Although France is part of the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) for entry into the United States, with only an electronic passport required and a two-year Esta to pay for, this precious passport is compulsory in certain cases, including travel since 12 January 2021 to Cuba or since 1 January 2021 to the United States.er March 2011 in North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen. If their application for an Esta is rejected, travellers will also have to complete an application for an temporary residence visa for a maximum of 90 days.
One small problem: the French site of the Official U.S. Department of State Visa Appointment is currently only issuing appointments for... September 2025! This is due to a congestion of consular servicesThis is a situation that affects not just France, but many countries around the world. So much so that it was deplored last week by Geoff Freeman, President and CEO of the US Travel Association, at the IPW, the American tourism trade show held in Los Angeles at which Voyages d'Affaires was present. Nearly 63,000 visas were granted in France last year, both for leisure travellers and above all for business travellers, a figure that is rising year on year (with an increase of 26% over 2022), which perhaps explains the current delays.
Accelerated visa procedures for professionals
And the situation could get even worse for people with appointments during the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as the American embassy is located at 4 avenue Gabriel, just a stone's throw from the Place de la Concorde. right in the heart of the red zone for which a Games Pass with QR Code is required. The consular section is trying to stagger appointments as much as possible and is considering opening an office in another location outside the security perimeter.
Business travellers planning to visit the United States in the near future who require a visa may nevertheless use the Expedite Visa procedure to request an accelerated appointment. In this case, the applicant must accept the earliest available date and then select an accelerated application, specifying in particular the dates of his or her future travel, his or her Esta number, etc. The economic interest of the application for the United States may work in the applicant's favour. An even quicker route is the Visa Referral, which allows applicants to obtain a hearing through the intermediary of an American officer who will have the application approved by the head of the consular section. This applies in particular to people working for NATO, the OECD, etc. In some cases, applications can go as far as the ambassador's office.
