As a followup to yesterdays post, we drove back to the French Consulate in LA (6.5 hour drive!) for the fourth time to get a student visa. This time they tell me they are satisfied with the paperwork, but their computers are down for 2 weeks, and we should pick up the visa in Boston or San Francisco.

Are these guys really that idiotic! Their arrogance amazes me. Evidently France has exported all arrogant citizens to work in their consulates.

Has anyone ever heard of this? Now trip is delayed another 1-2 weeks.

they are getting you ready for your trip -- getting you in the mood for French bureaucracy.

I've gotten a visa at the LA French consulate, and had to wait in line about an hour, but no problem. That does seem a long time, but a computer system being down for two weeks doesn't seem unheard of (maybe they are doing a major new installation or something) -- look at the US, where the passport office can't even issue a simple passport in a month any more.

It's too bad you live 6.5 hours away, I lived in Santa Monica, so it wasn't bad for me.

I understand your frustration and have had a slightly similar experience with the French Consulate in DC. FYI, my french cousins have similar experiences with the US Consulate employees in Marseille so it's not just the French but let's say government employees.

I drove my mother to the French Consulate in Washington DC (a 2.5 to 3 hour drive for me from Philadelphia)to renew her French passport a few years ago. This was late March or early April (I remember because we made a springbreak trip out of it with my kids) and we were to travel to France in early June. We brought everything she was told to bring and thought we would get her passport shortly after that visit. Well, upon our arrival at the DC consulate we were told that because of the new French passport procedures she would not be able to get a passport in time for our June trip. What the???? A French citizen (but US resident) who travels to France frequently could not get her passport in time to travel to France with her family and to visit her family there for the summer? We already had airline tickets, train tickets and apartment rented etc... Well, the "nice" guy said if we came back with a copy of our airline tickets and a letter from a family member stating that my mother should come to France urgently (family emergency) they could help. But of course we needed to come back with all this on another visit.

Okay, so we had to come back to DC.
I called my cousin in France to have her send my mom a letter saying that her sister was ill and she should come as soon as possible. Not a lie but not something we would have done if not necessary and not our only reason for going to France.

So a few weeks later with all our documents including the letter and airline ticket copies we went back to DC. Left very early AM to be there when they opened and to be back in Philly when my kids got out of school.
Imagine our shock when we give the same guy everything he needs and he says that we can't get her passport in time for our June trip and he never told us that we would be able to under any circumstances....I literally lost it at his desk and started crying. Not fake tears but tears of frustration. My mom looked at me shocked but I could not hold back. Well, guess what? All of a sudden he had an idea. He could issue her a temporary passport and when her new one came from france (after our June trip) the passports could be exchanged. Okay now we had a solution. It worked, we got her passport and had a great trip. But after much trouble. It was a very frustrating experience. Why did the guy only offer a solution when I cried? He could have tried to help me before that! Looking back my mom and I still laugh about my crying at his desk.

I hate to vent, but how can they expect you to fly to Boston to pick up a visa? Evidently they moved offices 2 weeks ago, and the computers didn't like the move.

Now I'm curious.
Going to Paris for a month next April (as a tourist, not a student). Is a visa required?

While recounting my story I did not ask you about your problem. Don't they attach the visa to your passport? If so can't they send your passport to Boston or where ever and then have them send it back to you all via express mail?

Les, are you a US citizen? If so US citizens can stay a maximum of 90 days without a visa. This can change at any time so double check but this has been the norm for years.

My daughter got a long-term visa last month from the LA consulate. If you have an Arizona or New Mexico address, they'll do it by mail, so we sent it from her mother's house in Santa Fe with a return envelope addressed back to NM. Everything was done by mail...

Thanks, lemidi.

I am an advisor with a study abroad program and I had a student call me today with this same problem. I called the consulate to get some answers but they wouldn't tell me anything at all. They told this student that they would try to get him an appointment in San Francisco but they couldn't be sure when that might happen because it's a busy consulate. Helpful, n'est-ce pas?

Don't forget that reciprocity is the important factor in all visa operations. Most countries apply all the same rules that the other country applies to them. So you are just collateral victims of American foreign policy.

"Are these guys really that idiotic! Their arrogance amazes me. Evidently France has exported all arrogant citizens to work in their consulates".

Since you are going to visit France, wouldn't it be nicer to accept to leave at home your stereoptypes

(Sorry)

"Are these guys really that idiotic! Their arrogance amazes me. Evidently France has exported all arrogant citizens to work in their consulates".

Since you are going to visit France, wouldn't it be nicer to accept to leave at home your stereotypes about "French arrogance" (another favourite one is "French rudeness&quot? And what's the link between arrogance and the failings of their computer systems?

"Are these guys really that idiotic! Their arrogance amazes me. Evidently France has exported all arrogant citizens to work in their consulates".
From a citizen of a country that fingerprints all foreigners.

Ever heard of motes and beams?

Trudaine,
I am as much a Francophile as anyone else, have lived a short time in France, have visteded almost every year, and will be buying an apt there.
But that does not have anything to do with the reality of the situation. The consulate employess in LA are ARROGANT. They act as if they can't be bothered with giving you a visa, and try their BEST to make it more difficult.
This is NOT my attitude towards the french in general, nor the vast majority of french I come in contact with throughout France. As I stated this is a consulate problem.

They can NO longer send visas, since you have to be present whemn they issue it, to electronically take your fingerprints at the same time, that is why my son can not get it for my daughter, without her being in Boston.

There were scores of students there, crying like babies and pleading, since they had non-refundable tickets, and their answer was "thats not our problem"

if you still have passport in hand?? (not sure about this)..go as tourist and fly back to do this at another time before 90 days is up)

Gee, it seems to me that if someone thinks the handful of employees in one consulate office were "all the arrogant citizens of France" then he must think there was very little arrogance in France to begin with. Hardly a negative stereotype in my book!

The college semester ends after the 90 days, and the university had requested a student Long-term visa. Think I will have to make a trip to SF or Boston, unfortunaetly this is not an option for many of the others caught up in this problem. I hope some poor student is not losing his life savings on a non-refundable ticket.Thanks for the suggestions.

These probems come up because of whatever changes in gov. laws. It is not the people who work in these offices who create the problems.

In 2007 I had invited French friends to visit me in NC. His papers were in order, but hers were not. The US Embassy in Paris had waiting lists for months. All travel agents had horror stories for anyone wanting to travel to the US.

This annoyed me, as I had been entertained as a guest in their household and wished to reciprocate. I got the name of the US Ambassador, in Paris...turned out he had been newly appointed. I sent him a lengthy e-mail telling him the problem and how I had been so well treated while visiting France and that I wanted my country to do the same for my houseguests. Gave him the name, how to contact them etc. I believe it was on a Friday. She received a phone call on Saturday, asking her to come in for an appointment at such and such a time on Tuesday. She did so, had about a half hour wait in a line and was then immediately taken care of with very little anything...they came to the US and we had a great time together! If I had not contacted the US Embassy in Paris, this would not have happened.

Travel to the US from France has been horrible..so, you see, it works both ways..and it is not the employees in these offices...it is the crazy things that the gov. has come up with. I'm sure that the employees have been verbally attacked by outraged citizens due to their frustrations. This is going to affect the employees reactions to questions after a period of time.

I know this does not help your situation, but it is a gov. thing that has caused the problem. You need a "bigger" contact than the consulate office.

Good luck............