Registering VLS-TS
Jun 16th 2022, 10:33 am
#1
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Joined: Jun 2022
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Registering VLS-TS
We're planning to move from the UK to France in September, and we're in the process of applying for long stay visas (VLS-TS) which if all goes to plan we will have in mid July. Our daughter lives in France so we're moving to her address according to the visa application, although we hope we'll have a rental sorted by September.
My question is about the process for registering the visas so that they count as residence permits. I know we have to apply to the OFII, and they will then call us to a meeting and put the residence permits in our passports. But I think I've seen somewhere that we can't leave France, after entering with the visa, until that process is completed. So is that true, and if so how long is the wait likely to be? We need to work out the timetable carefully - our UK house is still in the process of being sold and that might not be concluded by the time we move.
My question is about the process for registering the visas so that they count as residence permits. I know we have to apply to the OFII, and they will then call us to a meeting and put the residence permits in our passports. But I think I've seen somewhere that we can't leave France, after entering with the visa, until that process is completed. So is that true, and if so how long is the wait likely to be? We need to work out the timetable carefully - our UK house is still in the process of being sold and that might not be concluded by the time we move.
Jun 16th 2022, 10:49 am
#2
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Posts: 5,254
Re: Registering VLS-TS
I think it will depend entirely on your préfecture and how soon they can offer you an appointment. Some préfectures still have huge backlogs to get through and you may have to wait quite a while, and some have caught up and will be able to see you quickly..I guess you would need to make contact with somebody who has recently gone through this process at the same prefecture you will be using, to get any kind of meaningful answer.
It may be that there is some system in place to enable people to leave while they are waiting for their appointment, it must be a situation that arises. You could ask the question when you go for your visa interviews.
It may be that there is some system in place to enable people to leave while they are waiting for their appointment, it must be a situation that arises. You could ask the question when you go for your visa interviews.
Jun 18th 2022, 2:53 pm
#3
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Joined: Jun 2022
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Re: Registering VLS-TS
Thanks EuroTrash. I think actually in our situation we'll need to register on the "Étrangers en France" national website rather than go to the préfecture. I really hope so, because I discovered that the préfecture in question (Essonne) publishes their wait times on their website, and they're horrendous (target 90 days, actual for first quarter of 2022 137 days). But asking about it at the interview is a really good idea. As you say there must be some way to deal with the need to travel in the meantime, particularly if the wait times are huge.
