# Extending short stay visa while waiting on CNF - help?



## stindall_92

My situation is this - I am completely half British half French: French father, generations of French grandparents, half my family live in France however as I have never lived in France myself (but with my Mum in the U.K. after my parents divorced) I was never given dual nationality.

I submitted all of my documents for my CNF at the beginning of December 2021 but have not heard a peep since (other than a letter from them confirming receipt of the application). I used up my 90 within 180 tourist days in the Schengen area at the beginning of the year (in Spain) and now need to travel from the U.K. to France to see family for a very short period (4 days) in June.

I have emailed the French consulate in London and explained my situation and requested a Visa appointment, but I don’t know whether I stand a good chance of securing a short term EU visa extension on this basis.

Does anyone have any experience of this / suggestions for what I can do? I’m hoping that as I have a legitimate reason to be in France (family - and currently going through naturalisation but birth) that they will be sympathetic and just grant me a 4 day dispensation but I have no idea 😬


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## balthy

I am completely half French and half something else but my French parent registered me at birth at the French consulate in London so was able to get a French passport. I can't say it was easy but I did get it in the end. Did your French parent register you in the civil register? Maybe the Consulate can check that for you. If so, you might be able to apply for a French passport same as me. But it is doubtful you'll get it back for June, appointments are difficult to get and only released every now and then. I would apply in the regular way for a Schengen visa in the meantime. The CNF can take up to 3 years.


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## Bevdeforges

Basically, I don't believe there is any way to "extend" a 90 day Schengen visa. However on the 181st day after your initial entry into Spain, you become eligible for one additional day in Schengen. Depending on the timing of your visit to Spain and your need to be in France in June, you might be able to squeeze in those 4 days. Otherwise, you're going to have to get a Schengen visa "the old fashioned way" - by applying for it.


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## Yours truly confused

You can use the linked calculator to work out when you can next enter the Schengen area









Schengen Visa Calculator


Calculation tool showing legal days of stay in EU countries for visitors who do not need visa. 90/180 days rule – Calculate Your Legal Short-Stay Days in Schengen Area – Visa Calculator. Total duration of stay is of maximum 90 days, in any period of 180 days. Schengen duration of stay.




www.visa-calculator.com


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## BackinFrance

I too believe it is not possible to e te extend your visa and in any case it appears you are In the Schengen area on the rolling 90 days in 180 visa waiver arrangement.

You mention both the CNF and naturalisation and the CNF because your father is French. Be aware that you are not applying for naturalisation but seeking to prove to the French court that you have been French since birth.

If you were born in France then one would expect that your father would have registered your birth here, though if your parents were already separated or divorced and someone else registered your birth it may well be that you need a CNF and to prove that your father has acknowledged you as his child. 
If you were born in the UK, then you need to apply for a CNF. 

If you applied for your CNF from outside France it will likely take 24 to 36 months for your application to be processed. If you applied from within France the timeframe is much shorter, but at the moment it is highly unlikely that it would be processed within 90 days given the severe shortage of trained court staff.


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## balthy

I would ask your French parent and/or the French consulate in London if you were registered there at birth, If yes, you can get a copy of your French birth certificate from Nantes and try your luck with applying for a passport and maybe follow a similar path to me. If no, then it will definitely be a case that you need to apply for a CNF first. I do not have a CNF, was born in the UK and have a French passport.


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## Chazzer

I concur with Balthy on this, as I too am from a French father and British mother. I didnt need to go down the CNF route to obtain French nationality documents (my father had registered me with the consulate after I was born, so I had a Nantes birth registration transcription).

What is the position with your father? Are you in contact, is he amenable to assisting you? If so you probably would not need to go down the CNF route, which from outside France will take anything from 2-3 years owing to the backlog and processing time there. You could just get your birth registered by your father with the London consulate and then try to obtain your passport directly through the consulate (Like myself and Balthy did).

Ref your question on the thread though, not sure you can extend a Schengen period. You could apply for a French visa, but you will need to see what options are available to you for the reason of your trip. There is a Visa wizard on the Consulate website, however June is a bit tight ref timeframe for application, I think they suggest you book at least 2 months in advance.


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