A France residence permit, called a titre de séjour, is the card that lets a non-EU citizen live in France for longer than 90 days. Most people start with a long-stay visa that acts as a first permit, then move to a one-year or multi-year card issued by the prefecture. You apply online through the ANEF portal, submit documents tied to your category, pay a tax stamp, and, if you arrived on a long-stay visa, validate it within three months of landing. Fees rose sharply on May 1, 2026, with the standard first-issue permit now €350.1Service Public. Residence Permits: Increase in the Amount of Fees Charged to Foreigners From 1 May
The Main Permit Categories
Which permit you hold depends on why you are in France. The categories below are the ones most applicants encounter.
The VLS-TS: Your First Year
Most people begin with a visa long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS), a long-stay visa that doubles as a residence permit. It is issued by a French consulate abroad and covers stays of three months to one year.2France-Visas. Long-Stay Visa Eligible categories include students, employees on permanent contracts, spouses of French citizens, and Passeport Talent holders.3Service Public. Long-Stay Visa (Stay of More Than 3 Months to 1 Year)
Within three months of arrival you must validate the VLS-TS online through the ANEF portal. Skip this step and you fall into an irregular situation even though your visa is still valid. Validation is also when the €300 fee comes due.1Service Public. Residence Permits: Increase in the Amount of Fees Charged to Foreigners From 1 May
Temporary and Multi-Year Cards
When the VLS-TS expires you generally move to either a one-year carte de séjour temporaire or a multi-year carte de séjour pluriannuelle. The temporary card is capped at one year and has to be renewed annually.4Légifrance. Code de l’Entree et du Sejour des Etrangers et du Droit d’Asile
The multi-year card lasts up to four years after your first year of residence in most categories. Students get a card matched to the remaining length of their program, so a student entering the second year of a three-year degree receives a two-year card. Spouses of French citizens and parents of French children get a multi-year card valid for up to two years.5Service Public. Carte de Sejour Pluriannuelle
Passeport Talent
The Passeport Talent is a multi-year permit for skilled workers, entrepreneurs, and investors. It can be issued for up to four continuous years from arrival, and family members can join under a simplified procedure. The most common track is the salarié qualifié route for qualified employees, which in 2026 requires an employment contract guaranteeing a gross annual salary of at least €39,582.6Service Public. Carte Talent: Carte de Sejour Pluriannuelle d’un Etranger en France Other sub-categories cover founders of innovative companies, artists, researchers, and athletes, each with its own criteria.
Private and Family Life
The vie privée et familiale card covers people with strong personal ties to France: spouses of French nationals, parents of French children, and foreigners with significant personal or family connections in the country. Spouses who married in France must show at least six months of shared life before applying. Parents of a French child need to prove they have actively contributed to that child’s upbringing for at least two years.7Service Public. Residence Card Private and Family Life of a Foreigner in France
Post-Study Job Search
Foreign students who earn at least a master’s-level qualification in France can apply for the recherche d’emploi ou création d’entreprise permit. It gives you 12 non-renewable months to find work in your field or launch a business.8France-Visas. Job Search – Business Creation If you leave France after graduating, you can still apply within four years of earning your degree.
The Ten-Year Carte de Résident
After five years of continuous legal residence you may qualify for the carte de résident, a ten-year renewable card. Spouses of French nationals can apply after three years of shared life and residence in France. As of 2026 you must show B1-level French, up from the previous A2 standard, though applicants aged 65 and over are exempt from the language test. You also need stable income sufficient to support yourself without social assistance, plus tax and social security records showing your contributions.
Once issued, the ten-year card renews automatically as long as you keep your ties to France. Spending more than three consecutive years outside the country voids the card even if it has not technically expired.
Documents You Will Need
Every application starts from the same baseline:
- A valid passport that includes your entry visa or previous permit.
- Civil status documents: birth certificate, and marriage certificate or divorce decree if relevant. Anything not in French needs a certified translation by a court-approved translator.
- Proof of residence (justificatif de domicile): a utility bill or lease from the last six months. If you are hosted, you need a signed hosting attestation with the host’s ID and their own proof of address.
- An e-photo taken at an ANTS-approved booth or professional photographer. The booth generates a code you enter into the online system. Photos from websites or phone apps are rejected.
Your category then adds its own layer. Workers submit their employment contract and the employer’s 14-digit SIRET number. Students provide a current enrollment certificate and evidence of at least €615 per month in financial resources.9European Commission. Student in France Family-category applicants may need to document continuous presence in France through bank statements, school records, or medical files. Download the checklist for your specific permit from the ANEF portal before you start; a missing item gives the prefecture grounds to reject the whole file.
How to File
Most applications are handled digitally through the ANEF portal at administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr. You create an account with your visa or existing permit number, upload scanned documents, and fill in the required personal information.
Some categories or local jurisdictions still require a physical appointment at the prefecture. Slots fill quickly, so check your prefecture’s website as soon as you know you will need one. At the appointment you present originals for verification and give biometrics, including fingerprints.
Fees Since May 2026
France charges an administrative tax stamp (timbre fiscal) for each permit. The rates jumped on May 1, 2026:1Service Public. Residence Permits: Increase in the Amount of Fees Charged to Foreigners From 1 May
- First-issue permit, standard rate: €350, up from €225.
- First-issue permit, reduced rate: €150, up from €75. Applies to students, seasonal workers, job-search permits, family reunification cases, and au pairs.
- Renewal, standard rate: €250, up from €225.
- Renewal, reduced rate: €100, up from €75.
- VLS-TS validation: €300, up from €200.
You pay online through the government’s timbre fiscal site and include the digital receipt in your file. Your card will not be released if the payment is missing or incorrect, even where the application itself is approved.
While You Wait: The Récépissé
After filing you receive either an attestation de dépôt or a récépissé, which acts as temporary proof of legal residence while the prefecture reviews your case. Processing takes two to six months depending on complexity and workload. You are eventually told by text message to pick up the physical card in person.
The récépissé keeps you legal, but its other rights are narrower than people assume. If you are renewing a permit that already authorized work, the renewal récépissé authorizes work too. For a first-time application, work rights depend on the category: researchers, employees, and family-life card holders can generally work on a récépissé; others cannot.
Travel is the real trap. A renewal récépissé plus your expired card lets you leave and re-enter the Schengen area. A first-application récépissé generally does not, and leaving France on one usually means you cannot get back in. Plan any international travel around your permit timeline.
Renewing Your Permit
File for renewal between four months and two months before your current permit expires. Both ends of that window are strict. File too early and the prefecture may reject the application as premature. File late and you pay a €180 penalty on top of the standard fee, and you may open a gap in your legal status that affects your right to work.
The renewal file requires updated versions of the core documents plus proof that the conditions of your original permit still hold: current pay slip and contract for workers, fresh enrollment certificate and financial proof for students. The prefecture is checking whether your situation has genuinely continued.
The Republican Integration Contract
When you first receive a residence permit, the French immigration office (OFII) will have you sign a Contrat d’Intégration Républicaine (CIR). It runs for one year, with a possible one-year extension, and commits you to civic and language training.10Service Public. What Is the Republican Integration Contract (RIC)? If you test below A1 in French, you may be assigned between 100 and 600 hours of language instruction. Compliance with the CIR is reviewed when you later apply for a multi-year card or the ten-year carte de résident.
If Your Application Is Denied
A refusal is not automatically the end of the process. You have two months from receiving the decision to file an informal appeal (recours gracieux) with the prefect who issued it. You can also file a formal appeal before the administrative tribunal within one month of notification.11Service Public. Obligation to Leave French Territory (OQTF)
A denial often comes paired with an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF). The standard version gives you 30 days to leave voluntarily. In more serious cases, the OQTF requires immediate departure with no grace period. Filing an appeal does not automatically suspend an OQTF, so get legal advice quickly if you intend to remain in France while contesting the decision.