France Visa from the UK: Appointments, Checklist & Fees

Do UK residents need a visa for France?

British, Irish and EU citizens do not need a visa to visit France for up to 90 days in any 180. Most other nationals living in the UK do, even with settled status, a Skilled Worker visa or a family visa.

That includes, among others, nationals of India, Pakistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh, China, South Africa, Turkey and the Philippines. UK residence does not exempt you, but it does let you apply from the UK rather than your home country, as long as your UK permission lasts well beyond the trip: we could not find a fixed France-specific minimum on official pages, so as a cautious rule plan on at least 3 months after your return (check the France-Visas UK page for your case), and read our guide to UK visa validity for a Schengen visa if yours is close to expiring. If you are in the UK on a standard visitor visa, you should normally apply in your home country instead; see Schengen visas on a UK visitor visa.

You prove UK status with a UKVI eVisa share code, not a BRP. Our eVisa share code guide shows how. ETIAS, the €20 travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers such as British citizens, has no launch date yet and does not replace a visa for anyone who needs one.

France visa appointments in the UK

Almost every France short-stay application in the UK is lodged in person at TLScontact, which runs centres in London, Manchester and Edinburgh for the Consulate General of France in London. France has no regional jurisdiction, so you can use any centre wherever you live.

TLScontact checks your file, takes fingerprints and a photo, collects fees and returns your passport. It has no say in the outcome: the consulate in London decides every application, whichever centre you use. France-Visas names TLScontact as the only external provider authorised by the French Consulate in London to receive applications and return passports at all three UK centres. The one exception is narrow: France-Visas says applicants for two short-stay categories, spouse of a French national and family member of a European national, can apply directly at the Consulate General in London instead; check the France-Visas UK page if that applies to you.

London

France-Visas and TLScontact both list the London centre in Wandsworth, at 18 Ryeland Boulevard, London SW18 1UN, in south-west London rather than the centre of town. Check the address and entry instructions on your appointment confirmation before you travel. London has the highest demand, especially from March to August. It suits applicants across the South of England, the Midlands, Wales and anyone near a fast rail link.

Manchester

France-Visas lists the Manchester centre at 1 Portland Street, Manchester M1 3BE. It suits the North West, Yorkshire, North Wales and the Midlands.

Edinburgh

The Edinburgh centre is at Argyle House, 3 Lady Lawson Street, Edinburgh. France-Visas gives the postcode as EH3 9DS and TLScontact as EH3 9DR, so use the address on your appointment confirmation. It is the natural choice for Scotland, Northern Ireland and North East England.

Whichever centre you use, the consulate in London makes the decision.

How to book

TLScontact no longer offers a calendar of short-stay slots to choose from at its UK France centres. Instead, appointments are allocated automatically, based on availability. The process uses two websites, in this order:

1. Complete the France-Visas form and note your France-Visas reference number. Print and sign the form and receipt.
2. Register on the TLScontact France UK site for the centre you want, with an email address you check often, and provide each applicant’s application details.
3. Wait in the queue. Once your details are validated, you are placed in a queue. There is no fixed waiting time.
4. Watch your email, including spam. When an appointment is allocated, TLScontact emails you, and you have 12 hours to pay its service fee and confirm the appointment.
5. Save and print the confirmation. Any optional services are extras; none are required.

Appointments are personal and cannot be transferred. If no appointment is allocated within 60 days, TLScontact deletes your data and you must register again. If your dates change, check your TLScontact account for what you can change, and update your France-Visas form so the details match. These rules are new, so read the current instructions on the TLScontact site before you register.

Important: We do not book, hold or supply appointments, and nobody can legitimately sell you a TLScontact appointment. We help you register correctly in your own name on the official system, and prepare your file so it is ready for the day.

Availability by season

Demand is highest from March to August, and around school holidays and Christmas, so expect longer waits for an allocation at those times. Register as soon as your travel dates are firm and your France-Visas form is complete, keep your documents ready so you can attend whatever date you are given, and check your email regularly so you do not miss the 12-hour window to confirm.

On the day

Arrive on time rather than very early, and follow the entry rules on your appointment confirmation, including any limits on luggage and on who may accompany you. Staff check your file, take fingerprints and a photo (unless you gave fingerprints for a Schengen visa in the last 59 months or are under 12), collect any fees still due and keep your passport.

TLScontact may offer optional paid extras. What is available, and the price, varies by centre, so check the TLScontact site. They are conveniences only and do not affect the consulate’s decision.

France visa document checklist for UK residents

France’s checklist is standard Schengen, but the consulate reads it closely for consistency. Every date, address and employer name on your France-Visas form must match your documents, and you need evidence for every night you will spend in France.

The France-Visas form must be printed, signed and accompanied by the receipt with its barcode. Your passport must be under 10 years old, valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area, and have two blank pages; bring copies of the photo page and recent Schengen visas. The photo should be a recent passport-style colour photo on a plain light background that meets ICAO standards.

Travel insurance needs at least €30,000 of medical cover, valid in every Schengen state for every day of the trip; policies that start the day after you travel are a common slip (see our travel insurance guide). A reservation for the Eurostar, ferry or flight is enough; you do not need non-refundable tickets. Accommodation must cover every night, with no gaps between bookings.

The France-specific document is the attestation d’accueil. If you stay in a private home, your host applies for it in person at the mairie where they live, paying a €30 tax stamp that is not refunded if the request is refused. The mairie has up to a month to respond and may check the home, so your host should start four to six weeks before your appointment and send you the validated original by tracked post. A scan or an invitation letter does not replace it. A copy of your host’s identity document or French residence permit is a sensible addition if your checklist asks for it.

Documents in English are usually fine. Anything in another language, such as a birth certificate from your home country, should normally come with a translation; follow the checklist France-Visas gives you. Bring originals of official documents with a photocopy of each, in checklist order. A short cover letter is optional but helps.

Employed

An employer letter on headed paper confirming your role, salary, start date and approved leave, plus your last 3 months’ payslips. The leave dates must match the form.

Self-employed

Your Companies House record or HMRC self-employment registration, latest SA302 and tax year overview, and 3 months of business statements. Recent invoices or contracts help where accounts are thin. See our self-employed guide.

Students

An enrolment letter from your UK institution with term dates, and your own funding evidence or a parent’s sponsorship letter and statements. Travel in the holidays; see our students guide.

Retired

Pension statements or award letters, plus 3 months of bank or savings statements showing the pension arriving.

Sponsored

The sponsor’s signed letter, their 3 months of statements, proof of their identity and UK status, and evidence of your relationship, such as a marriage or birth certificate. Our invitation and sponsor letter guide has a structure to follow.

Children

A full birth certificate, a consent letter from any parent not travelling with a copy of their passport, and a France-Visas form signed by a parent or legal guardian. See Schengen visas for children.

How much money do you need for a France visa?

France publishes daily reference amounts on France-Visas, and they are a sensible benchmark for the funds your bank statements should show. The rate depends on where you sleep.

If only part of the trip is booked, the €65 rate applies to the booked nights and €120 to the rest. A 10-night trip with hotels throughout therefore points to at least €650 available, on top of your travel costs and normal UK outgoings.

France-Visas presents these as the minimum funds you may be asked to show at the French border; they are reference figures, not an automatic pass mark for the visa. Three months of personal statements showing a regular salary and a balance that comfortably covers the trip read far better than a large deposit just before you apply, which invites questions about where it came from. Our guide to bank statements for a Schengen visa explains what officers look for.

France visa fees from the UK

The consular fee is €90 for adults, €45 for children aged 6 to 11 and free for under-6s. It is charged in pounds and the sterling figure can change, so check the current amount on the TLScontact site. TLScontact adds its own service fee per applicant.

The TLScontact service fee changes from time to time and figures quoted on third-party sites are often out of date, so confirm the current amount on the TLScontact site before you pay. Family members of EU or EEA citizens covered by EU free movement rules may be entitled to a free visa, so check the France-Visas guidance and mention it at the appointment if it applies.

How long does a France visa take from the UK?

The consulate must decide within 15 calendar days of TLScontact receiving your file, extendable to 45 days if more checks are needed. France-Visas says the decision usually takes 15 days, so plan for that plus the wait for an appointment.

The clock only starts when your file is lodged at TLScontact, not when you register. Because appointments are now allocated from a queue with no fixed waiting time, the wait for an appointment can be longer than the decision itself, especially in spring and summer. You can apply up to 6 months before travel and no later than 15 calendar days before.

Remember TLScontact keeps your passport while the application is processed, so do not apply if you need your passport to travel elsewhere in the meantime.

France visa types for UK residents

Most UK residents apply for a short-stay (type C) Schengen visa for tourism, a family visit or business. The purpose you select on France-Visas changes the evidence the consulate expects.

Tourist. Hotel or rental bookings for every night and a simple day-by-day plan. If you are touring several countries, France must be your main destination: the most nights, or the first entry if nights are equal. Our guide on which country to apply to covers edge cases.

Family or friend visit. If you stay in your host’s home, you need the original attestation d’accueil and a copy of their French ID or residence permit. A personal letter about your relationship and plans adds context. See our family visit visa guide.

Business. An invitation from the French company with dates and purpose, plus a letter from your UK employer confirming your role and who pays. Conference or trade fair registrations help; see our business visa guide.

Events, medical treatment and short courses. Performers, athletes and delegates need the organiser’s invitation. Medical visitors need a letter from the French hospital or clinic and proof that costs are paid or covered. Language courses up to 90 days fit a short-stay visa.

Airport transit. Only certain nationalities need one to change flights in the international zone of a French airport.

Students on holiday. UK students apply as tourists, with an enrolment letter showing the trip falls in a break.

Stays longer than 90 days, including study, work or joining family, need a French long-stay (type D) visa, also applied for through France-Visas.

France-specific tips

A few points regularly catch UK applicants out with the French consulate.

• Form before appointment. You need your France-Visas application details to register with TLScontact, so complete the form first, and re-check it if your dates change.
• Start the attestation early. The mairie’s processing time, not the consulate’s, is often what delays a family visit.
• Juxtaposed controls. France checks visas in the UK at St Pancras, Dover and Folkestone, so your EES registration happens before you leave. EES is fully operational, so allow extra time on your first crossing.
• Overseas France is not Schengen. Réunion, Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and Mayotte need a separate visa valid for that territory if your nationality requires one; Corsica is covered.
• Time your share code. It lasts 90 days; one generated months earlier may have expired when the officer checks it.
• Use your visa well. Applicants with a good Schengen record may receive a longer multiple-entry visa. Stay within the 90/180-day rule.

Why France visas are refused (and how to avoid it)

Most French refusals come from a few avoidable problems, usually inconsistency rather than a missing document.

• Unclear funds. Balances below the daily reference amounts, or statements that do not match the salary on your payslips.
• Doubts about returning. Weak employment ties, or UK permission that ends soon after the trip.
• Accommodation gaps. Bookings that miss nights, or no attestation d’accueil for a private stay.
• Inconsistent details. Different dates or addresses on the France-Visas form, cover letter and employer letter.
• Insurance that falls short. Below €30,000, missing days, or excluding a Schengen state.
• Unexplained purpose. A business trip without an invitation, or an itinerary that makes another country the main destination.

If refused, the standard EU form ticks the grounds, and the consulate gives no reasons beyond those in the Visa Code. For a short-stay visa, the first step is a written administrative appeal, in French, signed and setting out your reasons, sent by post to the sous-directeur des visas at the French Ministry of the Interior (BP 83609, 44036 Nantes Cedex 01) within 30 days of being notified. This appeal is compulsory before any challenge at the administrative court in Nantes, so keep proof of posting; no reply within 2 months counts as a rejection, after which you have 2 months to go to the court. Alternatively, reapply with evidence that answers each ground. Our refusal guide explains how to choose.