rule of thumb, you can't apply for the same visa type while your current visa is valid .... but you can apply for a different visa type ... so the question is, do they differentiate between VLST and VLSTS or would both be considered as long stay visa ? I personally think that they are both the same category (visa categories: long stay and short stay as simple as that )
also what I know is that you can apply for a new visa before the other one ends (but not with for long time) given that the new visa should not have a start date prior to the expiry of the old one ....
Never heard that you have to wait 6 months after visa end date to apply for a new one... are you sure of this info and it is not the opposite: you can't apply unless you have less than 6 months left on your current visa? this makes more sense to me but anyway istrative issues do not follow logic in many cases !
Also 'apply for residency' is a bit weird.
I suggest you call again and make sure of the info you were given before... then try to apply again when it is near expiry...
good luck

 

you can apply for visa renewal before the other one ends (but not with for long time) given that the new visa should not have a start date prior to the expiry of the old one ....

This is where the terminology gets confusing. You don't actually "renew" a visa - you renew the residence permit ("titre de séjour") that goes with the visa. (Not being critical, mohsel, just trying to explain why the issue arises.)

We've had a number of folks through the forum here who have inadvertently wound up with a VLST rather than the VLS-TS they thought they were applying for. Both visas allow you to enter "for the long term" (i.e. for longer than 90 days) and serve as your titre de séjour for the initial period of the visa. But only a VLS-TS allows you to "renew" the residence permit part and receive an actual carte de séjour (residence permit) as a physical card on renewal.

In the past, forum have simply returned to the US at the end of their titre de séjour validity and re-applied for a VLS-TS (in the same category - say, "visiteur" - as the initial VLST visa). But, there have been some changes to immigration rules and policies and it is possible that there may now be a waiting period between visas. (Or, as I've seen noted in some places, some prefectures who appear to be jumping the gun on enforcing the new rules based on a recent "letter" from the relevant minister in charge of Immigration matters.)

There is also the recent change in visa processing agency (to TLS, as the OP noted). As mohsel has noted, there may be some confusion over the and conditions. But I do note that there is a new section on the Visas website that indicates the following:

If you have stayed in the Schengen Area within the past 6 months please use the Visa Calculator tool to determine the precise number of days remaining for your authorized stay (online calculator).

This may relate to the 6 month period you refer to (and possibly the changing immigration rules).

 

thanks Bev... I actually wante dot say apply for a new visa not visa renewal...
I agree, rules change everyday and it is becoming tougher and tougher .... so anything could be expected.