Unprecedented. On Thursday September 21, the French Ministry of the Interior announced its decision to set up an Olympic consulate on January 1, 2024. It will not be materialized by a physical entity, explains AFP, but will centralize all visa applications from members of the Olympic family for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Objective: to prevent these applications from being drowned in the mass of files submitted to the prefectures, and to be able to be processed in a timely manner. Applications will be processed via the France-Visas platform, which collects applicants’ biometric data from the network of consulates and service providers. This new system will enable France to test dematerialized visas for the first time. They will be integrated directly into the accreditation cards of members of the Olympic family, including athletes, coaches and officials, as well as media and partners.
