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| 1. What is a Schengen visa ?
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| Sri
Lankan citizens traveling to Schengen countries on business or as tourists may
receive a uniform visa for a short stay of 1 to 90 days valid for Sweden and
Finland (Embassy of Sweden), Germany and Austria (Embassy of Federal Republic
of Germany), Italy and Greece (Embassy of Italy), The Netherlands, Belgium and
Luxembourg (Royal Netherlands Embassy), Norway, Denmark, and Iceland (Royal
Norwegian Embassy), France, Portugal and Spain (Embassy of the Republic of
France). The Embassy of the main destination is responsible for issuing the
uniform Schengen visa. If main destination cannot be determined, responsibility
for issuing the visa lies with the Schengen state of first entry.
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| 2. How can I get the free application forms
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Application
forms can be downloaded from our website 24 hours a day:
http://www.vfs-france.com. Application forms can also be collected from Monday
to Thursday - Application submission time - 8.00 am to 1.00 pm. and on Fridays
8.00 am to 10.30 am at V.F.S. visa application centre, 120/A, Havelock Road,
Colombo 05.
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| 3. When can I apply ?
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| AApplications
have to be submitted at least 20 DAYS before the planned departure. The visa
section is open every morning from Tuesday to Friday. Long stay visa applicants
are received by appointment on Mondays only.
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| 4. Can somebody apply for me ? |
| No.
Applicant should call over in person. Travel agents or other individuals are
not allowed to represent the applicant. |
| 5. Where can I collect the requirement list
for a Schengen visa ? |
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Requirement
list can be downloaded from our website 24 hours a day:
http://www.vfs-france.com. Requirement list can also be collected with
application forms from Monday to Thursday from 8:30 am to 1.00 pm and from 8:30
am to 10:30 noon on Friday at V.F.S. visa application centre, 120/A, Havelock
Road, Colombo 05.
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| 6. I travel for business. What are the visa
procedures ? |
| Businessmen
will be received by appointments. The Embassy of France in Colombo
has entrusted the company V.F.S. with
the opening of a visa application centre at 120/A, Havelock Road, Colombo
05. This centre will become the focal point for all information regarding short
stay visas to France, Spain and
Portugal
. It will be open from
Monday to Thursday from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm and from 8:00 am to 10:30 am on
Friday. V.F.S. will receive short stay visa applicants in order to advise them
and facilitate their application. It will schedule appointments to be held at
the Embassy and will be in charge of returning passports at the end of the visa
process. V.F.S will require a fee of 1.200 LKR plus taxes for its services. For
further information, visa applicants are kindly requested to call the VFS call
centre: 4.516.321 or info@vfs-france.com.
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| 7. I travel for tourism or in transit. What
are the visa procedures ? |
|
Applicants
will be received by appointments. The Embassy of France in Colombo has
entrusted the company V.F.S. with the opening of a visa application centre at 120/A,
Havelock Road, Colombo 05.This centre will become the focal point for all
information regarding short stay visas to France, Spain and Portugal. It will
be open from Monday to Thursday from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm and from 8:30 am to
10:30 am on Friday. V.F.S. will receive short stay visa applicants in order to
advise them and facilitate their application. It will schedule appointments to
be held at the Embassy and will be in charge of returning passports at the end
of the visa process. V.F.S will require a fee of 1.200 LKR plus taxes for its
services. For further information, visa applicants are kindly requested to call
the VFS call centre: 4.516.321 or info@vfs-france.com. Appointments for direct
submission of visa applications without going through V.F.S. will be available
from the website (http://www.vfs-france.com) although in a limited number.
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| 8. How much does it cost for a Schengen
visa? |
| Schengen
visa costs the equivalent in Sri Lankan rupees of 60 Euros according to the
French official exchange rate at the time of payment. |
| 9. How long does it takes to get back my
passport ? |
| Waiting
time for appointment depends on the numbers of applicants. After the interview,
the Embassy of France requires a minimum of one working day to process a visa
application. However in certain cases, it may take longer.
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| 10. How can I collect my passport ? |
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Passport can be collected from Mondays to Thursdays - 3.30 pm to 4.30 pm and Fridays
-1.30pm-2.30 pm only at V.F.S. visa application centre, 120/A, Havelock Road,
Colombo 05. The visa section will notify the date of collection during the
interview. |
| 11. What shall I do if my application is
incomplete ? |
| Applicant
should provide a complete file. If additional documents are required, a form
stating the missing documents is handed over to the applicant by V.F.S. If
application is incomplete after submission at V.F.S., the visa will be refused. |
| 12. My visa is rejected. What shall I do ? |
| If
your visa has been rejected and unless you can provide further elements
modifying your application, this decision will not be changed. |
| 13. My visa is rejected. Can I get the
reasons for refusal ? |
| With
very few exceptions requested by French laws, the Embassy of France does not
state the reasons for refusal of visa. |
| 14. My visa is rejected. Can I get a refund
of the visa fees ? |
| Visa
fees are not reimbursed even in case of visa refusal. |
| 15. I am travelling to Spain or Portugal for
business or tourism. How shall I apply ? |
| Visa
procedures and visa requirements for Spain
or Portugal are exactly the
same as those for
France
. |
| 16. My visa to Spain or Portugal has not
been granted. How can I appeal ? |
| The
French Embassy in Sri Lanka
and the
Maldives
is not competent to handle appeals for Spanish or Portuguese visas. According
to your destination, you have to contact directly either the Embassy of Spain
in India (12 Prithviraj Road, New Delhi 110 003, India, +91.11 3792082), or the Embassy of
Portugal in India (13,
Sundar Nagar, New Delhi 110 003,
India
, +91.11
4351252). |
| 17. Do VFS accept long stay visa
applications to France? |
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The Embassy of France in Colombo has entrusted the company VFS from 2nd January
2007 onwards to handle Family Reunion visas to
France
. This center will become
the focal point for submitting the application form that has been directly sent
to the applicants by the French Embassy itself, required supporting documents
and payment of the long stay visa fees. Visa fees amount will be notify at
the time of submission of the application.
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