France has entered the final stretch of its visa-digitalisation drive. As of 20 February 2026, every traveller who needs a French visa—whether it is a short-stay Schengen sticker, a multi-year Talent Passport or a family-reunification authorisation—must first pass through the France-Visas portal. The reform abolishes walk-in and email-request practices at French consulates and forces applicants to complete an online “Visa Wizard” eligibility check, an extensive Démarches Simplifiées questionnaire and a biometric capture session. (travelandtourworld.com)
Paris says the overhaul tackles two chronic headaches: ghost bookings sold by middle-men and identity fraud. Requiring fingerprints (unless recorded in the last 59 months) and digital photos links each appointment to a unique individual and blocks agencies from reselling slots. Consular staff can also triage files in advance, which the Foreign Ministry estimates will shave 15–20 % off processing times once the learning curve is overcome. (travelandtourworld.com)
VisaHQ, an independent visa-processing platform, has already mapped the France-Visas requirements into its online toolkit. Through its dedicated page (https://www.visahq.com/france/), travelers and corporate mobility teams can review up-to-date checklists, calculate government and service fees, and secure expert assistance before locking in a biometric appointment—minimising the risk of errors that could push applicants to the back of the queue.
![France Makes Online Visa Appointments and Biometrics Mandatory Worldwide]()
For corporate mobility managers the change is both a blessing and a risk. On the positive side, companies can now monitor appointment availability in real time and schedule groups of assignees simultaneously instead of negotiating with multiple agencies. On the flip-side, any missing document or mismatch between an online form and a passport will automatically cancel the slot, sending the traveller to the back of the virtual queue in peak season. Early feedback from Asia—home to France’s three largest visa-consuming markets (China, Morocco and India)—suggests that prime spring-travel appointments evaporated within hours of release. (travelandtourworld.com)
The Foreign Ministry is urging businesses to adapt their lead-times. Multinational firms that routinely send project teams to France now need to build an extra two weeks into deployment schedules to secure slots and resolve biometric hiccups. Frequent travellers who already have fingerprints on file can still benefit from the “59-month rule,” but they, too, must obtain an online appointment confirmation or risk being turned away at the visa centre door. (travelandtourworld.com)
Looking ahead, the portal will serve as the backbone for the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) and ETIAS authorisation, both due later in 2026. France therefore sees the February launch as a dress-rehearsal for a fully paperless border. Mobility stakeholders are advised to audit internal processes now, train travellers on the new wizard, and budget for potential surges in biometric-capture demand once ETIAS goes live.
Paris says the overhaul tackles two chronic headaches: ghost bookings sold by middle-men and identity fraud. Requiring fingerprints (unless recorded in the last 59 months) and digital photos links each appointment to a unique individual and blocks agencies from reselling slots. Consular staff can also triage files in advance, which the Foreign Ministry estimates will shave 15–20 % off processing times once the learning curve is overcome. (travelandtourworld.com)
VisaHQ, an independent visa-processing platform, has already mapped the France-Visas requirements into its online toolkit. Through its dedicated page (https://www.visahq.com/france/), travelers and corporate mobility teams can review up-to-date checklists, calculate government and service fees, and secure expert assistance before locking in a biometric appointment—minimising the risk of errors that could push applicants to the back of the queue.
For corporate mobility managers the change is both a blessing and a risk. On the positive side, companies can now monitor appointment availability in real time and schedule groups of assignees simultaneously instead of negotiating with multiple agencies. On the flip-side, any missing document or mismatch between an online form and a passport will automatically cancel the slot, sending the traveller to the back of the virtual queue in peak season. Early feedback from Asia—home to France’s three largest visa-consuming markets (China, Morocco and India)—suggests that prime spring-travel appointments evaporated within hours of release. (travelandtourworld.com)
The Foreign Ministry is urging businesses to adapt their lead-times. Multinational firms that routinely send project teams to France now need to build an extra two weeks into deployment schedules to secure slots and resolve biometric hiccups. Frequent travellers who already have fingerprints on file can still benefit from the “59-month rule,” but they, too, must obtain an online appointment confirmation or risk being turned away at the visa centre door. (travelandtourworld.com)
Looking ahead, the portal will serve as the backbone for the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) and ETIAS authorisation, both due later in 2026. France therefore sees the February launch as a dress-rehearsal for a fully paperless border. Mobility stakeholders are advised to audit internal processes now, train travellers on the new wizard, and budget for potential surges in biometric-capture demand once ETIAS goes live.
