France places new visa procedures for Algerians

France’s ambassador to Algeria, Xavier Driancourt, announced today that VFS Global will be the official body to process the French visa applications for the Algerian citizens at the Consulate General in Algiers.

Speaking to reporters at a press conference, Driancourt said that VFS was chosen through a public tender, which was launched late 2017 in an attempt to ensure “a better service for visa applicants.”

The ambassador added that the move also aims at placing a “flexible” visa online appointment booking system for all applicants, “especially with the notable increase in the annual number of visa applications.” According to the French consulate’s data, some 410,000 visas were granted last year, 230,000 of which were for citizens who live in the Algerian capital.

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Applicants must pay the service fees in advance to secure an appointment, the French diplomat noted, adding that the application fees were set DZD3600 ($ 32).

The new online visa system, dubbed “France-Visa,” is the only online application registration portal in Algiers.

The system, Driancourt pointed out, will be disseminated in the country’s provinces of Oran and Annaba in the coming months and will be processed through TLS Contact which is part of the French Teleperformance Group.