As the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games approach, France is innovating and establishing an Olympic consulate, which will not be materialized by a physical entity. In total, some 70,000 visa applications will be processed via this new system.
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This January 1, 2024, France is setting up a “consulate” particularly dedicated to next summer’s Games. The objective of this Olympic consulate is to prevent applications from being drowned out in the flood of files currently being processed at the Nantes visa sub-directorate. It is indeed necessary to guarantee the issuance of visas “ within deadlines compatible with the proper organization of the Games », recalled the Ministry of the Interior. The priority is therefore that international athletes, no less than 15,000 athletes, but also that the delegations can obtain the precious ticket on time.
Concretely, requests will go through the France-Visas platform. There is no longer any question of traveling to French consulates or embassies abroad to obtain the precious key. The platform collects biometric data from applicants online across the network of consulates and service providers.
A first for France which will be able to test completely dematerialized visas which will no longer be affixed to the passport, but integrated directly into the accreditation card of the people concerned. The objective is to strengthen the security of documents in the event of loss, theft or fraudulent use of the passport.
France is thus testing a European initiative adopted by Parliament last October, which aims to digitalize the Schengen sticker from 2025 on a voluntary basis, then compulsorily by 2030. The entire procedure must take place on the EU-VAP portal, a unique online platform.
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