanmar, Burundi, Colombia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran , Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, N. Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Travel Document holders (1951 Convention), Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Surinam, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, and Zimbabwe (for France only).

We charge £110 for processing each visa.

Varies from 5 days- 2 weeks. It depends on how busy the embassy is.
*It is advisable to apply at least 3 weeks before travel just to be safe.

Although there have been a number of new countries (including Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic) who have recently joined the EU - these countries have NOT yet joined the Schengen Agreement. As a result a visa issued by a Schengen Country will NOT currently cover these new EU members and a visa from these new members will NOT cover you for travel to the Schengen countries.

A single entry visa allows the traveller to enter a country once during the validity of the visa issued. When the traveller has left the country the visa is no longer valid and you would be required to re-apply for another visa if you wish to visit that country again. A multi entry visa will allow you to enter/leave the country several times during the validity of the visa. In the case of a Schengen Visa you would be able to use a multi-entry visa to visit other Schengen countries.

Most visa requirements are based on reciprocal agreements between two countries. Some countries base visa requirements on diplomatic or historical relations.

In general, tourist visas are issued for the purpose of tourism, while a "business" visa permits a traveller to engage in normal business related activities. The visa requirements for tourist and/or business visas may vary. Many countries that do not require tourist visas for UK passport holders may require a visa for business purposes.

Most visas are stamped, or affixed, in your passport on the pages specifically marked for them, and foreign consular officials require that visa stamps be placed on those pages that do not contain any other stamps or marks.

Having indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom does not affect whether you require a visa or not as visa requirements are based on the passport that you travel on.

There are many countries that British passport holders do not require a visa for travelling as a tourist for short periods (usually for periods between 30 days to 180 days). In these cases it may be sufficient for the traveller to present a British passport valid for at least six months, as well as a ticket showing a scheduled date of departure from the country being visited. Depending upon the country, business visas are most often required for a traveller who has a commercial agenda in the destination country. The Schengen Office can assist British citizens in obtaining visas for countries where they do need visas including Russia, India, China, Nepal, Vietnam, Thailand, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Kenya and Tanzania to name a few.

Visa invitations/confirmations are documents, often directly approved by the Foreign Ministry of the country to be visited, that authorises a particular traveller to visit that country. They typically state the dates and cities you are visiting, the name of a hosting organisation, as well as an "official" reference number and seal of approval. This is particularly prevalent for Russia and many Schengen countries. Required formats for invitations and confirmations vary by country.

Each embassy has its own stance on how long a visa will be issued for. Some are issued for the specific dates that you are travelling (usually single entry), others may be multi-entry, some are valid from the day you apply others a valid from date of expected first entry.

The decision to grant a visa, the duration of the visa and/or the type of visa is at the sole discretion of The Embassy/Consulate. We are not responsible for any decision of the consulate. Please consult our Terms & Condition for more info.

The time it takes to obtain a visa varies between each country and in some cases is dependent on your nationality. Visas can take anywhere from one day to ten weeks to obtain. In some cases as an agency we are able to obtain a visa in a shorter period of time relative to public applications.

Most people travel to a country once and so the embassies provide a single entry visa.

Requirements vary between countries. Some of the requirements requested by the embassies include:

• Proof of travel (tickets, original travel agent itinerary);
• Proof of accommodation (confirmed hotel reservations, official invitations);
• Bank statements;
• Letter from your employer or letter from college if a student;
• Travel insurance;
• Business invitations.

Minors are generally required to provide written approval from both parents/legal guardians and submission of birth certificate and parents/legal guardians’ passports on application.

Click here

Varies from 5 days to 2 weeks. It depends on how busy the embassy is.
*It is advisable to apply at least 3 weeks before travel just to be safe.