The French embassy issued 30,000 visas last year, half of them for Qatari citizens, French ambassador Eric Chevallier has said. Speaking on the sidelines of opening a restaurant at a hotel in Doha on Wednesday evening, he said that the embassy is keen on increasing the number of visitors from Qatar to France and issues Schengen visas within a short time, especially for Qataris within 48 hours of application.
The envoy stressed the number of issued visas has been on the rise year on year. However, the number of visitors to France from Qatar last year may have exceeded the 30,000 visas issued as the embassy issues multi-entry visas valid for a number of years. Further, Chevallier said that co-operation between Qatar and France is growing in several fields.