Visa Process

Well, studying in France for a year generally requires a visa. Applying for one was crazy. 

In addition to just the basic passport, I had to send four passport pictures to France. Then, I had to apply online and upload another picture. Before finally going to the French Consulate to get my visa (with more passport pictures!).

Maybe, I’m just complaining, but applying for the visa seemed really bureaucratic (stupid international relations...) Between having a total of seven passport pictures processed (even though the only picture of me on the visa was taken AT the consulate), having to answer questions like “what do you expect to learn in France?”, and gathering about twenty pages worth of paper work (everything from bank statements to emails from the French embassy saying that I paid the online-application fee in full), I was frustrated.

It didn’t help that I had to fly out to LA to because there aren’t any consulates anywhere near the middle of the of the US.

Here's what I took with me to LA. The two stacks of paper on the right are copies of the fanned out stack in the middle. Notice the passport photos.

When I finally landed in LA and took a taxi to consulate, I was greeted by an attractive office building. I walked in an a nice security guard asked what I was looking for. 
“The French Consulate,” I said
“Oh that’s not in here”
“Okay, so where is it?”
“It’s out back, behind the building, just walk around and you should see a small red awning”

Out back? Behind the building!? What kind of back ally visa process is this?

The French Consulate everybody!

It gets better, this was on the other side of that wall.

Needless to say I was slightly disappointed. We had to wait outside until the security guard called us with only the ally and someone’s garage to look at. (I found out later it was because there were literally not enough chairs in the building for everyone to be inside.)

After about 30 minutes or so I finally got called in. The whole thing was only two rooms! A little security checkpoint, and a large room divided in half by glass with chairs and a television on one side consulate workers on the the other. I was behind everyone that had gone it before me. More waiting. About 45 minutes. Electronics weren’t allowed inside so no pictures. All I had to entertain me was a travel magazine, and the French equivalent of PBS.

Actually getting the visa wasn’t really exciting, just handing over some forms and getting my picture taken. The only weird thing is that the website emphasized that I needed two passport photos and they only used one on some government form. 

Anyways, I flew back later that day, and my Visa arrived, attached to my passport, in the Fedex envelope I brought with me week later (quick, considering they said it would take three to four weeks).