Today I submitted my France visa application at TLS Contact (London)
The whole process was smooth. I arrived an hour early, and they let me in. So even if you arrive early, they will allow you in.
There are three stages:
- Application Check: They check your printed application and UK visa. Make sure to bring a printout of the page with your face and another printout of the page showing your share code. Many people only print out the share code, so they have to go back and print the page that includes their face, visa issue date, expiry date, and NI number. You can print it there, but it will delay the process. It's better to come prepared. After this, they will send you to the next room which is second stage.
- Document Verification & Payment: You need to wait for your reference number to appear on the screen. Once it does, go to the counter, where they will check all your documents. In my case, they checked my passport, passport photocopy, bank statement, employer letter, payslip, flight ticket, hotel booking, a photo of myself, and travel insurance. After verifying everything, they collected the £75 visa fee, placed all the documents in a blue file, and sent me to the biometrics collection which is stage 3.
- Biometrics Collection: They collect your documents, take a picture of you, scan your fingerprints, and then you're done.
That’s it—very smooth with no issues at all.
I got an appointment very easily as well. I applied on 1st January and got the slot today. They said I will receive my decision within 15 days. They also offer a courier option for £30, but since a ticket from my place to the visa centre costs £11, I opted for in-person collection.