I applied for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands through the French Consulate General on March 11, 2026, with a planned travel date of April 2. It has now been 37 days, and I still do not have either my visa or my passport returned.
Because of the delay, I had to cancel both my flight and hotel bookings, and the trip is no longer happening. My main frustration is that my passport has essentially been held for weeks with no clear communication, timeline, or accountability.
During this period, I cannot travel, use my passport for identification, or complete any activities that require it. I have tried contacting the consulate, but I was told they only respond to French citizens, which has been unhelpful.
I am now urgently needing my passport back for another planned trip to Tunisia at the end of May. I want to know if anyone has successfully escalated a similar situation or managed to get their passport returned before a visa decision was made.
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