But Travelers Long on Patience, Short on Gripes : French Visa Curbs Cause Lines in L.A.

Beleaguered by long lines of people, some of whom were showing up as early as 3:30 a.m., the French Consulate General here Thursday imposed an appointment system for people desiring newly required visas to enter France.

Consul General Bernard Miyet said those showing up by 8:30 a.m. weekdays at the consulate’s Beverly Hills offices at 8350 Wilshire Blvd. would be given a ticket with a time to come in later in the day. He promised that when they do show up, they will get their visas, for which they will be charged $9, within half an hour, provided they have the necessary papers.

Miyet said that even his personal driver has been pressed into duty issuing visas, and he said the consulate is now equipped to issue 250 a day. People also can mail in visa application forms or hire visa service agencies to obtain the visas for them, although the consul said some agents are charging $75 to do the job.

Meanwhile, the consulate announced that Americans planning to go to French overseas possessions in the Pacific and the Caribbean, including Tahiti, Guadeloupe and Martinique, will also have to obtain visas for the first time.

The French government announced this week that visas will be required of all foreign visitors except those from Switzerland or countries belonging to the European Communities as one means of countering terrorists who have been responsible for a series of deadly bombings in Paris. Up until Oct. 1, the visas can also be obtained upon arrival in French territory, but after that, they must be obtained from French consulates around the world.

Miyet, remarking Thursday that France is at war with terrorists, said he recognizes that the visa requirements are “a big inconvenience” for Californians, about 400,000 of whom traveled to France in 1985.

Must ‘Protect Ourselves’

“It’s not with pleasure we do it, but everything we can do to protect ourselves and our visitors against terrorists, we must try,” he said.

Miyet said that it remains relatively simple for Americans to be cleared for visas on the spot in each consulate. By contrast, he said, “For an Iranian, a Libyan, a Syrian, a Lebanese, an Iraqi, it takes three to six weeks and must be referred back to Paris for specific approval.”

Signs outside the consulate Thursday told those seeking visas that they must complete an application and also bring their passport, one 2-inch-by-2-inch photograph and $9 in cash. No request will be made to see a ticket, said press attache Marie-France Twining.

Those waiting out in the hallway to enter the guarded consulate seemed for the most part to support the new visa requirements. Of 25 waiting for one appointment period, only two raised their hands when asked whether they thought the requirement unnecessary, although some suggested that it would only be fair for the French to require them of all Europeans too.

“If it stops one guy with a bomb, I’m happy to do it,” said Tony Massengill of Anaheim, who nonetheless grumbled mildly that his appointment seemed to be taking longer than half an hour.

Miyet cited two exceptions to the appointment policy.

He said he would take San Diegans as they arrived, since he recognized that it would be too onerous to require them to come in by 8:30 a.m. and then wait for appointments later in the day. The other exception would be those who are going to France or its overseas possessions on business. Miyet said they could obtain their visas through the French trade commission in Century City.

In addition to the $9 tourist visas, allowing one entry, or in some cases multiple entries, over a 90-day period, the consulate also will issue businessmen, journalists and some others a multiple entry visa for a year for $15.

A number of private travel executives contacted around Los Angeles by telephone Thursday said that most people seem to be accepting the new visa requirements without complaint.

“In a few weeks, when the novelty wears off, it won’t be any problem, because many countries require visas,” said Jan Duuring, assistant manager of the Thomas Cook travel agency in Long Beach. “If it’s successful, I think other European countries will do the same thing.”

But Duuring said he was suggesting that some of his clients who do not plan to make France their first stop, obtain their visas from French consulates elsewhere in Europe, where the lines there are apt to be shorter.

However, Bob Rogers, owner of the Intercontinental Visa Service in downtown Los Angeles, said he doubted that other Western European countries would be in any rush to follow the French example.

“They’ll be reluctant, because this will cause some Americans to skip France,” he predicted.