France has become the first European Union Member State to launch digital Schengen visa procedures, though for a very limited number of travellers.
As of January 1, 2024, around 70,000 applicants worldwide are eligible to apply completely online for a Schengen visa to attend the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, that are set to be held in Paris, France from July 26 to August 11 and from August 28 to September 8, 2024, respectively.
Applying for a digital Schengen Visa for France means the beneficiaries will skip numerous procedures, that are usually required for a short-term French visa.
This includes avoid waiting for an available appointment, collecting a ton of documents, paying hefty fees and attending interviews.
Who Is Eligible for a French Digital Schengen Visa for the Paris Olympics & Paralympics?
According to the French authorities, eligible for a French Digital Schengen visa will be two categories of third-country citizens.
The first category is members of the Olympic and Paralympic Family for whom an application for accreditation is submitted to the Olympic or Paralympic Committee (OCOG). The second category on the other hand, consists of other official guests invited by the OCOG.
…who agree to be guided by the Olympic charter, act under the control and supreme authority of the International Olympic Committee, is included in the lists of responsible organisations and is accredited by the organising committee of the host Member State of the Olympic and Paralympic Games as a participant in the 2024 Olympic and/or Paralympic Games.
Members of the Olympic and Paralympic family, for whom an application for accreditation is submitted to the Olympic or Paralympic Committee (OCOG), are considered the following:
- Members of the International Olympic Committee
- Members of the International Paralympic Committee
- Members of international federations
- Members of national Olympic and Paralympic committees
- Members of the Olympic Games organising committees and national associations. In this category are included:
- athletes
- judges/referees
- coaches
- other sports technicians
- medical personnel attached to teams or athletes
- journalists accredited to the media
- senior executives
- donors
- patrons
It has been asserted that, amongst others, 15,000 international athletes, and 9,000 journalists will be able to obtain Schengen visas digitally for attending the Olympics and Paralympics in Paris.
What Are the Procedures for Obtaining a French Digital Schengen Visa?
Depending on the category they belong to, the procedures for a Digital Schengen visa may differ for those part of the summer games in France.
At the same time, the procedure may differ a bit depending on the visa application centre that handles this procedure in the country where they are applying from, even though, applicants are eligible to file their application in any country, and not only in their home country.
Obtaining a French Digital Schengen Visa as an Olympic Family Member
When applying for a Digital Schengen visa through VFS Global centre, applicants do not need to make any kind of appointment. They should, however, show up at the visa centre between 11 am and 3 pm, which is the time slot reserved for them.
The following required documents should be presented to the visa centre officers:
- A valid passport, which they will take with them home, once the appointment is over. No need to leave it at the visa centre.
- A valid accreditation certificate issued by the OCOG.
- Minors (under 18 years of age) must present the form intended for them.
The applicants will provide their biometrics – fingerprints and photo – at the visa centre.
No visa fees of VFS fees are required to be paid.
For those applying through TLScontact, the only difference in procedures is that they must create a personal account on the website of the TLScontact centre where they wish to submit their application.
On the TLScontact online appointment request form, applicants should choose the visa type “Accredited members of the Olympic Family”. Applicants will access an appointment schedule that will guarantee an appointment within 24 hours.
All the procedures when applying for a Digital Schengen visa through TLScontact as a member of the Olympics Family are the same as with VFS, including no fees.
Persons invited by the OCOG to attend the games will need to complete a visa application with France-Visas website by selecting: short-stay visa application > “work” project > “sporting event” reason.
An appointment for a visa must be made by this category, on an available date. The applicant must submit their passport alongside with the documents listed on the France-Visas registration receipt, alongside with the letter of invitation from the OCOG.
On the other hand, when applying from the TLScontact website, applicants should choose the visa type “Invited by the Organising Committee of the Paris Olympics 2024”.
The perks of applying as a guest of the OCOG is that the visa application is completely free of charge: they do not have to pay any visa fee or service fee.
What Schengen Visa Procedures Apply to Spectators?
Spectators will need apply for regular Schengen visas in order to be able to enter France for attending the Paris Olympics 2024.
The process includes making an appointment well in advance, collecting a list of documents, attending the visa interview, and paying the €80 visa fee. An additional fee of around €40 may apply in cases when the application is submitted at an intermediating visa centre.
