[ClemTrout]

Sallie and I had an excellent experience with the French Consulate in Houston, TX. The appointment was quick, friendly and very efficient. (fwiw, we seriously "over" prepared and had all the documents requested (and copies)). We provided a prepaid FedEx envelope and received our passports back in 3 days! The consular official was a joy to work with too.

I know there is a lot of bureaucracy ahead for us in France (southwestern) but just wanted to give some "good news" and report that the system is capable of remarkably good results.

Now to get everything ready to allez!

 

[ClemTrout]

btw, I know that it is Vive La France...but apparently auto correct doesn't and/or my typing is abysmal and/or both

 

[Bevdeforges]

Ah, overpreparation always seems to work out. Congrats on your smooth sailing through the consulate.

And to paraphrase a Canadian acquaintance of mine, "le France, la France - we all know what you meant!"
Cheers,
Bev

 

[jesshammer]

Congratulations! I saw in previous posts that you and your wife decided not to go the Passport Talent route. Can I ask what visa you decided to go for? I'm amazed at your quick response time! Do they tell you it will probably be that quick in Houston?

Our appointment at the Chicago consulate to apply for the Passport Talent visa is this coming Monday. We'll see how it goes...I'm not excited about being a guinea pig, but it was really the best fit for us.

 

[ClemTrout]

We went with the "long term stay/non-worker" visa. Given the type of visa Houston advised (pre-meeting) that if everything was presented and correct it would take 10 business days minimum, post appointment. Luckily, we followed their listed requirements (and then some) and we had a friendly, very pleasant appointment...which lead to our "better than expected results."
Hope all goes great for you guys. Stay positive.

 

[Bevdeforges]

Ah, the adventure begins! By non-worker visa, I suspect you mean a "visitor" visa? If so, it's probably the most hassle free in terms of the initial registration and processing.
Cheers,
Bev

 

[ClemTrout]

Ah, the adventure begins! By non-worker visa, I suspect you mean a "visitor" visa? If so, it's probably the most hassle free in terms of the initial registration and processing.
Cheers,
Bev

Indeed...having just checked, I am an official "Visiteur" (with intentions for a future change)