Indian travellers eyeing spring trips to Paris will now need to lock in a digital appointment before stepping into any France Visa Application Centre. In a notice dated 23 February 2026, the French government said all short-stay Schengen and long-stay national visas must start with an online slot request; informal bookings and walk-ins are abolished. (business-standard.com)
Applicants first complete the Visa Wizard to confirm eligibility and then register on the Démarches Simplifiées platform. If the request is approved, an emailed time-slot must be confirmed, failing which the booking is cancelled. On appointment day travellers must bring a printed France-Visas application, passport, photos and full supporting documents; incomplete files will be refused at the counter.
In this transition phase, third-party facilitators can soften the learning curve. VisaHQ’s India portal, for instance, lets applicants upload their France-Visas form for a quick compliance check, hunts for open VAC slots and sends real-time alerts when cancellations surface—features that can shorten the four-week wait. Details are available at https://www.visahq.com/india/
![France Makes Online Visa Appointments Mandatory for Indians—No More Walk-Ins]()
French authorities say the digital-first model will cut agent fraud, improve transparency and shorten queues—persistent pain points at peak student-intake and summer-holiday periods. The embassy is also warning against touts selling “guaranteed” dates.
For HR mobility teams the key change is the end of last-minute walk-ins for urgent client meetings. Companies should budget at least four weeks’ lead time for Schengen appointments and ensure employees keep biometric data valid (59-month reuse window) to avoid repeat captures.
The rule brings France in line with Germany, Italy and Spain, which moved to mandatory online scheduling last year. As Schengen appointment capacity remains tight in India, travellers should monitor the portal for cancellations that occasionally free up earlier slots.
Applicants first complete the Visa Wizard to confirm eligibility and then register on the Démarches Simplifiées platform. If the request is approved, an emailed time-slot must be confirmed, failing which the booking is cancelled. On appointment day travellers must bring a printed France-Visas application, passport, photos and full supporting documents; incomplete files will be refused at the counter.
In this transition phase, third-party facilitators can soften the learning curve. VisaHQ’s India portal, for instance, lets applicants upload their France-Visas form for a quick compliance check, hunts for open VAC slots and sends real-time alerts when cancellations surface—features that can shorten the four-week wait. Details are available at https://www.visahq.com/india/
French authorities say the digital-first model will cut agent fraud, improve transparency and shorten queues—persistent pain points at peak student-intake and summer-holiday periods. The embassy is also warning against touts selling “guaranteed” dates.
For HR mobility teams the key change is the end of last-minute walk-ins for urgent client meetings. Companies should budget at least four weeks’ lead time for Schengen appointments and ensure employees keep biometric data valid (59-month reuse window) to avoid repeat captures.
The rule brings France in line with Germany, Italy and Spain, which moved to mandatory online scheduling last year. As Schengen appointment capacity remains tight in India, travellers should monitor the portal for cancellations that occasionally free up earlier slots.
