From April 19, Sierra Leoneans seeking to travel to France will be able to apply for Schengen visa at home for the first time in over 20 years.
This has been made possible with the opening of a satellite visa application center in Freetown by the French embassy in Conakry, Guinea which oversees French interest in Sierra Leone through a Consulate.
The European technology firm CAPAGO International will be operating the center as a branch of its Conakry office, a statement from the embassy says.
The move is part of efforts by Sierra Leone and France to expand bilateral cooperation through increased trade and investment. It is also a fulfilment of promises by both French and Sierra Leonean officials to ease traveling between the countries.
France maintained an embassy in Freetown until 1996, at the height of the 1991-2002 civil war, when it was shutdown. The French embassy in Guinea has since then covered Freetown.
And travelers to France residing in Sierra Leone have had to travel to Conakry to process their visa application.
CAPAGO was contracted to process France visa application in Guinea in 2019. And Sierra Leoneans have had to travel to the Guinean capital to apply for visa from there. This has caused a lot of discomfort, and it has been a key point of discussion at almost every meeting between French and Sierra Leone officials, including last month when French Ambassador Marc Fonbaustier visited Freetown and held talks with Vice President Dr Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh.
According to the French embassy statement dated April 4th, 2022, the new visa application center will open bi-monthly, every first and third week of the month.
“Thanks to the use of the official French mobile biometric system, Capago is now able to open the Freetown visa application as a satellite branch of Capago Guinea. The travelers from Sierra Leone can now apply from Freetown and receive the outcome of their application within two weeks,” the statement reads.
Travelers wishing to apply can access useful information regarding visa procedures on the France Visas website at www.France-visas.gouv.fr. The website to book an appointment to apply for visa from Freetown is https://fr-sl.capago.eu/.
CAPAGO is an European company providing international outsourcing and technology services to governments and diplomatic missions worldwide. The company automates and assists in visa application processes, including managing contact and facilitation centres.
Capago International has been the exclusive representative for the processing of Schengen visa applications on behalf of Schengen Countries since 2009. Its other Visa Application Centres are located in Azerbaïjan, Bénin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Kuwaït, Mali, Qatar, Sierra Leone, South Africa, and Togo.
The company processes over 200, 000 visa applications annually from these centers, according to French embassy data.
Credit: Mono Reporters
