Decide which visa type you need. Consider the purpose and length of your trip to France. The basic visa types fall under categories of work, study, and travel, and are further categorized by short-term visa (for a stay between 90 days and six months), multiple-entry visa, or long-term visa. The Okoshken Law Firm in Paris, a boutique firm specializing in French, American, and international legal issues, offers a list of visa and permit types with concise explanations on its website (see References below).
Locate the French Consulate nearest to you. Search online for this information or visit the website of the Embassy of France in Washington, where you'll find the locations of the French Consulate in the United States, as well as plenty of useful information (see References). For French Consulate locations outside the United States, visit http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr for information.
Make an appointment at the French Consulate. For most visas, a personal appearance with a French Consulate employee is required. State the purpose of the appointment, the purpose of the trip to France, and the intended length of stay when making the appointment with the Consulate. Ask the employee if there is anything you can do before your appointment to prepare and/or expedite the process.
Prepare personal identification documents. Put your bank statements, official birth certificate, passport, and any other official documents required for your visa into a folder, so everything is accessible and ready to be presented at your visa appointment. Make copies of everything. Do not just follow the minimum requirements. Think logically---government officials want proof of your financial position if you will be in France on a long-term stay, so locate any and all documents that prove your financial position. If it is a student visa, gather all official proof of enrollment. It is always better to have more than what was initially asked of you, so that additional document requests, should there be any, can be addressed immediately.
Allow a minimum of two months for your visa application to be processed. After one month, call the Consulate to be sure that there are not additional information requests that have not been communicated to you yet. (Sometimes these offices need one more bit of information, but do not communicate promptly enough to keep the application process running.)
Check on the status of your application consistently. After two months of waiting, call the Consulate regarding your visa application. As with any bureaucracy, red tape can cause slow movement.
Make copies of the approved visa documents, and keep the original visa papers on hand for entry into France. Visitors must be ready to present documentary evidence of their purpose and legality in France at all times. Bonne chance!
