Russian applicants planning last-minute trips to France have been warned that all France-linked visa-application centres will shut on 31 December for the New-Year holiday, reopening on 2 January. The closure affects VFS Global facilities in Moscow, St Petersburg and regional cities, meaning no new files can be lodged and no passports collected on the final day of the year.
The timing is awkward: 29 and 30 December appointment slots were already oversubscribed, leaving many travellers unable to submit documents before offices go dark. Corporates coordinating January kick-off meetings in Paris must now either postpone travel or courier passports to third-country missions, adding cost and transit time.
French consular officials remind travellers that biometric enrolment is mandatory for every applicant aged 12 and over, so mailing in paperwork is not an option. Applicants who miss the 30 December cut-off will need to re-enter the appointment queue in January, when demand spikes again ahead of Orthodox Christmas.
![French Visa Application Centres in Russia Closed on 31 December]()
For applicants seeking a smoother process, services such as VisaHQ can monitor appointment availability, pre-check documentation and offer real-time alerts on consular closures. Their France-specific portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) helps both corporate mobility teams and individual travellers understand requirements and identify the fastest submission options, potentially minimising disruption during peak holiday periods.
Mobility managers should alert Russian staff and clients of the closure, review the need for electronic authorisations such as ETIAS once live, and consider remote participation for early-January sessions.
The episode underscores the broader year-end squeeze at Schengen visa centres worldwide, many of which operate reduced hours from 24 December through the first week of January.
The timing is awkward: 29 and 30 December appointment slots were already oversubscribed, leaving many travellers unable to submit documents before offices go dark. Corporates coordinating January kick-off meetings in Paris must now either postpone travel or courier passports to third-country missions, adding cost and transit time.
French consular officials remind travellers that biometric enrolment is mandatory for every applicant aged 12 and over, so mailing in paperwork is not an option. Applicants who miss the 30 December cut-off will need to re-enter the appointment queue in January, when demand spikes again ahead of Orthodox Christmas.
For applicants seeking a smoother process, services such as VisaHQ can monitor appointment availability, pre-check documentation and offer real-time alerts on consular closures. Their France-specific portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) helps both corporate mobility teams and individual travellers understand requirements and identify the fastest submission options, potentially minimising disruption during peak holiday periods.
Mobility managers should alert Russian staff and clients of the closure, review the need for electronic authorisations such as ETIAS once live, and consider remote participation for early-January sessions.
The episode underscores the broader year-end squeeze at Schengen visa centres worldwide, many of which operate reduced hours from 24 December through the first week of January.
