In order to apply for a long-stay visa, the applicant must present the application in person or through an authorized representative, as long as the representative is adequately accredited and the situation at hand is justified as an extreme circumstance, such as illness or transport difficulty, before the diplomatic mission or consular office.
Within one month of the date on which the application was submitted, the administration must process the request and come to a final decision. In regards to non-lucrative residence visas, the resolution period can take up to three months.
In the case that the visa is approved, the applicant himself must pick it up at the diplomatic mission or consular office within one month of the notification of its approval.
On the contrary, if the visa is denied by the administration then the applicant will also be notified of such decision. In this case, the applicant has the option to either present an appeal for reversal before the body that denied him the residence visa, or he may present a contentious-administrative appeal in court.
Translated by: Katherine Pascal