Last updated: July 2026 · Informational only — not legal or immigration advice. Consult a registered OISC/RCIC adviser for your case. Not affiliated with any government or embassy.
Apply at France-Visas.gouv.fr first — TLScontact won’t open a booking until that file exists. Most Nigerian applicants assume TLScontact’s Lagos portal is the starting point; it isn’t. France runs two connected systems: France-Visas, the government portal that builds your application dossier, and TLScontact, the appointment centre taking documents and biometrics at the Lagos VAC or Abuja consular section. According to France-Visas, the fee is €90, about ₦149,670 at ₦1,663/€ (24 July 2026); the European Commission confirms that same €90 applies in every Schengen state. Comparing countries first? See the Schengen visa from Nigeria hub. Not sure a visa applies at all? Check do I need a visa.
Key facts: France visa from Nigeria
Standard short-stay C visa fee | €90 (≈₦149,670 at ₦1,663/€, 24 Jul 2026). |
Who processes your file | TLScontact — Lagos VAC; consular section in Abuja. |
Booking order | France-Visas account and dossier first, then the TLScontact appointment. |
Standard decision time | 15 calendar days, extendable to a maximum of 45 (EU Visa Code, Article 23). |
France-specific document | Attestation d'accueil, for applicants hosted privately rather than in a hotel. |
ETIAS relevant to Nigerians? | No — Nigeria is not visa-exempt, so ETIAS does not apply. |
Source: France-Visas (fee); TLScontact France Nigeria portal (handler); Regulation (EC) No 810/2009 (EU Visa Code), Articles 16, 17 and 23; European Commission, “Applying for a Schengen visa”. Checked 26 July 2026.
France-Visas, then TLScontact — the two-system flow
In short: build your file at France-Visas.gouv.fr first — that account generates the dossier reference TLScontact needs before it accepts a booking. Source: france-visas.gouv.fr; TLScontact France Nigeria portal, checked 25 July 2026.
France-Visas, run by France’s foreign ministry, is where you create an account and answer trip questions so the system builds your application form. Submit online and it issues a reference number — only with that number can you book on TLScontact’s Nigeria portal. TLScontact does not process a walk-in file with no France-Visas record behind it.
Germany, Italy and Malta skip this extra layer — VFS Global handles their Schengen form and booking on one platform. A “guaranteed TLScontact slot” quoted before you hold a France-Visas reference is the scam pattern in how visa agent scams work in Nigeria.
What France asks for beyond the generic list
In short: the addition Nigerian applicants miss is the attestation d’accueil — a certificate a private host obtains from their own mairie, required when you’re staying with family or friends rather than a hotel. Source: france-visas.gouv.fr, checked 25 July 2026.
A plain invitation letter doesn’t satisfy this: the host applies in person at their mairie for the certificate, and that document — not a screenshot — goes into your file. Business travellers instead need a letterhead invitation from the registered French company.
France-Visas also absorbs the cover letter. The portal asks the same trip-purpose questions a cover letter would answer — your dates, who funds the trip, where you sleep, who employs you — so on a French file that statement of purpose is built inside the dossier rather than attached to it as a loose page. Answer those fields as carefully as you would have written the letter. Whether you file as tourist or business also changes what the dossier then asks you to prove: accommodation and the attestation for a private visit, the company invitation for a work trip. Everything else follows the generic Schengen shape from the hub, and most of it is EU statute rather than a French preference: Article 12 of the EU Visa Code requires a passport valid at least three months beyond your intended departure with at least two blank pages, and Article 15 sets the travel-insurance minimum at €30,000. Recent bank statements and proof of employment sit on top of that as consulate practice — France-Visas does not publish a fixed number of months, so treat any specific window you see quoted as an estimate, not a rule.
Cost from Nigeria, in ₦
In short: budget ₦149,670 for the fee alone, then add TLScontact’s service charge — capped at €45 by the EU Visa Code but unpublished as one fixed Nigeria figure — plus insurance. Source: France-Visas fee schedule; EU Visa Code, Article 17; ₦1,663/€ from the site’s ₦1,540/$ canon at $1.08/€, 24 Jul 2026. Checked 26 July 2026.
Cost item | Amount | ₦ equivalent |
|---|---|---|
Visa fee (adult, 12+) | €90 | ₦149,670. |
Visa fee (child, 6–11) | €45 | ₦74,835. |
Visa fee (child under 6) | Free | ₦0. |
TLScontact service charge | Max €45 (EU cap) |
|
Attestation d'accueil (mairie fee, host pays in France) | Varies by commune |
|
Travel insurance (€30,000 min. cover) | Varies | Roughly ₦30,000–₦80,000 (this site's budgeting estimate, not a quoted premium). |
Transport to Lagos VAC or Abuja | Your own cost | Varies by home city. |
Source: France-Visas fee schedule (€90/€45/free); EU Visa Code, Articles 15, 16 and 17 (insurance minimum, fee, service-fee cap); European Commission, “Applying for a Schengen visa”. ₦ column is this site’s own conversion at ₦1,663/€, 24 Jul 2026. Checked 26 July 2026.
According to European Commission guidance, the €90/€45 figures are identical to Germany, Italy and Malta — the fee is set by EU regulation, not by each consulate. What differs is TLScontact’s charge, which Article 17 of the EU Visa Code caps at half the visa fee (so €45 at most), and the attestation d’accueil step your host handles in France. None of it is refundable if refused — see the Schengen refusal decode and reapply guide.
Booking the TLScontact appointment from Lagos or Abuja
In short: the France-Visas dossier comes before anything else — book TLScontact only once it exists, then attend the Lagos VAC or Abuja consular section in person. Source: France-Visas; TLScontact France Nigeria portal, checked 26 July 2026.
- Create your France-Visas account and complete the online application — this produces your dossier reference.
- Book your TLScontact appointment using that reference, at the Lagos VAC or Abuja consular section.
- Gather your passport and printed France-Visas form — per Article 12 of the EU Visa Code, valid at least three months beyond your departure date and carrying at least two blank pages.
- Add accommodation proof — attestation d’accueil or hotel booking — plus insurance and proof of funds.
- Attend TLScontact in person for document submission and biometrics.
- Pay the fee and service charge, in ₦, at the centre.
- Track your file on France-Visas and collect your passport once decided.
How France differs from Germany, Italy and Malta
In short: France is the only one of the four with a separate government portal — France-Visas — sitting in front of the visa centre; Germany, Italy and Malta go straight through VFS Global. Source: france-visas.gouv.fr, nigeria.diplo.de, visa.vfsglobal.com, checked 24 July 2026.
France | Germany | Italy | Malta | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Handler | TLScontact | VFS Global | VFS Global | VFS Global (outsourced) |
Portal before booking | France-Visas (separate) | None separate | None separate | None separate |
Location | Lagos VAC; Abuja consular section | Lagos | Lagos / Abuja | Via VFS Nigeria |
Country delta | Attestation d'accueil | Long-stay (D) vs short-stay (C) split | Own declaration/invitation rules | Confirm which VAC accepts your file |
Adult fee | €90 (₦149,670) | €90 (₦149,670) | €90 (₦149,670) | €90 (₦149,670) |
Source: France-Visas; German Missions in Nigeria (nigeria.diplo.de); VFS Global Nigeria; European Commission for the common €90 fee. ₦ column is this site’s own conversion at ₦1,663/€, 24 Jul 2026. Checked 26 July 2026.
Paying the fee from Nigeria
In short: a plain naira card will not clear a €90 France fee at TLScontact. You need a dollar-funded card, a domiciliary account, or someone abroad to pay while you repay in ₦. Source: aggregated Nairaland/Reddit payment-checkout threads, 2024–2026.
The naira-card decline that blocks US and UK visa payments shows up at TLScontact too. Use the full decision tree — dollar card first, then domiciliary + prepaid, then someone-abroad-pays.
Can I apply to France if I’m transiting another Schengen country?
Yes. The consulate is set by your main destination, not by where you change planes. Under Article 5 of the EU Visa Code that’s the country where you spend the most nights — the European Commission phrases it as where you’ll spend the longest time — so a connection through Amsterdam or Frankfurt doesn’t move your file. If France is where the trip actually happens, France-Visas and TLScontact are your route — the Schengen hub works the rule through in full.
Frequently asked questions
How can I get a France visa from Nigeria?
Create your account and application file at France-Visas.gouv.fr first — this generates the dossier reference TLScontact requires. Only then book your appointment on TLScontact's Nigeria portal, at the Lagos VAC or the Abuja consular section. Attend in person with your documents and biometrics, and pay the €90 fee plus TLScontact's own service charge in ₦.
How much is a France visa from Nigeria, in ₦?
According to France-Visas, the statutory adult fee is €90, about ₦149,670 at ₦1,663/€ (24 Jul 2026); the European Commission confirms the same €90 applies in every Schengen state. On top, TLScontact charges its own service fee — Article 17 of the EU Visa Code caps it at half the visa fee, so no more than €45, but TLScontact does not publish one fixed Nigeria figure. Confirm it on TLScontact's own France Nigeria fee page before you budget the total.
How long does a France visa take to approve in Nigeria?
Per Article 23 of the EU Visa Code, the statutory decision window is 15 calendar days from your TLScontact appointment, extendable to a maximum of 45 calendar days where further scrutiny is needed; the European Commission states the same 15-to-45 range. No dated, France-specific Nigerian appointment-lead-time report could be verified for this page — check TLScontact's live calendar for the actual wait to get an appointment slot, which is usually the longer bottleneck.
What documents does France require beyond the generic Schengen list?
The main addition is the attestation d'accueil — a certificate of accommodation a private host in France must obtain from their local mairie, required when you're staying with family or friends rather than a hotel. A plain invitation letter does not satisfy it. Business travellers instead need an invitation from the registered French company.
Do I need ETIAS to visit France in 2026?
No. ETIAS is a travel authorisation for nationals who do not need a Schengen visa. Nigeria is not on that visa-exempt list, so Nigerian passport holders apply for the Schengen visa covered on this page, not ETIAS.
Can I apply to France if I am transiting another Schengen country?
Yes. The consulate you apply to is set by your main destination, not by where you change planes. Under Article 5 of the EU Visa Code — and per the European Commission, which puts it as the country where you will spend the longest time — that is where you spend the most nights, so a connection through Amsterdam or Frankfurt does not move your file. If France is where the trip actually happens, France-Visas and TLScontact are your route.
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