₦airaland Forum

Hi,

I think 7 days is ideal but that depends on your travel pattern i.e. if your travel history shows you typically spend 15 days abroad, then your choice of 16 days is good and you can reference this in your cover letter. Your budget and evidence of funds must also be able to support you for the number of days you state.

As for your last comment about travel history to other countries, it appears TLS has recently changed the option that used to apply to frequent travelers to other countries. I find this interesting because I paid for an appointment yesterday (though I had submitted some days ago) and in my email, under application type, it reads "Tourism / Private visit (Frequent traveler)".

The present options on TLS for short stay are either 1.) first-time applicant for a Schengen visa and 2.) someone who has a Schengen visa valid for up to 6 months. I will interpret this as they may be changing what they are looking out for i.e. you either have Schengen experience or you don't. We will see how this unfolds.

All the best with your application!

Nanyavikz:
Thanks for responding but my question was how many days should I ideally request for as it’s my first application for Schengen. I was thinking 16 days?

And yes I have been to the UK multiple times and a few other countries. I don’t see where to add that though on TLS to get the frequent traveler benefits.

TLS Office in Abuja has been sealed off by FCCPC till further notice 😮‍💨

Has anyone who submitted at Tls lagos on the 26th/27th May gotten their passport back? Frequent traveler. I have 4 previous Shenghen visas from France from 2022-2024. This is the longest I have had to wait.

Chimzy09:
TLS Office in Abuja has been sealed off by FCCPC till further notice 😮‍💨

YOU KNOW why it was sealed?
strange it wasnt in the news,
wonder the cause

Hello @maziemeka2024

Certainly, for confirming that the Embassy received it and for tracking purposes.

maziemeka2024:
Thanks for this information.

I think this is a good option because the appeal is said to be sent to BP 83609 NANTES CEDEX.

So I might just book a refundable ticket and add any other document to the letter.

Can I deliver this letter to the france embassy with DHL?

cretin:
YOU KNOW why it was sealed?
strange it wasnt in the news,
wonder the cause

It was on blogs yesterday and now in today’s papers.

Good day , everyone

Please I am looking to travel with my siblings to France in September and we plan on submitting our applications latest by the end of this month.

However I have some questions as per the application. Can we create individual accounts and have the same cover letter and itenary , with the hotel booking all having our names or we apply as a group. If so how do we go about that ? We are all employed and would be sponsoring ourselves.

Also as per appointment dates is it possible we can get for July or August seeing as we want to go mid September? This is particularly importantly so we know of to move our dates

Lastly I read about the person being denied despite everything so is it advisable we book tours?

We have never been to the Schengen zone . however we have been to the UK and Us a long time ago . And between us we have recently been to the UK and some African countries

Thank you.

I would appreciate any advice

VisaZest:
Hi,

Yes, I booked an appointment yesterday. Lagos frequent traveller

Please what days are currently available in Lagos ?.are there dates in August and July?

dolz11:
Has anyone who submitted at Tls lagos on the 26th/27th May gotten their passport back? Frequent traveler. I have 4 previous Shenghen visas from France from 2022-2024. This is the longest I have had to wait.

Hi, I am in the same shoes, mine is 28th of May, I am getting really worried, we are supposed to fly this Saturday.

Hi,

As at when I booked my appointment, there were dates for the end of July and beyond.

Fumns:
Please what days are currently available in Lagos ?.are there dates in August and July?

...

Fumns:
Please what days are currently available in Lagos ?.are there dates in August and July?

Am stuck here.
Otp never comes, tried sms and whatsapp option.
Pls what could i be doing wrong?

Good evening,

Planning to travel for the first time. Plan is to go with my wife with a 4 night Stopover in Doha to explore the place then onward to Paris/Milan/Barcelona. Cant seem to decide on one of the three cities yet.

Key question, can i DIY the Scheghen visa successfully or is it better to use an agent? Will i need insurance from the date i live nigeria or only tye period i'll be in Schengen area?

Was planning for early September but not sure if the visa can be done on such short notice

Appreciate any tips

The wait for this visa to be ready is exhausting. it's been more than 3 weeks since I submitted. I've postponed my flight twice.

Hi,

You can successfully DIY. Insurance is expected to cover the time you are in the Schengen area. eg if you are set to arrive Schengen area September 4, then your insurance is expected to start from September 4 even if you leave Nigeria August 29 and stopover in Doha.

As for whether you can still travel in September, that's dependent on the appointment date you can get.

All the best with your application!

Preator:
Good evening,

Planning to travel for the first time. Plan is to go with my wife with a 4 night Stopover in Doha to explore the place then onward to Paris/Milan/Barcelona. Cant seem to decide on one of the three cities yet.

Key question, can i DIY the Scheghen visa successfully or is it better to use an agent? Will i need insurance from the date i live nigeria or only tye period i'll be in Schengen area?

Was planning for early September but not sure if the visa can be done on such short notice

Appreciate any tips

Malevonent:
Am stuck here.
Otp never comes, tried sms and whatsapp option.
Pls what could i be doing wrong?

Try SMS

Hi everyone

We're planning a 2 weeks family holiday to schengen countries for December. We are all first time Travellers. We would like a DIY short guide. We're considering visiting 3 out of France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Austria

Would anyone be kind enough to help with a quickstart guide or note.

Merci beaucoup

Chimzy09:
Try SMS

Changed numbers and tried sms, it worked.
Now the issue i have is..only july 29th and 31st date available for abuja....and my travel date is 19th aug

Is it best to pay for the dates and keep checking to change dates (is this possible?..on the US visa appointments this is possible)....or to hold on without paying and keep checking.


Lastly if i take the gamble to go on with the july 29th date. Would the embassy deny my visa if the date has passed...or perhaps they would bump up the visa issue/commencement date from when it was issued
Do advice on best option pls.

Please who has used Royal Air Maroc to Paris before? Any tips/comments? I’ll be travelling with 2 toddlers. Thanks.

Hi,

This is a loaded question but let me attempt to respond.

DIY GUIDE FOR FRANCE SCHENGEN VISA
The way to apply for a French visa is to follow these 3 steps:
1. Fill the France visas form https://france-visas.gouv.fr/en/web/france-visas/online-application
2. Book and pay for appointment on TLS website https://visas-fr.tlscontact.com/country/ng/vac/ngLGV2fr/
3. Submit documents and do biometrics on appointment day

Of course, after submission comes the wait and you will be notified by TLS when your passport is ready for collection.

Documents to support your application:
- Flight booking
- Accommodation booking (e.g. booking.com, agoda etc.)
- International passport with validity of at least 3 months after the date which you intend to leave the Schengen Area
- Passport photograph
- Photocopies of past visas/entry and exit stamps
- Cover letter
- Detailed itinerary
- Insurance policy covering the entire duration of stay with minimum coverage of EUR 30,000 (e.g. AXA Mansard, Allianz etc.)
- Letter of introduction from employer
- Proof of employment (Letter of appointment and leave approval)
- Proof of income (3 months pay slips and 3 months bank statement)
- Bank reference letter
- Tours (optional but you can include paid tours which permit cancellation)

Notes
- for flights, you don't have to pay for a flight until your visa is issued. Some airlines offer to hold a flight for 24hours before cancelling the ticket, you can use this option. It does not matter if the ticket is cancelled while your application is at the Embassy. You can also use paid sites that offer ticket bookings e.g. you pay 5 to 15 USD to get a ticket to use for your application and such a ticket will be valid for the entire period your application is under review.
- for accommodation, choose hotels that offer free cancellation. Aim for a date close to your arrival date e.g. if traveling December 10, choose an accommodation that allows free cancellation up to like December 7. This gives enough time for the Embassy to make a decision on your application and ensures your accommodation can be cancelled if you choose to stay somewhere else.
- use the cover letter to properly introduce yourself, the role you play at your job and explain why you want to travel and most importantly that you will come back to Nigeria.
- in your cover letter, be sure to highlight home ties in the form of family in Nigeria, a well-paying job, properties you own, travel history, etc. Google for cover letter templates but this is a very important part of your application that can convince the person assessing your application to issue your visa.
- include any documents that support the point above e.g. marriage certificate, property documents etc.
- your itinerary should be detailed i.e. list each day and what you intend to do on each day
- TLS itself offers photography services. I find that it can be best to just take your photo with them to avoid them rejecting your passport photograph
- You will pay online for TLS appointment (currently N50300) and France visa fees 90 Euros (naira equivalent to be paid by card at TLS office)
- TLS offices are in both Lagos and Abuja
- it's good your travel date is far into the future but start the process ASAP because appointment dates for first timers are about 2-3 months away. Bear in mind you can apply 6 months ahead of your trip

For your 2nd point on the places you want to visit, I will take that in another message.

Queenslee:
Hi everyone

We're planning a 2 weeks family holiday to schengen countries for December. We are all first time Travellers. We would like a DIY short guide. We're considering visiting 3 out of France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Austria

Would anyone be kind enough to help with a quickstart guide or note.

Merci beaucoup

Hi,

About combining countries, you can download an app like Omio to see travel options for traveling from one city/country to another. The app shows you both the cost and time for train, bus and flight options so you can decide which best suits your needs.

Personally, I would recommend you consider this combo: Paris (France)-Brussels (Belgium)-Netherlands (Amsterdam).
Brussels is approximately 1 hour,30 minutes from Paris by train and about 4 hours by bus. Amsterdam is 3 hours away from Brussels by bus.

Finally, from Nigeria, when booking your flights, you can book a multicity flight i.e. if you arrive in Paris, you can return to Nigeria from Amsterdam rather than having to travel back to Paris.

All the best with your application!

Queenslee:
Hi everyone

We're planning a 2 weeks family holiday to schengen countries for December. We are all first time Travellers. We would like a DIY short guide. We're considering visiting 3 out of France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Austria

Would anyone be kind enough to help with a quickstart guide or note.

Merci beaucoup

Malevonent:
Changed numbers and tried sms, it worked.
Now the issue i have is..only july 29th and 31st date available for abuja....and my travel date is 19th aug

Is it best to pay for the dates and keep checking to change dates (is this possible?..on the US visa appointments this is possible)....or to hold on without paying and keep checking.


Lastly if i take the gamble to go on with the july 29th date. Would the embassy deny my visa if the date has passed...or perhaps they would bump up the visa issue/commencement date from when it was issued
Do advice on best option pls.

1. You may proceed with the 29th…risky but not impossible. It is about 13 business days from your travel date. Average turnaround time in Abuja is 7 business days — not set in stone, and definitely on a case by case basis. I got mine in 3, and people I know have gotten their passports back within 4-7 days. Hopefully, you don’t intend to prepay for your flight, so you allow a wiggle room in the event of a delay

2. Only pay when you have a suitable date. Dates open up often, and you may get a date even for this week.

3. No to both questions; as long as it is for tourism.

Chimzy09:
1. You may proceed with the 29th…risky but not impossible. It is about 13 business days from your travel date. Average turnaround time in Abuja is 7 business days — not set in stone, and definitely on a case by case basis. I got mine in 3, and people I know have gotten their passports back within 4-7 days. Hopefully, you don’t intend to prepay for your flight, so you allow a wiggle room in the event of a delay

2. Only pay when you have a suitable date. Dates open up often, and you may get a date even for this week.

3. No to both questions; as long as it is for tourism.

Many thanks, really appreciate your incisive response .
I learnt the TLS office in abuja was sealed by fccpc, wonder if thats why early dates are a bit scarce.
The news said germany and UK tls office...
I wonder if the TLS is operating from 1 location in abuja for UK and other schengen countries

Omo, all the 29th july dates are gone...only 31st july remaining...just checked now 12.40am june 23rd
Anybody knows the day they release new earlier dates,?.us visa used to be sunday evening or friday mornings

ALSO PLS CLARIFY THAT ONE CANT CHANGE DATES AFTER MAKING PAYMENT, IE IF I PICK THIS 29TH JULY OR 31ST JULY DATE, THAT I CANT CHANGE TO AN AN EARLIER DATE WHEN/IF IT BECOMES AVAILABLE

VisaZest:
Hi,

About combining countries, you can download an app like Omio to see travel options for traveling from one city/country to another. The app shows you both the cost and time for train, bus and flight options so you can decide which best suits your needs.

Personally, I would recommend you consider this combo: Paris (France)-Brussels (Belgium)-Netherlands (Amsterdam).
Brussels is approximately 1 hour,30 minutes from Paris by train and about 4 hours by bus. Amsterdam is 3 hours away from Brussels by bus.

Finally, from Nigeria, when booking your flights, you can book a multicity flight i.e. if you arrive in Paris, you can return to Nigeria from Amsterdam rather than having to travel back to Paris.

All the best with your application!

Thank you for this important information.

Do you know any way I can get flight on budget, except African Airlines or can any one recommend an African airline with good experience that's budget friendly?

Fumns:
Good day , everyone

Please I am looking to travel with my siblings to France in September and we plan on submitting our applications latest by the end of this month.

However I have some questions as per the application. Can we create individual accounts and have the same cover letter and itenary , with the hotel booking all having our names or we apply as a group. If so how do we go about that ? We are all employed and would be sponsoring ourselves.

Also as per appointment dates is it possible we can get for July or August seeing as we want to go mid September? This is particularly importantly so we know of to move our dates

Lastly I read about the person being denied despite everything so is it advisable we book tours?

We have never been to the Schengen zone . however we have been to the UK and Us a long time ago . And between us we have recently been to the UK and some African countries

Thank you.

I would appreciate any advice

We decided to do individual applications and a group tls appointment. As we read this is also an option.
I just wanted to be sure if this is okay ? So I would appreciate any response I can get on this

Hello guys,

For two weeks now..I can't still book Visa appointment with TLS LAGOS..After selecting the date and I clicked on confirm..an error message will display...

We apologize for the inconvenience. Our website team is currently working to fix this..

Please has anyone experience this or is it from my side?

I need help pls

Thanks

Malevonent:
Changed numbers and tried sms, it worked.
Now the issue i have is..only july 29th and 31st date available for abuja....and my travel date is 19th aug

Is it best to pay for the dates and keep checking to change dates (is this possible?..on the US visa appointments this is possible)....or
to hold on without paying and keep checkin
Lastly if i take the gamble to go on with the july 29th date. Would the embassy deny my visa if the date has passed...or perhaps they would bump up the visa issue/commencement date from when it was issued
Do advice on best option pls.

Is the 31st July still available for Abuja?

dennis201:
Is the 31st July still available for Abuja?

YES...EVEN 8AM SLOT 29TH july IS BACK for abuja..11am today when i checked

Malevonent:
Many thanks, really appreciate your incisive response .
I learnt the TLS office in abuja was sealed by fccpc, wonder if thats why early dates are a bit scarce.
The news said germany and UK tls office...
I wonder if the TLS is operating from 1 location in abuja for UK and other schengen countries

Omo, all the 29th july dates are gone...only 31st july remaining...just checked now 12.40am june 23rd
Anybody knows the day they release new earlier dates,?.us visa used to be sunday evening or friday mornings

ALSO PLS CLARIFY THAT ONE CANT CHANGE DATES AFTER MAKING PAYMENT, IE IF I PICK THIS 29TH JULY OR 31ST JULY DATE, THAT I CANT CHANGE TO AN AN EARLIER DATE WHEN/IF IT BECOMES AVAILABLE

Lol that’s true. I wrote about the temporary closure when it happened and completely forgot to put that into consideration while responding. The closure could be a factor; however, they are working on it.

Yes TLS handles France, Italy, and Belgium, while UK is at VFS.

As regards rescheduling, I have never tried it because a message pops up after you click on the reschedule tab, informing you that you’d lose your current booking and have to pay again. I have not been bold enough to find out whatever that means, and people I know typically just forfeit and rebook.