1st French Visa Application Center in NW China set up in Xi'an

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, as well as the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism. Recently, the French Visa Application Center in Xi'an was officially established in the Xi'an International Trade and Logistics Park.

This was the first time that the French Visa Center had established a presence in Northwest China, allowing local residents to apply for French visas right at their doorstep.

Guillaume Roy, Consul General of France in China

"The center boasts a fine environment and high-quality service. The opening of this center in Xi'an will be beneficial for Sino-French cultural exchanges and also facilitates the simplification of visa application procedures."

Li Bing, Service Supervisor of the French Visa Application Center in Xi'an

"Previously, the local residents have to go to Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou to apply for the French visa. Now they can save a lot of travel time by handling the application locally. People can make appointments online to apply for French visas. The business hours for visa processing are from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm and 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday (excluding holidays). Upon arriving at the center, visitors can review necessary documents, undergo fingerprinting, and complete other processes in about an hour."

Since 2022, the Xi'an International Trade and Logistics Park has been continuously gathering foreign-related service resources to strengthen the services of the Xi'an Visa Application Center.

With the opening of the French Visa Application Center in Xi'an, the Xi'an Visa Application Center can now process visas for 26 countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Portugal. This enhances the convenience of cross-border mobility for local residents.

The center offers various types of visas such as business, tourism, work, family visit, and study. It also provides visa-related services, such as visa category guidance, process assistance, document review, foreign language translation, notarization, pre-screening, visa application submission, biological sample collection, and embassy interview appointments. The visa-related services are accessible to the five northwestern provinces in China, playing a critical supporting role in facilitating international economic and trade cooperation and cultural exchanges.