French Consulate in Edinburgh: appointments, hours and phone
The Consulate General of France in Edinburgh and Glasgow works from Lothian Chambers, on West Parliament Square in the Old Town, in the building it shares with the Institut français d'Écosse. It serves French citizens living in Scotland; its consul general is Stéphane Pailler.
How to book an appointment at the French Consulate in Edinburgh
The Consulate General of France in Edinburgh and Glasgow sees the public by appointment, and the booking depends on the service you need.
Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm Edinburgh time, except French public holidays; in French only, no visa questions
Passport and ID card applications have their own booking link, separate from the one for proxies, legalisations and certificates: the page warns that a passport booked through the wrong link will not be taken. Questions go to France Consulaire, in French, on the Edinburgh number.
Use the consulate's link for passport and ID card applications, or the separate one for proxies, legalisations and certificates; collecting a new document also needs an appointment, booked once the text message saying it is ready has arrived (passport page).
For a genuine emergency, send the evidence to [email protected].
How to cancel an appointment at the French Consulate in Edinburgh
If you cannot make it, cancel: someone else is waiting for that slot. The passport page asks you to do it on the booking platform or through the link in your confirmation email, and to contact the consulate if that fails.
Getting to the French Consulate in Edinburgh
The office is at Lothian Chambers, West Parliament Square, Edinburgh EH1 1RF.
Lothian Chambers stands on West Parliament Square, off the Royal Mile beside St Giles' Cathedral, a short walk uphill from Waverley station. Bring the confirmation of your appointment: the consulate sees nobody without one, emergencies apart.
Real reviews of the French Consulate in Edinburgh
Recent reviews of the Edinburgh consulate are mostly about passports and civil status coming back to Scotland; older ones are harsher.
On Google the office averages 3.3 stars from 101 reviews.
In October 2026 she noted that civil registration services were open again in Edinburgh, with an appointment within the same week, and that the team sorted out a difficult civil status problem.
S.
Living in Newcastle upon Tyne, she went to Edinburgh with her three sons in October 2025 for passports and found it far easier than travelling to London.
Anuradha K.
In 2023 her appointment was cancelled, and the second one too, over the way a passport number had been entered on the online form.
Hannah F.
Opening hours of the French Consulate in Edinburgh
Everything is by appointment. For emergencies the consulate is open to the public Monday to Friday, 9:30 am to 5 pm.
Exceptional changes to the opening hours are announced on the network's home page, and the consulate closes on both French and UK public holidays (its 2026 list mixes the two).
Phone number of the French Consulate in Edinburgh
For a question about a file, the number is France Consulaire, the ministry's information service, based in France: +44 131 619 2828 at the price of a local call, or +33 4 11 00 00 23 from abroad (Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm Edinburgh time, except French public holidays).
It answers in French only and does not deal with visas.
Outside office hours, the consulate keeps a duty line for serious emergencies only (a death, an arrest); the network's emergency page explains how to reach it. For danger to life, call 999.
Google Maps lists the consulate at Lothian Chambers with the postcode EH1 1RN and the number 0131 225 7954; the official pages give EH1 1RF and, for questions, the France Consulaire line +44 131 619 2828. Checked on Google Maps on 10 November 2026.
What this office handles in Edinburgh
It takes passport and ID card applications for Scotland, hands documents back by appointment and handles proxies, life certificates, legalisations and lost driving licence declarations. Residents of England, Wales or Northern Ireland may apply here too, but they then have to collect in Edinburgh.
It supervises two honorary consuls: Aberdeen and Glasgow. Any of them can hand over a passport or ID card applied for here, for £8.36 (€10), if you ask for it when you apply.
What you can settle without travelling
- Order a UK apostille online from the FCDO, on paper or as an e-Apostille.
- Prove you are alive for a French pension with the “Mon certificat de vie” app.
- Check your consular electoral list before the April 2027 presidential election.
Last checked against uk.diplomatie.gouv.fr and the sources linked above on 10 November 2026.
We are not a French government website. frenchconsulates.co.uk is a private guide and takes no fees or files.
Each detail comes from an official page, linked where we use it. Rules change: the consulate has the final word.