French Consulate

Friday, Maggie and I joined the "normal" morning commute downtown en route to the French Consulate, where we positioned ourselves right in front of the lobby's security desk and prepared to spearhead the 9 AM rush of visa-applicants. New arrivals to the "line" couldn't understand why they had been forced to sign up for an "appointment" if everyone apparently signed up for the same time. (Oh, French bureaucracy!) Maggie and I knew better - that's why we arrived plenty early.

At 8:50, the security officers allowed us to start a new line, this one directly outside the consulate, which was on the 7th floor. The consulate door opened only a few minutes late (inside the consulate they were right on time, since the last person to arrive had turned their analog clock back a few minutes, to make it seem as if they hadn't arrived late) and I was first up at the Visa window.

I was grateful to have a young, American intern on the other side of the window. She was much less brusque and much more accomodating than most French bureaucrats I've encountered. Still, there were misunderstandings: no where on the long-stay visa application does it ask you to describe what kind of visa you want. I wanted a "general non-professional" long-stay visa; I didn't know that this is also called a "visitor's" visa. So I was asked whether I was a student, a chercheur (researcher), or visitor, and I hesitated, and we eventually figured it out.

Another funny miscommunication between website, applicant, and employee involved the number of copies required. The website says originals plus two copies; that's what I brought. The girl at the desk only wanted one copy, and sometimes none at all. So wasteful.

Finally, it turns out I needed a "letter of intent" describing what I'd be doing during my stay in France, which makes perfect sense. However, nowhere on the website was I instructed to write such a letter. I ended up having to scrawl something out while Maggie was getitng her visa, and they may need me to submit more documentation in the near future. Hopefully not.

Maggie's process went more smoothly, and the girl at the desk helped me out by grouping our applications together so that my passport would be shipped back to us in the same Fedex envelope as Maggie's. (Here's hoping my (potential) rejection doesn't prevent Maggie from getting her visa, too.)

In conclusion, I'm glad we started preparing a long time ago, and I wish the French Consulate would redo their website so their instructions are completely unambiguous. And I wish the French Consulate employees would then read the website. Thank you.