Citizens of Saudi Arabia can now apply for a France Schengen visa at two VFS centres without needing a prior appointment. The Embassy of France in Riyadh has confirmed that walk-in appointments are available at the VFS centres in Riyadh and Dammam. These walk-in appointments for a France Schengen visa are offered at no additional cost, with applicants only needing to pay the €80 visa processing fee and the VFS service fee.
To accommodate the demand, the Embassy specified that the VFS centre in Riyadh offers 100 slots per day, while the centre in Dammam provides 50 slots daily. Given that these appointments are walk-ins, the Embassy emphasized that they will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
The same authority emphasized that all Saudi nationals seeking walk-in Schengen visa appointments at these two centres must have their completed application file with them. Just last month, the EU made the decision to issue five-year multiple-entry visas to passport holders from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Oman. According to EU authorities, all Saudi nationals, including first-time Schengen visa applicants, will receive visas valid for a five-year period.
Under this visa category, Saudis can enter the Schengen Area multiple times annually without needing additional procedures. However, they must still adhere to the 90/180-day rule. This implies that even with a five-year multiple-entry visa, Saudis cannot exceed 90 days of stay within any 190-day period in the Schengen Area.