TLScontact France Appointment: How to Book from the UK (2026)

Booking a TLScontact France appointment

All France short-stay visa applications from the UK go through TLScontact, with centres in London, Manchester and Edinburgh. The booking itself is free and takes minutes; the two things that matter are doing the steps in the right order and booking early, because France is the most in-demand Schengen destination from the UK.

The right order, step by step

1. Complete the France-Visas form first. Create an account at france-visas.gouv.fr and complete the online application. This generates the application reference TLScontact needs.
2. Create a TLScontact account on the TLScontact France portal and link your France-Visas reference.
3. Pick your city. London, Manchester or Edinburgh: france-visas.gouv.fr states there is no consular area inside the UK ("Residents in the UK can apply freely in any of those 3 centres"). Since 1 August 2026, London (Wandsworth) and Manchester run an automatic allocation system for short-stay visas: you register, your validated application joins a queue, and TLScontact emails you an allocated appointment to confirm and pay for promptly. Per TLScontact's notice, if no appointment can be allocated within 60 days your registration lapses and you must re-register. Edinburgh is not named in that notice.
4. Choose a slot from the live calendar and confirm the booking.
5. Attend in person to give biometrics (fingerprints and photo), submit your documents and pay the fees.
6. Get your passport back by courier or by collecting it from the centre once the decision is made.

When there are no slots

We will not quote a wait time, because there is not one: slots release in batches, and availability changes through the day, week and season. What actually works:

• Any centre is yours to use. There is no consular area in the UK, so register wherever suits you. Note that London and Manchester now allocate the slot automatically; only Edinburgh still shows a pickable calendar.
• Check at different times of day. New batches and cancellations appear without notice.
• Book the moment your dates are firm. You can lodge up to 6 months before travel, and summer demand for France is the heaviest of any Schengen country.
• Avoid "guaranteed slot" resellers. Consulates can void bot-booked appointments, which is worse than waiting.

The appointments guide covers these tactics across all operators.

One more timing point: the appointment date is what starts the processing clock, not the day you complete the France-Visas form. If slots are three weeks out, your realistic decision date is that appointment plus 15 calendar days, so work backwards from your travel date before booking anything non-refundable.

What happens at the centre

Allow around an hour. TLScontact checks your file against the France-Visas checklist, takes your fingerprints and photo, and collects the fees: the €90 consulate fee (about £81) plus TLScontact's service fee of around £35-48 (an estimate; the exact UK figure is not published openly). Optional extras (courier return, prime time, premium lounge) are offered at this point; none of them speed up the decision. Standard processing is then 15 calendar days, sometimes up to 45. See the France processing time guide for what the clock really looks like.

Prefer someone else to chase the slots?

Our done-for-you Schengen service prepares the France-Visas application, builds your document file, and books the TLScontact appointment for you for £199 all-in. You still attend for biometrics; we do everything around it. See what's inside the price. Doing it yourself? Start with the checklist generator, then assemble your file with the Bundler.

More France guides

• France visa from the UK: the full guide
• France Schengen visa cost
• France visa documents checklist
• France visa processing time
• Schengen cost calculator
• Done-for-you Schengen service