France Schengen VISA Application Experience
Disclaimer:
This is my first-hand experience, and each and every application varies. The application process may change over time, and this blog may or may not.
Application
Compared to the United States VISA application in the Philippines, which involves a 2-step process for biometrics and a VISA interview at different locations, the France Schengen VISA application is simpler, requiring only one appointment that needs to be made and attended in person at Rockwell, Makati.
There is no visa interview at the embassy, and you only need to submit your documents to TLSContact, the contractor of the French embassy, to handle visa applications. They are only the handlers to make sure everything is correct and make it more convenient for you, the applicant, as they pass on your documents to the embassy.
Because they lack a VISA interview stage, you can't get away with finessing it, unlike the US VISA application.
Documents
Documents to bring from the official form:
My missing optional documents, which you may benefit from bringing:
- Birth Certificate
- School ID
- Certificate of Enrollment
I also didn't have any bank certificates, but I had bank statements from UnionBank. They still accepted it, but it is highly recommended, if not expected.
Appointment
The whole appointment overall takes around 2 hours and 3 hours in the worst case, which is far shorter than the US VISA application. There are 4 stages, in which terminology is only mine:
- Document checking
- Document submission
- Payment
- Biometrics
Missing Documents
When you hand your documents, all required documents must be included to tick all the boxes. They say that if you don't tick all the boxes, the embassy may email you and request them.
However, in my first application, I didn't bring or even book a flight ticket and only brought an itinerary of what I would do day-by-day, and I thought I could book it after I got my visa approved. I hoped the embassy would reach out because that's my only missing document, but in the end, I got refused.
There are also cases where you can still submit until 4 PM before they deliver it to the French embassy.
Flight Reservation vs Refundable Ticket
There is an online debate about whether to make a flight reservation or a refundable ticket. To my understanding, flight reservations are cheap ($20), but fake booking is available for only 2 or so days. It might be true that the embassy can check online, but the timeline before it expires is extremely tight, because it can easily take a week or more.
Refundable flight tickets are way more expensive than flight reservations. In my experience, this is the full flight ticket with the option to refund the ticket for a $200 fee, which varies by airline.
Not all airlines offer refundable tickets, but some offer free cancellations for a max of 6 hours to 2 days or so. I chose Emirates compared to Qatar Airways and Etihad for two reasons:
- I can refund my $1000 flight for $200
- Free 25kg check-in baggage
In my first application, I sat alongside the VISA application agency people, with them saying refundable tickets are what they do to prevent huge upfront costs to the applicants.
However, I don't know the flight reservations that they use, so I decided to go the expensive way in my second application, and risk taking the loss should I be refused again.
Looking back, it makes sense to apply via an agency for this reason, and the additional fee is justified vs. taking the $200 hit and stress of refunds.
Intricacies
In my first and second applications, I put my VISA application under the arts, science, and sports category instead of the business category since the description of the former said it included one-off events. I was told this on the second stage (document submission). I asked if this was fine, and the best answer they could give was maybe. I asked about the difference, and they said that the business category requires bank statements, and the sports one does not. I had bank statements with me, but I still proceeded without any change and didn't encounter any trouble.
Refusal
Your VISA can be picked up by you or on your behalf, or delivered. If you find a letter in your envelope, be very afraid. Most likely it's a VISA refusal. There's a reason written in the paper for your refusal.
I was refused on the grounds that I did not have means to sustain myself, given the fact that I was missing my flight ticket.
Acceptance
If you find your VISA without any papers and just your passport, congratulations! You now have a Schengen VISA!
Is it Worth It?
Is the VISA application worth all the trouble to visit France? The answer is a million yes. You not only get to visit France but all other Schengen countries, including Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain, among others. The trouble-to-benefit ratio is a rock vs a mountain. It's worth it.
Will I visit France again soon? Maybe pass by when I get another Schengen VISA.
