French Visa Success: A Speedy TLSCONTACT Experience
Fast Track to France: My Visa Timeline
My French visa application through TLSCONTACT was surprisingly quick! Just seven days from submitting the documents and providing biometrics, I received a decision.
Preparation is Key: Following the Experts
I meticulously prepared my application, closely following the detailed steps outlined in Mì Lifestyle's video. I also consulted with friends and gathered additional information from online groups.
Helpful Tips & Insights
- Online Form Woes: While the visa application form was supposed to be in English, it defaulted to French. We relied on Google Translate to navigate it. TLSCONTACT does offer a form completion service for a fee if you need assistance.
- Appointment Flexibility: You can reschedule your appointment once for free within 24 hours. I initially booked for a Thursday but moved it earlier (at a cost) after a friend advised me to prioritize speed. Luckily, the change turned out to be free!
- Family Applications: When submitting as a family, include original travel documents (flight tickets, itinerary, bookings, insurance, bank statements, CT07, cover letter) with the primary applicant's file. Provide photocopies for each family member, highlighting their names on each copy.
- CT07 Replacement: In place of a traditional household registration book, use the CT07 form. Obtain this through the online public service portal by requesting verification of residency information (form CT01). After submitting online, pick up the signed original at your local ward office in 3-5 days. Make 4-5 certified copies, providing one for each applicant.
- Work Documents: If possible, have your employer provide bilingual work documents. Otherwise, translate them yourself and have the translation certified by a notary public (around 40k VND per page). This is significantly cheaper than using a translation service (100k VND per page!). Note that a self-attested translation is not accepted; certified translation is mandatory.
- On-Site Assistance: Decline the offer for on-site document assistance (costing 1.2 million VND per person). You can supplement your application until 4 PM on the day of submission. We completed our submission by 9:15 AM and had plenty of time to get breakfast and return with the requested documents by 11 AM.
- Additional Documents: We were asked to provide a certified translation of my husband's employment documents and three-month bank statements for our children (both over 18).
- Passport Collection: After submitting, you can authorize one person to collect all passports on behalf of the family at the passport return window.
TLSCONTACT Impression
The TLSCONTACT staff were young, helpful, professional, and polite. The security guard was a bit strict, though, reminding us to keep our voices down.
Visa Approved!
I received my visa approval within a week! TLSCONTACT notified me via text message and email. The process was so quick that I didn't even have time to track the application. During submission, I was initially informed that the processing time was 15 working days.
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