French embassy in Tashkent warns applicants against financial scams in visa application process

Diplomatic officials emphasized that any attempt by private individuals or commercial entities to exploit official visa administrative procedures for financial gain is strictly prohibited under international consular regulations. To protect applicants and maintain systemic integrity, the diplomatic mission stated that it carries out regular compliance checks and will enforce severe sanctions against anyone found orchestrating or participating in fraudulent visa brokerage operations.

The consular section strongly advised applicants to never agree to pay any fees or service charges that are not officially listed and authorized by the mission's designated service provider, TLScontact.

Addressing long waiting times and limited appointment availability, which frequently drive applicants toward black-market brokers, the embassy recommended scheduling itineraries well in advance. Consular officials noted that appointment windows are updated on a rolling basis, urging individuals who find no open slots to simply log back into the system later rather than resorting to illegal third-party booking agents. Furthermore, the embassy stressed that strict adherence to the operational guidelines set by TLScontact centers and its authorized personnel remains necessary to ensure a fair, transparent, and orderly distribution of appointments for everyone.

The diplomatic mission also clarified its internal processing hierarchy, reminding the public that current or former Uzbek students bound for French higher education institutions, as well as active working professionals, maintain permanent priority processing status when submitting their visa files.