Home › Dossier review
Have your French visa dossier reviewed before your consulate appointment
You send your draft file. You get back a written report, in the order the consulate reads it: what is likely to be questioned, what to fix, what to add, and the sentences to change in your letter. No calls, no appointments.
Apply for a review See what it costs
Apply with your profile, your planned filing date and your email. You get an answer within 24 hours: if the review can be delivered before your appointment, the payment link comes with it; nothing is charged before then. One author reads every file, so the number of reviews per week is limited: apply early. Couples: both files in one review. Documents encrypted, read by one person, deleted 30 days after the report. See a full sample report (PDF, 6 pages, fictional couple).
How it works
- Within 24 hours, then on payment. You apply with your profile, your planned filing date and your email. Within 24 hours you receive our answer and, if we can deliver before your appointment, a payment link. Once paid, you receive the intake questionnaire (15 minutes) and a private upload link by email. Please black out account numbers and your SSN, and do not send medical records or any criminal-record document: we only need the insurer's visa letter, never health details.
- Days 1–4. We read the whole file against the France-Visas list for your case, the 2026 thresholds, the insurance requirements, and the refusal patterns reported by relocation practitioners.
- Day 5 at the latest. You receive the written report (6–10 pages): a status per section (matches the published list / likely to be questioned / does not match the published requirement), the exact fixes, suggested wording for your letter and sworn statement, from our templates, for you to adapt and sign, and a one-page financial summary built from your numbers.
- Within 14 days of the report. One round of written questions by email, sent within 14 days of the report.
What the report covers
- Category check: whether your answers match what France-Visas publishes for the "visiteur" category, VLS-T vs VLS-TS, and the published remote-work wording of the June 2026 Ministry answer
- Means: monthly euro figure vs the 2026 benchmark, proof quality, large transfers, couples and savings-only cases
- Insurance: duration, France named, health vs travel policy, ceiling, start date
- Housing: proof strength and consistency with the budget and the letter
- Motivation letter and sworn statement: suggested wording where needed, for you to adapt and sign
- Timeline: appointment window, processing, ANEF deadline
- Dossier order, copies, translations, what to bring to TLScontact
What a report looks like
Does not match the requirementInsurance (Tab E). The certificate is a 90-day travel policy. French law requires health insurance covering the whole stay; in practice the consulate expects the certificate to name France, state the dates and the ceiling, and include repatriation. Action: ask your insurer for the visa letter (wording below), start date = your entry date, cancelable if refused.
Likely to be questionedMeans (Tab B). Statements show $4,870/month of deposits but no euro figure and a $38,000 transfer on March 2. Action: one-page summary in euros (drafted below: €4,330/month, 2.9× the benchmark), 6 months of statements, and a two-line note explaining the March transfer (sale of a car, bill attached).
Matches the listHousing (Tab C). 12-month furnished lease, address identical across the form, the letter and the sworn statement.
Excerpt from a sample report built on a fictional couple; figures are invented. The report runs 6–10 pages and ends with suggested wording for the letter and the sworn statement.
Download a full sample report (PDF, 6 pages, fictional couple)
Linda, the composite case on our home page, would have received a "likely to be questioned" status on her means section, and the one-page euro summary her file lacked.
Do it yourself, a review, a consultant, a lawyer
| Price | Format | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guide + checklists | $0–$29 | Method and templates | Standard files, time to do it yourself |
| Written dossier review (this site) | $199 | Written report in 5 days, one follow-up | Standard files you want checked before your appointment |
| Relocation consultant | $300–$1,000 | Calls, sometimes a review | Hand-holding, housing search, settling-in services |
| Immigration lawyer | €1,500–€4,000 | Representation | Prior refusals, criminal record, complex income, appeals |
Consultant and lawyer prices are indicative market ranges, not quotes; ask for a written estimate.
Why a written review rather than a consultant call
A call gives you an opinion you have to remember. A written report gives you a list you can execute, sentence by sentence, and re-read the night before the appointment. It is also what keeps the price at $199.
FAQ
Do I need the guide first? No. The review is self-contained. Buyers of the guide get $29 off the review: mention your guide receipt when you apply.
Which visas? The French long-stay visitor visa (VLS-TS and VLS-T "visiteur") from the United States. Other countries will come later; France first. Join the free update list to be told first.
How do I send documents? Through a private upload link sent by email, to a folder that only the author can open. Files are encrypted at rest, read by one person, used only to write your report, and deleted 30 days after delivery. Black out account numbers and your SSN; we only need names, dates, amounts and issuers. Do not send medical records or criminal-record documents.
Why apply instead of paying right away? Because one author reads every file. We first check that your review can be delivered before your appointment, then send you the payment link. You get an answer within 24 hours.
Refund? Full refund if we cannot review your case (wrong visa type, situation requiring a lawyer) or if the report is late.
Tell us your profile, your planned filing date and your email
One author reads every file, so we first check that your review can be delivered before your appointment. You get an answer within 24 hours; if we can take your file, the payment link ($199, or $279 for a couple) comes with it. Nothing is charged before you receive that link.
If the button does not open your email app, write to approvedguides.contact@proton.me with those lines. Your email and your answers are used only to reply to your application. See our Privacy page.