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Every French short-stay visa application from the UAE is decided by the consular section of the French Embassy in Abu Dhabi and goes through VFS Global. You fill in the form on France-Visas, book at VFS, and bring the printed form to the appointment.
France is not on our free Telegram channel; personal alerts for it cost AED 110 for 30 days. This guide covers where to apply, the France-Visas form, the documents and the fees. For the general rules, see how to apply for a Schengen visa from the UAE.
Where you apply
Apply to France if it is your main destination. France-Visas says residents of every emirate apply at the VFS Global centre in Abu Dhabi, World Trade Center Mall, level B2.
VFS Global also runs an optional temporary enrolment location at the Radisson in DAMAC Hills, Dubai, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 09:00 to 14:00. It costs an extra €80 per applicant on top of the usual fees.
On the VFS portal, tourist and family visits are booked under “Short Stay - Any purpose” and business trips under “Short Stay (Business)”; a paid “Prime Time” category is listed alongside them.
Step by step
- 1
Apply on France-Visas
Create your application on France-Visas, then print the form and the document checklist it generates for your case. - 2
Book at VFS Global
On France's VFS page for the UAE, for Abu Dhabi or the DAMAC Hills location. The VFS service fee is paid online when you book. - 3
Gather the documents
Following the France-Visas checklist, which is specific to your application. - 4
Attend the appointment
Bring the printed form, the documents and the appointment confirmation, and give fingerprints. - 5
Wait for the decision
VFS Global puts processing at about 15 working days for a short stay.
Documents
The country's own checklist is the one that counts. The core of it:
- Passport issued within the last ten years, valid at least three months after you leave the Schengen Area, with two blank pages.
- UAE residence visa and Emirates ID, valid beyond your return.
- The signed application form and a photo to the ICAO passport standard.
- Travel medical insurance with at least €30,000 cover, valid in every Schengen country for the whole trip.
- Recent bank statements, and a salary certificate or employer letter if you are employed.
- A flight reservation, and hotel bookings or an invitation letter.
France-Visas builds the checklist from your answers, so the list it gives you is the one to follow. We found no official French page listing extra UAE-specific documents.
Fees and processing time
- Visa fee, adults
- €90
- Children aged 6 to 11
- €45
- VFS service fee
- Set in euros, paid online in dirhams; France-Visas and VFS Global quote different amounts, so check at booking
- DAMAC Hills location
- Optional, €80 extra per applicant
- Prime Time / Premium Lounge
- Optional, AED 182 / €70 (VFS Global, November 2026)
- Processing
- About 15 working days, according to VFS Global
VFS Global's France FAQ says new appointment slots are opened on the consulate's instructions and at random times, so there is no release schedule to plan around.
Applications and refusals
In 2025, the consulates of France in the UAE received 28,160 short-stay Schengen visa applications: 9.4% of all those lodged in the UAE, and the 4th most of any Schengen country. They refused 16.7% of the applications they decided; across every Schengen country in the UAE the rate was 24.2%, according to the European Commission's visa statistics.
- Applications, 2025
- 28,160
- Rank in the UAE
- 4th of 27 Schengen countries
- Refused
- 16.7%
- All Schengen countries in the UAE
- 24.2% refused
The Commission counts applications where they are lodged, not by nationality, so in the UAE they come mostly from residents of other nationalities. A refusal rate is an average over every applicant and says little about any one file; and the country you apply to is set by your main destination, not by its refusal rate.
What applicants reported
Not enough applicants in the UAE have reported a France visa yet to show their own figures; these are the 233 reports from every origin. The median time from appointment to passport back was 13 days.
- Reports
- 233
- Appointment to passport back (median)
- 13 days; typically 8–18 days
- Approved
- 100% of 233 with a known outcome
- Validity granted (median)
- 6 months
- Multiple entry
- 89%
How often new dates appear
Dubai. Our monitors saw new France appointments appear in Dubai 5 times in the last 90 days, on 4 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 21 hours. The latest release we saw was on 12 October at 14:18 UAE time.
Abu Dhabi. Our monitors saw new France appointments appear in Abu Dhabi 31 times in the last 90 days, on 24 different days; the typical gap between two releases was about 24 hours. The latest release we saw was on 8 November at 02:55 UAE time. Over the past year (31 releases), 45% came on Wednesdays and Fridays, and 32% between 05:00 and 08:00 UAE time.
Getting the appointment
The form is the easy part. The hard part is a free date at the France visa application centre: when demand is high the calendar can stay empty, and new dates go quickly when they appear.
These are the ways to get a date, including ours:
Check the VFS Global portal yourself
Free
Who books: You
Log in, choose the centre and category, and look at the calendar. New dates appear when the centre releases them or someone cancels, so this means checking again and again.
The portal’s waitlist, where it is offered
Free
Who books: You, when a place is offered
VFS Global runs a waitlist for select countries in the UAE; Germany's, for example, offers slots to waitlisted applicants in chronological order. Right now our board shows a waitlist for Germany and Switzerland. A waitlist place is not an appointment.
Visa Catcher free channel (@UAEVFSBot)Our service
Free
Who books: You
France is not on the free channel, which covers Belgium, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Portugal and Switzerland. Use personal alerts for France.
Visa Catcher personal alertsOur service
AED 110 / 30 days
Who books: You
Telegram alerts for the route you choose, including routes the free channel does not carry. No passport details needed.
Visa Catcher auto-bookingOur service
Not offered
Who books: —
Auto-booking is not offered for France from the UAE; personal alerts are.
The live status of each France route is on its own page, and every UAE route is on the UAE appointment board. For how the booking portal itself works, see how to book a VFS Global appointment in the UAE.
Questions
- Can I apply for a French visa in Dubai?
- Every UAE application is decided in Abu Dhabi, and France-Visas sends residents of all emirates to the VFS Global centre there. VFS also runs an optional temporary enrolment location at the Radisson in DAMAC Hills, Dubai, on Mondays and Wednesdays, for €80 extra per applicant.
- Where do I fill in the France visa application from the UAE?
- On France-Visas, the French government’s visa website. Print the completed form and bring it to the VFS Global appointment.
- When does VFS release new France appointments in the UAE?
- VFS Global says new slots are opened on the consulate’s instructions and at random times, so there is no schedule to wait for.
- What is the refusal rate for France Schengen visas in the UAE?
- In 2025, the consulates of France in the UAE refused 16.7% of the short-stay visa applications they decided, against 24.2% across all Schengen countries in the UAE, according to the European Commission’s visa statistics. They received 28,160 applications, the 4th most of any Schengen country.
Sources
- France-Visas: applying from the United Arab Emirates
- France-Visas
- VFS Global France, UAE: centres
- VFS Global France, UAE: optional services
- VFS Global France, UAE: FAQ
- EU Visa Code, Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (consolidated text of 28 June 2024)
- European Commission: visa policy and the short-stay visa fee
- European Commission: Schengen visa statistics for consulates, 2025 (2025-consulates-schengen-visa-statistics.xlsx)
Rules and fees are set by the consulates and VFS Global and can change; check the official pages above before you apply. Route status and our prices on this page are live. Visa Catcher is an independent appointment-tracking service, not affiliated with VFS Global or any embassy, consulate or government.