5Booking your VFS appointment and finalizing your application

VFS Global centres in Canada

When you get to the last page of your application on France-Visas, you will be asked to declare that you have made a VFS appointment before being able to continue further.

VFS Global is a private third-party service provider for governments worldwide. The company manages visa and passport issuance-related administrative tasks—for instance, it collects Working Holiday visa application and biometric data on behalf of the French government. However, applications are still processed by French consulates.

You will drop off your application, provide biometric data and collect your passport after the decision is made at your designated VFS Global centre. Since biometric data collection is a requirement, you have to go in person to one of their four locations:

For full contact information, business hours (by appointment only) for application and passport collection (possible only through appointment), please consult VFS Global’s centre information. You will also find other practical information.

Note that all VFS Global centres are closed on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.

Making an appointment with a VFS Global Centre in Canada

You can book an appointment from the VFS Global homepage. Navigate by clicking on

  • “Book now”
  • “If you have ALREADY FILLED the France-Visas application form”
  • “I accept – Book an appointment now”.

From here, you must create an account if you don’t already have one (not the same as your France-Visas account). Do so by clicking on “I don’t have an account”.

vfs account

Once all the fields are filled out, click “Register.” You will receive the activation link by email momentarily. You have two days to click the link and verify your account.

Login to VFS Global using the email and the password you’ve just created. On the next page, click the “Start New Booking”.

vfs new booking

At this stage, you can’t change the destination or VFS centre (Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa or Vancouver). You must choose the centre that matches the one in your France-Visas application.

vfs appt details

For appointment category, select “Long stay (D)”. For sub-category, select “Long Stay – Working Holiday Visa” if the option is available at your visa centre. If that option is not shown for your selected centre or if there are no slots available, try “Long Stay – Any other visa category”. At the time of writing, the menu for the Montreal centre does not show the Working Holiday Visa option.

Appointments normally open up a month in advance. If there is no appointment availability, you cannot continue to the following step.

vfs your details

Once you complete all the fields, click “Save” at the bottom of the page. You will see the following screen.

vfs confirm details

Click “Continue”, where you can then book an appointment. You will see a calendar open up. Days that are greyed out are no longer available. It is generally not possible to book appointments further than one month in advance.

Once you’ve selected your date and time, click “Continue”. The appointment cost is around CA$45 (exact figure varies with CAD-EUR exchange rate).

You have the option of adding on one of VFS Global’s additional services, but we do not think they are relevant or needed for most applicants. Click “Continue” again.

ATTENTION, your appointment is not booked yet!

vfs accept terms

You must accept the Terms and Conditions by checking the box (though you are not required to agree to future communications on optional services). Then click on “Pay Online”.

vfs pay now

Now you are taken to the payment portal. If you didn’t select any additional optional VFS services, then you will only need to pay the appointment fee of approximately CA$45. Enter your payment details and confirm by clicking “Pay”.

A confirmation message will appear. Please download and print it, as you will need to bring it to your appointment.

Completing your France-Visas application

Don’t forget to finalize your application on France-Visas after booking your appointment with VFS Global!

Log back into your account on the France-Visas homepage. Enter your email address and your password then click “Log in.” You’ll find your application where you left it. Just click “Continue.”

back to francevisas

Check the box to confirm that you did make an appointment with a VFS Global centre and that a date has been scheduled. Click “Submit to the visa center”.

Click through to the last page, where you are then able to download the two following documents:

  • The application form with all the information you provided. Print it, then date and sign. It’s several pages long, make sure you print them all

Working-holiday-application-France-canadian-54

  • The receipt and supporting documents listed that you will need the day of your appointment with VFS Global.

Working-holiday-application-France-canadian-55

Reminder that in the France-Canada bilateral accord, Canadian applicants do NOT need to provide a Medical certificate or Proof of a clean criminal record.

You’re all done with your online application!

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Jackson

In February 2023 I moved from Vancouver to Paris. Adventures await.
En février 2023 j’ai déménagé de Vancouver à Paris. Des aventures m’attendent.

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(36) Comments

romar I |

Hi Jackson,

I am confused as to whether Canadians need to provide a Medical Certificate of ¨good health¨. After filling out the online application on the france-visa.gouv.fr a supporting documents page shows up and states that we do… but on different blogs I have read that we don’t. Can anyone please clearify ?

Thanks !
Giselle

Jackson I |

Hello. As stated in chapter 4, Canadians are exempt from providing a medical certificate and background check.

romar I |

Hi Jackson,

Thanks for your answer, do you have any official source of information that can confirm this? What I can see stated on official document checklists is ¨Medical certificate (if bilateral agreement provides for this)¨ however I cannot find any official information regarding the specifics of the France- Canada bilateral agreement that excepts medical certificates other than word of mouth. How do I know this hasn’t changed since you applied?

Also, in case of no return ticket, must we write a ¨letter of commitment¨ that is seperate from the letter of motivation/cover letter? even if funds on bank statement meet the requirements?

Thanks for the help, it is greatly appreaciated !

Jackson I |

1. You can contact the French embassy or consulate to ask if you’d like. We don’t have any other source to provide.
2. You don’t need a separate letter. Just make your commitment clear in your letter of motivation.

niloo1890 I |

Hi again Jackson, hope you’re doing well.

Regarding the VFS Global Centre in Toronto, I absolutely cannot seem to find an appointment for the “Long Stay – Working Holiday” Visa category. I managed to get a slot fairly quickly by clicking on “Long Stay – Any other visa category.” I’m hesitating to move forward with this, though. Would they accept my appointment if I went ahead and booked it with this category, if they do in other cities like Montreal?

Many thanks!

Niloo

niloo1890 I |

Hi again Jackson, I just got an appointment! Nevermind regarding my previous question. 🙂 Thanks again for this helpful and reassuring blog!

Niloo

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Jackson I |

Glad to hear that. How did you end up getting the appointment? It may be helpful info for other readers. Feel free to read our other resources about the WHV in France. https://pvtistes.net/en/useful-tips-and-advice/?filter-type=any&filter-country=france-en&filter-cat=any

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niloo1890 I |

Thanks for the additional info/link, Jackson!

Sure, I just had my appointment today and it went very well! For anyone wondering if they can simply opt for “Long Stay – Any Other Visa Category” in the VFS Global Centre website, please rest assured that it DOES work as a substitute for the more specific “Long Stay – Working Holiday Visa.” You will find an open slot a lot more quickly/easily, too. I tried the “Working Holiday” one multiple times a day for a few days with no luck, but I got an opening on my first try with “Any Other Visa Category.” I had many slots, in fact, to choose from.

My reasoning when making this choice was that, if on the France Visa application form I have to choose “Other” under Visa type, and then specify as “Working Holiday,” then that means that “Long Stay – Any Other Visa Category” can effectively be used as an umbrella category including Working Holiday visas.

I had absolutely no problems today during my appointment, so I know it works. 🙂

I hope this clarifies things for anyone wondering.

Thank you again Jackson!

Niloo

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melosm I |

Hello again! Just some questions on the health insurance certificate that needs to be submitted during the in-person appointment:
1. Does the insurance need to cover all EU countries or just France?
2. The online visa application just says the supporting document needs to show “proof of subscription or promise to subscribe to an insurance policy covering the medial costs”—are there more specific details on what this policy needs to include (ie. minimum EURO coverage amount, pregnancy, dental, 0 deductible, etc)?
It’s very vague in the online application so just want to make sure I’m meeting all the requirements!
Many thanks 🙂

melosm I |

(sorry meant to also add “civil liability”, as I’ve seen that mentioned in the youth mobility agreement but not sure it’s actually enforced?)

Jackson I |

1. It needs to cover France. But many will cover all of Europe anyway.
2. It needs to cover all medical expenses, plus hospitalization and repatriation. There’s no specific guidance on deductible amount, that depends on each person’s budget and risk tolerance.

I personally got Globe WHV for my working holiday in France. I didn’t know it at the time, but they cover civil liability as well. But it’s not a requirement. https://pvtistes.net/en/whv-insurance/

niloo1890 I |

Hi Jackson,

First of all, thank you so much for this helpful blog!

I have a question regarding the (non)-availability of VFS Global Centre appointment slots. I started my Visa application today and need to make an appointment at the VFS Global Centre – Toronto. No slots available for now, but my departure is in mid-May (although I need to get my Visa stuff in order by April 30 at the latest). Do I just need to keep refreshing/checking for slot-openings? I’ve looked up information online and have read posts from people who were stressed with this part of the process, but it seems like there is some “method to the madness” because they eventually got an appointment after a couple of weeks of trying. Does the VFS Global Centre provide slots in batches, say at the beginning of every week and month? Do I just keep trying, and will I get an appointment on time? Or should I take other measures?

Any reassurance or advice on this matter would be much appreciated.

Thank you!

Jackson I |

Hello there. We don’t have visibility into VFS release schedules, so I recommend checking in the morning over the next few days. If you still see no new appointments, consider contacting VFS directly to ask them. Their contact information can be found on their website (click the Toronto link in chapter 5 of this guide). You still have lots of time so don’t worry too much. Best of luck!

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niloo1890 I |

Whew, glad to know I have time. Alright, will do! Thanks again for the help!

melosm I |

Hello! Sorry, just some questions on the online application for the France WHV:
1. For the duration of the stay, the options it now provides are “3-6 months, 6 months-1 year, or more than 1 year.” If we intend on renewing the WHV for a second year, should we select “more than 1 year”? Or is that irrelevant at this point and we should “6 months-1 year”?
2. “State if you have any family members who live in France”–is this just referring to immediate family (ie. spouse/children/parent/grandparent), or also distant relatives should be included (ie. aunt, cousin)?
Thanks a billion for all these helpful articles!

Jackson I |

You are very welcome.
1. You should select 6-12 months. You will get a one year visa, and then the renewal is a separate process. They do not give anyone a two year visa right away.
2. This is completely up to you and should have no impact on your application, whether you have zero or 20 family members.

melosm I |

thanks again, super helpful! 🙂

melosm I |

Hi there! just a question on the application: you’ve stated that “Applications are accepted no earlier than three months before your planned departure date” — are you referring to the initial online application, or the in-person appointment? Could we do the online application 4 months before the planned departure date, then the in-person appointment 1 month later at 3 months before planned departure date?

Also on the Passport expiry, you’ve stated that the “Canadian passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the last day of your stay in France” however on the online visa application form it states “with a period of validity at least 3 months longer than the date on which you intend to leave the Schengen Area or, in the case of a long stay, at least three months longer than the expiry date of the visa requested.” So is it 3 months or 6 months?

Thanks so much!! 🙂

Jackson I |

1. You can start the online application whenever you like. But the VFS appointment should not be earlier than 3 months. It is at the end of the in-person appointment that your application is considered truly complete and then mailed to the French consulate.
2. You are correct that it is technically 3 months, but we always advise 6 months because it allows for more flexibility. Especially because Canadians can stay up to 90 days in the Schengen zone as tourists in a 180 day period, which means at the end of the WHV one could technically leave and immediately legally re-enter France/Europe for another 90 days as a simple tourist (because long stay visas like the WHV do not count toward the 90 days). If your passport were to only be valid for 3 months after your WHV, this option would be cutting it close.
Check out our other articles about the France WHV! https://pvtistes.net/en/articles/?filter-country=france-en&filter-cat=

melosm I |

Thanks so much, this is really helpful! appreciate the advice 🙂

JulesCanada I |

Hi ! I can’t find any information about how to get a “Note Verbale”. How to get this document?
Je ne trouve pas d’information concernant la “Note Verbale”, comment obtenir ce document pour mon PVT? Merci!

Annelise I |

Salut ! Où as-tu vu ce document ? Il n’est pas demandé dans la liste : https://france-visas.gouv.fr/web/ca/dispositions-locales

Annika I |

Does anyone know if you require you need to purchase health insurance for a year during the application phase? Seems odd to purchase health insurance without knowing if you’ll get the visa. Also, I was told that you could apply up until the day you turn 36 (does that mean that this date is from the time you submit the application?)

Brenleigh I |

Hi, I have the same question. Just wondering if you ever sorted it out?

Jackson I |

Yes, it is required as a part of your application package. In the unlikely event that your visa is denied, in most cases you can contact the insurance provider with proof of denial to be reimbursed.

Mae I |

Hi, does anyone know if I need to have a certificate proving I know French from a university class or something ? I’ve been learning French on online apps and I think I’m pretty good but I don’t have any proof that I’ve learned it in school or know up to a certain amount. Will this hinder my visa application ?

Graham I |

You don’t need to know any French for the WHV.

Jackson I |

Graham is correct, there are no language requirements.

HelloitsJant87 I |

This is the most frustrating paperwork process. I have spent almost my entire 1 yr of working holiday visa UNEMPLOYED because there’s no CLEAR instructions how to obtain a social security number. I’ve gone to temp agencies(one of them a not so nice person almost laughed in my face 😒 telling me it’s IMPOSSIBLE to be hired without the numéro security sociale) and many places while job hunting and they all REQUIRED a social security # even though I explained and showed documents of my visa AND my external insurance. I also filled out the form and applied for it at CEPA (waited 3+ months) only to be told I am not entitled to one because it’s a VISA VACANCE TRAVAIL. so, this has been many setbacks and tears, don’t get me started with renewing process 😪

Jackson I |

As is explained in chapter 4 of this the following dossier, it is true that some employers may be reluctant to hire someone without a NSS if they have never done so before. WHV holders have work authorization in France. It may take some patience and explanation, if the employer is willing to listen. https://pvtistes.net/en/dossiers/key-documents-procedures-whv-holders-starting-a-job-france/4/