• Society

New Center to Facilitate Europe Visas

• By Ung Chamroeun
• December 21, 2023 5:30 PM

PHNOM PENH – People who want to travel to France and 12 other countries in the Schengen area can apply for visa at a new center other than the French Embassy as part of efforts to save time and improve the application process.

French Ambassador to Cambodia Jacques Pellet has inaugurated the TLScontact Center which provide a visa application service. 

TSLcontect Center, which has been operating since Dec. 13, is open to the public to arrange appointments, receive application forms and collect the relevant fees, the French Embassy in Phnom Penh said.

Passports can also be collected at the center.

“This outsourcing reflects the French Embassy’s desire to significantly improve the reception of applicants in the face of high demand, to reduce appointment times and to offer a range of optional services to ensure the best possible comfort for travelers to Europe,” it said.

The centre, at Vattanac Capital Tower, also offers other services such as assistance in completing applications and the collection of biometric data (fingerprints) at home. 

However, using these additional services does not guarantee that the applicant will be granted a visa or that his/her application will be processed more quickly, it said. 

The embassy allows certain travelers to submit visa applications to avoid service charges. They incluce foreign spouses of French nationals, European Union/Switzerland members, and long-term students in France. 

They, however, must contact the TLScontact center to arrange appointments with the embassy.

Cambodians need a visa to enter France unless they have a residence permit. The embassy also processes short-stay visa applications for Schengen countries like Belgium, Spain, Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic.

 

Originally written in Khmer for ThmeyThmey, this article was translated by Nhor Sokhoeurn for Cambodianess.