# How long does it take for Ofii to reach out?



## rabbit465

Hi, I live in the countryside next to a big city. I validated my spouse visa when arriving to France and thought Ofii would reach out past 3 months but it's been 6 months so far.
They just told me it would take around 8 months to be called in. Is that typical? 

I worry because it leaves 4 months or less to renew my visa. 

On top of that I was hoping to get classes through them to learn French which leaves me very little time to get to A1 level.


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## Bevdeforges

How long it takes for OFII to contact you varies greatly by departement. It seems to depend on the time of the year (e.g. July and August tend to be very "dead" months for all government offices), the backlog they are working on and a whole host of other stuff. In the meantime, you probably ought to be working a bit on your French - even just by watching TV, listening to the radio and maybe getting yourself a book or workbooks or using some of the resources available online. Once you hear from the OFII, you can ask them how it's going to work for the French classes, given that your processing has been delayed as it has been. (The OFII is probably one of the more "user friendly" agencies you'll encounter here in France.)

A1 is very basic and if you search online you'll find that there are lots of sites to help you get started - usually for free. But chances are that OFII has some sort of accommodation for those whose paperwork has been delayed.


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## mbsfrance

I just got my appointment after arriving 3 months ago...the appointment is in Bordeaux


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## Nunthewiser

mbsfrance said:


> I just got my appointment after arriving 3 months ago...the appointment is in Bordeaux


Did they contact you by regular mail or email? We might be moving around at first, trying to find a permanent apartment.


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## mbsfrance

both...email came first and letter in the mail a week later


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## bhamham

I only received my OFII appt by mail, no email. That was for Rennes.


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## rabbit465

bhamham said:


> I only received my OFII appt by mail, no email. That was for Rennes.


I'm close to Nantes. I would think Ofii in Rennes would be busier. Surprised to hear that its such a wait for me while so many here are getting their appointments within three months.


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## bhamham

rabbit465 said:


> I'm close to Nantes. I would think Ofii in Rennes would be busier. Surprised to hear that its such a wait for me while so many here are getting their appointments within three months.


Yes, I'm sure it's prefecture dependent and on what type of visa you have. I'm on a VLS-TS so it may be treated differently than a spousal visa? Hang in there.


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## rabbit465

bhamham said:


> Yes, I'm sure it's prefecture dependent and on what type of visa you have. I'm on a VLS-TS so it may be treated differently than a spousal visa? Hang in there.


Im on the same visa VLS-TS for a year.


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## KatChat

rabbit465 said:


> Im on the same visa VLS-TS for a year.


Hi, I am on the VLS-TS visa, arrived in May, still no word from OFII in Nantes. Were you able to contact someone to get the info about an 8 month wait? (How?) We haven’t been traveling as we felt we needed to be ready for when OFII contacts us. Thank you for any additional info. The waiting is nerve-wracking!


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## Bevdeforges

There are several types of long stay visa that are considered VLS-TS - from a "visiteur" visa to a "vie privée et familiale." 

Anyhow, the OFII website has contact information: Where to find us? - Ofii


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## KatChat

Bevdeforges said:


> There are several types of long stay visa that are considered VLS-TS - from a "visiteur" visa to a "vie privée et familiale."
> 
> Anyhow, the OFII website has contact information: Where to find us? - Ofii


Thank you for your reply. I know how to contact OFII, but I was wondering how the original poster was able to contact them and actually get a reply. Also their information was specific to Nantes, and that is the office I am waiting on. I am wondering if the eight month wait time is for everyone dealing with Nantes.


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## rabbit465

KatChat said:


> Thank you for your reply. I know how to contact OFII, but I was wondering how the original poster was able to contact them and actually get a reply. Also their information was specific to Nantes, and that is the office I am waiting on. I am wondering if the eight month wait time is for everyone dealing with Nantes.


Hi Kat,
I emailed them via this email which I dug up online. nantes @ ofii.fr
Assuming you can change the city for other parts of France.
I don't know if it's my luck or if it's Nantes. They didn't say why. They just replied back to me via email saying it will be around 8 months. 

Update!
I just got my appointment this late Nov. It arrived via email and letter. Overall it took nine months. I got my letter/email when I was out of the country for thanksgiving and they mailed it out three weeks before the appointment.

For anyone wondering - I think the physical letters are important to get. One of the letters is for a health check up appointment on a different day than my OFII appointment. The email they sent out didn't mention this information.

I don't speak French (I had an online tutor but I'm struggling due to my work schedule), so I most likely will have to take the mandatory classes. I'm not sure how long it takes to renew my actual visa, but will start the process right after my OFII appt. Fingers crossed it goes smoothly, the nine-month wait was a little stressful.

I'll keep everyone updated and hope this information helps anyone is a similar situation.


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## FrMSM

Hello rabbit465

If you can recall which visa type did you apply with initially? You are about 8 months ahead of me (will be moving to France as a (UK) spouse of a French national, no criteria to use the brexit agreement, in February) and have applied for a long stay visitor visa, any comments you have from the process would be greatly appreciated 

Apologies for going off your initial topic


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## KatChat

rabbit465 said:


> Hi Kat,
> I emailed them via this email which I dug up online. nantes @ ofii.fr
> Assuming you can change the city for other parts of France.
> I don't know if it's my luck or if it's Nantes. They didn't say why. They just replied back to me via email saying it will be around 8 months.
> 
> Update!
> I just got my appointment this late Nov. It arrived via email and letter. Overall it took nine months. I got my letter/email when I was out of the country for thanksgiving and they mailed it out three weeks before the appointment.
> 
> For anyone wondering - I think the physical letters are important to get. One of the letters is for a health check up appointment on a different day than my OFII appointment. The email they sent out didn't mention this information.
> 
> I don't speak French (I had an online tutor but I'm struggling due to my work schedule), so I most likely will have to take the mandatory classes. I'm not sure how long it takes to renew my actual visa, but will start the process right after my OFII appt. Fingers crossed it goes smoothly, the nine-month wait was a little stressful.
> 
> I'll keep everyone updated and hope this information helps anyone is a similar situation.


Hi Rabbit,

Thank you for your message. We just had our appointment. We received the notice in the post, no email. They gave almost a month’s notice to prepare. They were very friendly and it was a positive experience! Next up…renewal!


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## TomMM

I have my appointment tomorrow and received my letter in the post Tuesday. This is in Paris. It took about 3 months. One of the items the letter mentions to bring are xrays which I don't have. Not sure what will happen with that.


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