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| 1. What is a Schengen visa ?
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| Sri Lankan citizens travelling 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, Austria, Estonia and Latvia (Embassy
of Federal Republic of Germany), Italy, Greece and Malta
(Embassy of Italy), The Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and Slovenia (Royal Netherlands Embassy),
Norway, Denmark, and Iceland (Royal Norwegian
Embassy), Sweden and Finland (Embassy of
Sweden), France, Portugal and Spain (Embassy of the Republic of France). The Embassy
of the main destination is responsible for processing the uniform Schengen visa.
If main destination cannot be determined, responsibility for processing the
visa lies with the Embassy of 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 the Embassy website as well as the
V.F.S website 24 hours a day :
http://www.ambafrance-lk.org/article.php3?id_article=339 www.vfs-france.com
Application forms can also be collected from V.F.S. French visa application
centre (120/A Havelock Road (opposite Police Park), Colombo 5), from Mondays to
Thursdays from 8.00 am to 01.00 pm and from 8.00 am to 10.30 am on Fridays .
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| 3. When can I apply ?
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| Applications have to be submitted between
3 months and at least 10 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. All short stay and Family Reunion Long stay
applicants should handover the documents Mondays to Fridays to V.F.S, except Spouses of
European nationals, holders of diplomatic or official passports and other categories of long
stay visa applicants (students, work permit, visitors,…)
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| 4. Can somebody apply for me ? |
| No.
Applicant shall 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 the Embassy website as well as the V.F.S
website 24 hours a day :
http://www.ambafrance-lk.org/article.php3?id_article=339
www.vfs-france.com
Requirement List can also be collected from V.F.S. French visa application
centre (120/A Havelock Road (opposite Police Park)), Colombo 5, from Mondays to
Thursdays from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm and from 8.00 am to 10.30 am on Fridays.
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| 6. I travel for business. What are the visa
procedures ? |
| Businessmen will be received at the
Embassy by appointment after submitting their files at V.F.S.
visa application centre, 120/A Havelock Road (opposite Police
Park), Colombo 5. The centre is open from Mondays to Thursdays
from 8.00 am to 01.00 pm and from 8.00 am to 10.30 am on
Fridays. V.F.S. will schedule the 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 1400
LKR plus taxes for its service. For further information, visa
applicants are kindly requested to call the V.F.S. center: 451
63 21or send an email to info.francesl@vfshelpline.com
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| 7. I travel for tourism or in transit. What
are the visa procedures ? |
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Tourist/transit applicants will be
received by appointment after submitting their files at V.F.S.
visa application centre, 120/A Havelock Road (opposite Police
Park), Colombo 5. The centre is open from Mondays to Thursdays
from 8.00 am to 1.00 pm and from 8.00 am to 10.30 am on
Fridays. V.F.S. will schedule the 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 1400
LKR plus taxes for its service. For further information, visa
applicants are kindly requested to call the V.F.S. center: 451
63 21 or send a mail to info.francesl@vfshelpline.com .
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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 ? |
| The Embassy of France requires a minimum
of two working days to process a visa application. However in
certain cases, it may take longer. For an example, if a
passport is handed over with a complete application and supporting documents on Tuesday it can be
collected on Thursday; if it is
handed over on Wednesday it can be collected on Friday; if it
is handed over on Thursday it can be collected next Tuesday; if it is handed
over on Friday it can be collected next Wednesday.
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| 10. How can I collect my passport ? |
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Passport can be collected from Mondays to
Thursdays from 3.30 pm to 4.30 pm and on Fridays 01.30pm-02.30pm
from V.F.S. French visa application centre, 120/A Havelock Road (opposite Police Park), Colombo
5. |
| 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 ? |
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If your visa has been
rejected and unless you can provide further elements modifying
your application, this decision will not be
changed.
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| 13. My visa is rejected. Can I get the
reasons for refusal ? |
| With
very few exceptions stated in 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 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 (16,
Sunder Nagar, New Delhi 110 003, India, +91.11 435 90 04), or
the Embassy of Portugal in India (13, Sundar Nagar, New Delhi
110 003, India, +91.11 435 12
52). |
| 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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