France is a country that offers a lot of potential, from business opportunities to educational advancement opportunities to holiday and tourism experiences. It is no surprise why alot of Nigerians intend to travel there.
Getting into France as a Nigerian requires you to have a visa. In this article, I will guide you through the process of France visa application in Nigeria.
Key Takeaway
- For a France visa application in Nigeria, you must apply online, then book a visa appointment, attend your visa appointment with your documents, and track your visa application status.
- Nigerians must apply online through the official France visa portal.
- Book an appointment with TLScontact in Abuja or Lagos.
- Attend your appointment to submit documents and biometrics.
- Provide key documents like a passport, a bank statement, travel insurance, and a flight reservation.
- Processing can take about 2 weeks if all requirements are complete.
Step-by-step process of France visa application from Nigeria
The process of France visa application from Nigeria can take just 2 weeks, if you get all your requirements right and apply in the right way. Here is the step-by-step process for applying for your French visa.
Get your France visa in 2 weeks with no down payment.
STEP 1: Online application
- Visit https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/online-application.
- Click “Start your visa application.”
- Create a new account. (Fill in your details and click create an account)
- Verify your account from the email sent to you.
- Come back to the France visa portal and click (Create a new request in a new group).
- Fill in your details like;
- Current Nationality (Nigerian)
- Place of residence and submission of application (Nigeria)
- City where the application was submitted (Abuja or Lagos)
- Type of visa requested
- Main destination of stay
- Travel document issuing authority (Nigeria)
- Travel document (Ordinary Passport)
- Travel document number (Passport number)
- Date of issue
- Expiration date
- Project type (studies or medical reasons, or tourism, or to work)
- The main reason for staying
- Additional information about your project
- Click (Check), and confirm if the information is correct.
- Fill in all your personal details.
- Click following
- Answer more questions like:
- Have you obtained a Schengen visa in the last 59 months?
- Have you ever had your fingerprints taken during a previous Schengen visa application?
- Click “Following”
- Fill in the details of your stay:
- Date of arrival in the Schengen area
- Expected date of departure from the Schengen area
- Expected length of stay in number of days
- Number of entries requested
- Number of planned stays in France for the coming year
- Your reasons for staying (Other stay project)
- Click following
- Fill in more details:
- Host person or organisation (Add details of your accommodation)
- Financing travel expenses (Add details of payment options)
- Click (Following)
- Read through the requirements requested for this visa application. Click on (pursue).
- On the final page, you can edit, download, duplicate or delete. But if you feel all your details are complete, check “I declare that all information provided is correct and complete.”
- Click “pursue”.
- Click “Yes”
- Click Pursue on the page that shows 90€ as a visa fee.
- Check the “I have successfully contacted my visa center.” Then click “submit to your visa centre.”
- Finally, click on the search icon 🔍, and your application will be downloaded. Print it for your document submission at the embassy.
STEP 2: Visa appointment booking
Book a visa appointment on https://visas-fr.tlscontact.com/en-us to submit your documents and do your biometrics.
STEP 3: Attend your visa appointment
Assemble required documents, including a valid passport, proof of accommodation, travel insurance (€30,000+), and financial evidence.
Attend the appointment in person to submit documents, pay fees, and provide biometrics.
STEP4: Follow the progress of your visa application
Monitor the status of your France visa application in Nigeria through;
- https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/track-your-application Check the “My Applications” area on the official.
- Visit https://fr.tlscontact.com/ if you used TLScontact.
- You can wait for sms or email notification for the result of your visa application.
Common France visa requirements for Nigerian citizens
To get a French visa, there are certain requirements. Nigerian citizens must provide documents to obtain a visa. Here are the common France visa requirements for Nigerian citizens.
- Passport
- Visa application form
- Identity photo, like a passport photo
- Proof of employment (business documents, work identity card, and so on)
- Proof of funds (3 or 4 months statement of account)
- Hotel reservation
- Flight reservation
- Health insurance that covers your duration of travel
- Supporting documents like a birth certificate, a land document, a marriage certificate e.t.c.
- If you hold an official travel document, presentation of a verbal note is mandatory.
- Proof of your legal residence in this country (residence permit, etc.) for non-Nigerians.
- Confirmation of the booking of an organized trip or any other document indicating the planned program.
- Reservation of round trip ticket or itinerary.
- Proof of settlement in Nigeria (house documents)
- Hotel reservation or sufficient means to cover hotel costs (viaticum of 120 Euros/day), or lease contract or certificate of ownership. In the case of accommodation with a private individual: certificate of accommodation (Cerfa form).
France visa appointment booking
You can do your France visa appointment booking using:
Fill in the required information and pick your preferred date.
Note:
All France visa applications in Nigeria must start online, whether it is a France visa appointment Abuja or a France visa appointment in Lagos
Some reasons why Nigerians travel or wish to travel to France.
- Culture and travel: as France remains one of the top attraction sites in the world, which attracts Nigerians, such as the Eiffel Tower, it has 49 UNESCO World Heritage sites. Some Step-by-Step Guide to Preparing Your Visa.
- Business and Trade: Nigeria is one of France’s biggest trading partners in sub-Saharan Africa with a bilateral trade of about $5billion. Which is one of the reasons Nigerians prefer to travel there in order to trade and make good investments in areas such as Agriculture, Energy, and quality infrastructure.
- Education: one of the reasons why Nigerians prefer to travel to France is to get a quality education due to its specialised programmes and good research opportunities.
Channels through which a Nigerian could apply for A France Visa.
To ensure a smooth France Visa application in Nigeria, you must deal only with the authorised bodies:
- The French Embassy in Nigeria: This is the final decision-making body located in Abuja, alongside the Consulate General in Lagos.
- TLScontact Nigeria: This is the official outsourced partner for collecting a traveller’s applications and biometric data located in Lagos and Abuja.
- France-visas portal: This is the official government website used to start every application.
Some Step-by-Step guidelines on how to get your France Visa
- Identify your Visa type: Here, one has to choose if their Visa is short-term (vacation, business, tourism)or long-term(work, study, investment), depending on the duration of stay.
- Online portal: Here, one has to create and fill out the application form on the official France-Visas website.
- Document preparation: One who is preparing to travel has to prepare essential documents such as travel insurance (€30,000 coverage),3-6 months’ bank statements, and flight reservations.
- Booking with TLScontact: Here, one has to schedule a mandatory appointment and pre-paying services so as not to be left behind.
- Biometrics and Submissions: This implies attending interviews in person and submitting your bio-data.
- Tracking and collection: This is the last step, whereby the person has to monitor their application status until their passport is ready for pickup or delivery.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The processing time for a France visa in Nigeria can vary, but generally, it takes approximately 10 to 15 working days from the date of application submission. This timeframe is subject to change based on the volume of applications and specific circumstances.
Yes, an interview is typically part of the visa application process. Applicants usually need to book an appointment at a visa application center (VAC) to submit their documents and provide biometric data (fingerprints and photograph). The interview allows officials to verify information and assess the applicant’s intent.
You can start the application process online via the official France-Visas website (france-visas.gouv.fr). This involves gathering information and setting up your online application. However, you must still attend an in-person appointment at a visa application center to submit physical documents, provide biometrics, and potentially have an interview.
Conclusion
I know applying for a France Visa can be very hectic and stressful, but by having the proper information and right documentation, the process can be made easy and straightforward. By carefully following the official guidelines and preparing complete documents, you can significantly increase your chances of Visa approval and enjoy everything France has to offer.
Get your France visa in 2 weeks with no down payment.
