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General information

Service Standard

We thank you for your co-operation in maintaining the service standard of this centre.

Appointment availability


The Embassy and Consulates General of France in China endeavor to shorten the time to obtain an appointment at TLScontact Visa Application Centers. The appointment is available within 24 hours (working day), but it may vary slightly during the high season.

The TLScontact procedure is not compulsory, applicants can also go directly to the Embassy and Consulates General of France in China to submit their applications:

Consular area Procedure
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Shenyang Need to book an appointment through TLScontact call centre. The estimated time to get an appointment is 20 days.
Chengdu Please find more information through the website of Chengdu consulates General of France.

Processing time


Once visa applications have been transferred to the Embassy or Consulate from a Visa Application Center located in the same city as diplomatic missions (main center), the processing time will vary according to the visa type.

Processing time in French Embassy in Beijijng
Visa type Processing time
Short-stay Schengen visas At least 5 - 10 working days in principle, if supporting documents are complete requiring no additional checks.
More than 10 working days for special circumstance.
French Embassy and consulates will make efforts to maintain it throughout the year, including high seasons.
Long-stay visas (except Family reunion visas) Usually 15 days.
Reminder: the processing time for long stay student application is at least 2 weeks (Except public holiday).
Family reunion visas Up until the Embassy or Consulate receives the decision of the “Prefecture”.
  • Processing time in different consular districts are different. For more information, please contact local visa application centers;
  • Processing times are given as general guidelines and will vary according to the volume of applications, the need for additional documents and the applicant’s nationality;
  • This guideline only concerns the applications processed in main centers, excluding those received in visa centers located in the cities without diplomatic missions (satellite centers). Extra time on the transmission of application files and passports via express mail between satellite center and main center as well as internal procedure should be taken into account.

NB: Applicants may submit visa applications no more than 180 days before planned departure date.

It’s recommended to apply sufficiently in advance before scheduled departure day, as certain travel document holders and certain types of travel purpose may take longer time to process and the transmission time of application files and passports between visa centers should be considered.