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France visa from Nigeria: the complete file

France’s visa posts in Lagos and Abuja received 58,583 short-stay visa applications in 2025. Here is where to apply, how much money to show and which documents to prepare, with a cover letter already written as an example.

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What the 2025 figures say

In 2025, the Consulate General of France in Lagos and the Consular Section of the French Embassy in Abuja received 58,583 applications for short-stay Schengen visas. 29,375 visas were issued, 51.5% of decisions; 24.8% of these visas allow multiple entries. 27,778 applications were refused, or 48.5% of decisions, against 14.6% on average across all Schengen consulates worldwide. These figures still include Abuja, which has received only a few categories of applicants since November 2025.

The refusal form set out in the Visa Code lists the possible grounds: purpose of the stay not justified, insufficient means, doubts about the intention to return, missing insurance. Each one matches a document in your file: that is where everything is prepared. Our guide to Schengen visa refusals explains each ground.

51.5% of decisions granted a visa
French visa posts in Nigeria, 2025 · Source: European Commission
Applications58,583
Multiple-entry visas7,277
Other visas issued22,225
Refusals27,778
Lagos · 40,515 applications49.3% granted
Abuja · 18,068 applications56.4% granted
Average of Schengen consulates85.4% granted

Where and how to apply

France’s visa posts in Lagos and Abuja entrust applications to TLScontact, in two centres; most applicants apply in Lagos.

Lagos · Abuja

What you pay

Visa, adult€90
Visa, child aged 6–11€45
TLScontact service fee€28 (≈ NGN 42,784)

Visa payment: by card in naira. Processing, average: more than one month.

  1. 01 Fill in the online form on France-Visas
  2. 02 Book your appointment on the TLScontact site
  3. 03 On the day, come in person
  4. 04 Collect your passport at the TLScontact centre
The process in full

In Nigeria, French visa applications are decided by two posts: the Consulate General of France in Lagos and the Consular Section of the French Embassy in Abuja. They entrust the reception of files to TLScontact, which runs two centres: Lagos (Victoria Island) and Abuja (Central Business District). Since 17 November 2025, and until further notice, the Abuja centre only receives family members of French nationals, family reunification applicants and diplomatic travellers. Every other applicant, for tourism or business for example, applies in Lagos.

  1. Fill in the online form on France-Visas. It gives you the list of documents for your case. Enter your details exactly as they appear in your passport, on France-Visas and on TLScontact alike.
  2. Book your appointment on the TLScontact site and pay the service fee online within two hours of booking; otherwise the appointment is cancelled. Appointments are given only on this site, subject to availability, and you book yours yourself.
  3. On the day, come in person, no more than 15 minutes before your appointment, with your file in two sets: the originals and A4 photocopies. Bring only a plastic bag holding your file: electronic devices and large bags are not allowed in. Your fingerprints are taken at the centre, unless you were issued a Schengen visa less than 59 months ago; children under 12 do not need to attend.
  4. Collect your passport at the TLScontact centre. Passports are never handed back at the consulate.

The fees. The visa costs €90 for an adult and €45 for a child aged 6 to under 12; it is free under 6. You pay it at the centre, by card in naira. TLScontact adds its service fee of €28 (about NGN 42,784), paid online when you book.

The timing. You can apply up to six months before your trip. Allow more than one month between lodging your file and your departure: TLScontact gives an average processing time of more than one month for tourism and business applications.

TLScontact’s optional services, such as the Premium Lounge or help with filling in the form, are not required and do not change the outcome. Book your appointment yourself on the TLScontact site: no intermediary is needed, and France-Visas asks applicants not to accept offers from people around the centres.

How much money to show

France sets a minimum amount of money per day of stay, depending on where you sleep: €65 with a hotel booking, €32.50 if a private person hosts you with an attestation d’accueil, €120 without booked accommodation (France-Visas, in French). The attestation d’accueil is the official form your host in France fills in and has validated at their town hall.

You show these funds with your salary slips and a recent personal bank statement, or the balance, over the last three months; regular income from property also counts.

The naira amount uses the Central Bank of Nigeria’s central rate of 10 November 2026 (€1 = NGN 1,514.29); it is a guide. If the hotel covers only part of your stay, count €65 for the booked nights and €120 for the others.

Work out your amount

Your accommodation
days
€650 about NGN 984,000 to show on your statements

The documents asked for in Nigeria

On top of the common base for every Schengen visa (form, passport, photo, insurance, flight reservation), the European Commission set a list of documents for applicants in Nigeria in 2012, which every Schengen consulate in Abuja and Lagos applies. Here is what it asks, depending on your situation.

The French consular services accept only documents in French or English. Any document in another language must come with a translation into French or English (France-Visas). France-Visas also asks for the file in two sets: the originals, and photocopies in A4 format. It prints your own list of documents with your application form: follow it for anything specific to your case.

And for everyone: the France-Visas form, passport, photo and travel insurance.

Your letter, already written in English

With the Safeonward file, your cover letter is written for you, with your dates, your job and your itinerary, then checked against the rest of your documents. Here is Tunde’s, an operations manager in Lagos, for twelve days of tourism in Paris, Lyon and Nice, with his itinerary and his checklist.

Have my letter written Included in the full file, €29

Tunde Adebayo
Surulere, Lagos
Lagos State, Nigeria
Email: [email protected]

Lagos, 15 March 2027

Consulate General of France in Lagos – Visa Section

Subject: Application for a short-stay Schengen visa (tourism) – Tunde Adebayo

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am applying for a single-entry short-stay Schengen visa for tourism, for a 12-day stay in France from 13 to 24 May 2027. I will travel alone.

1. Purpose of the trip
I will spend five nights in Paris (13 to 18 May), three nights in Lyon (18 to 21 May) and three nights in Nice (21 to 24 May), travelling by train from one city to the next. The enclosed itinerary sets out each day. France issued me a Schengen visa in 2024, and I returned to Nigeria on the planned date, as the stamps in my passport show.

Sample made with Safeonward for a fictional traveller

Frequently asked questions

Where do I apply for a France visa in Nigeria?

At the TLScontact centre in Lagos, on Victoria Island, after filling in the form on France-Visas. Since 17 November 2025, the Abuja centre only receives family members of French nationals, family reunification applicants and diplomatic travellers.

How much money do I need for a France visa?

€65 per day with a hotel booking, €32.50 per day with an attestation d’accueil, €120 per day without booked accommodation. For ten days at a hotel, that makes €650, about NGN 984,000, shown with your salary slips and a recent personal bank statement over the last three months.

How much does a France visa cost in Nigeria?

€90 for an adult and €45 for a child aged 6 to under 12, paid by card in naira at the TLScontact centre; it is free under 6. TLScontact adds its service fee of €28, about NGN 42,784, paid online within two hours of booking.

How long does a France visa take from Nigeria?

Plan for more than one month: TLScontact gives an average processing time of more than one month for tourism and business applications, and France-Visas asks you to allow more than a month before your departure. You can apply up to six months before your trip.

Do I need a Tax Clearance Certificate for a France visa?

If you are a businessperson, yes: the EU list for Nigeria asks for your Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) and Certificate of Business Incorporation, with proof of your commercial activities. Employees show an employment letter stating their days of leave, with their salary slips.

Do my documents need to be translated for a France visa?

Documents in English or French are accepted as they are. Any document in another language must come with a translation into French or English, according to France-Visas.

What is the refusal rate for France visas in Nigeria?

In 2025, 51.5% of the decisions taken by France’s visa posts in Nigeria granted a visa, according to the European Commission: 29,375 visas issued for 58,583 applications. Refusals were 48.5% of decisions, against 14.6% on average across all Schengen consulates worldwide.

Primary sources

Other visa pages

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