French residence permit, what is it and how do I apply for one? In this blog, we will answer your questions and provide you with all of the information you need in order to make your dreams of living in France come true.
The French resident permits are valid for up to a year. However, under some of these visa categories, you might be able to stay in France for 3 (three) to 4 (four) years. Depending on the category of your long-stay visa, you might qualify for a different Carte de Sejour.
Before explaining the categories of France residence permits, it is worth looking at the long-stay visa resident permit equivalents:
- A long-stay visa that is equivalent to a residence permit (visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour – VLS-TS) permits the holder to enter France as well as stay in the country for 3 (three) to 12 (twelve) months without the need to apply for a separate residence permit.
- The long-stay visa obligates you to apply for a resident permit. You have to submit the application within three months after getting to France if you are on a long-term visa marked with the phrase “carte de séjour à solliciter.”
Types of French residence permits
French residence permits, because of many factors such as validity, who it is for, and how long it is valid for, are different. Find out which one you are eligible for.
Carte de Séjour Temporaire
This is a temporary residence card that is issued for a period of less than a year. The Carte de Séjour Temporaire encompasses four visa categories: VLS-TS, visitors, employees and temporary workers, and private and family life. Below we will go over each one in detail.
VLS-TS
A VLS-TS, or long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit, is a form of long-stay visa that exempts its bearer from applying for a residence permit during the first year of residence.
This form of visa, which is valid for up to one year, permits the holder to enter France and stay there throughout that time without having to apply for a residence permit at the Préfecture. The holder’s passport is marked with a sticker.
Foreign nationals who seek to extend their stay in France after the first year must apply for the appropriate residence permit based on their circumstances.
Visitor card
Third-country nationals who intend to stay in France for more than three months as inactive individuals can apply for a residence permit specifically designed for them. This form of residence visa is also available to people who are traveling to France to participate in religious activities. The essential criteria for receiving this permission is that you will not be doing any paid work in France.
For employees or temporary workers
Foreigners who come to France solely for work might receive this form of temporary residence visa, which is marked with the words “salaried” or “temporary worker,” depending on your situation. Only people who don’t have a residence permit card are eligible to apply.
For private and family life
Under specific conditions, non-French, non-EU, and non-EEA nationals who have family ties to a French resident can apply for this form of residence card. The card is renewable, valid for a year, and allows its holder to work. Non-French nationals in the same scenario, who are European or Algerian citizens, will need to apply for a separate residence permit, which will be issued only for them.
The family members who can apply are, among others, spouses and parents of underage children who are French nationals, children, and spouses of foreigners with a French residence permit, young foreigners who went to France as a minor, family of a refugee under stateless or subsidiary French protection and people who have received a French pension for an injury that occurred during employment in France and resulted in a disability rate of at least 20%.
Carte de Séjour for students or trainees
This type of visa includes four types of residence permits and they include visas for foreign students in France, foreigners who graduated from a French higher institution, foreign interns in France, and Au pair trainees.
For foreign graduates of higher education
Foreign nationals who have graduated from a French educational institution and wish to stay longer in order to begin working in France can apply for a one-year non-renewable temporary residence permit. If you are a citizen of a country that has signed a migratory flows agreement with France, you will be eligible for some benefits.
For foreign students in France
Students who come to France to study require a long-stay student visa (VLS-TS) that works as a residence permit and allows them to study in the country.
In general, students must apply for this type of permit, but in the cases described below, it is granted automatically for:
- Students who are recipients of a French government scholarship.
- Students who come to France as part of a formal arrangement between the government and a higher education institution.
- Students from countries that have signed a reciprocal agreement with France on student admission.
- Students who pass the entrance exam for a higher education school that has signed an agreement with the state.
- Students who have completed at least three years of education in a French establishment abroad and hold a French baccalaureate-prepared in a school under the auspices of the Agency for French Education Abroad.
- For Foreign Interns in France.
This form of residence visa allows non-European nationals to stay in France as a trainee or an intern. One of the requirements is that the applicant has an internship agreement with a company or institution in France, proving that the intern will be paid at least €615 per month, which is the basic maintenance allowance for French government scholars.
Au Pair Trainee Carte de Séjour
To be able to obtain the Au Pair Trainee Carte de Séjour you must be between the ages of 17 and 30, and the host family must provide you with housing in exchange for certain typical family responsibilities such as housework and childcare.
To enter French territory and stay with a French family you have to sign the Au Pair Investment Agreement. After that, the host family must submit the agreement to the French authorities for approval.
You must sign a written agreement with your host family using the “CERFA form 61-2116,” which must include details on the task to be completed, your timetable, weekly rest, and the amount of money you will get, etc. The agreement must be for a maximum of one year.
Once the agreement has been verified by the host family with the French administration, you can take it to the DIRECTTE along with a medical certificate that is less than three months old. If the certificate is in another language, it must be translated into French.
Carte de Séjour Compétences et Talents
The “Competences and Talents” long stay visa category is divided into four subcategories. They include the talent passport, and passports for seasonal workers, for retirees, and for highly qualified employees.
Talent passport
The Talent Passport is a French long-stay visa that also serves as a residence permit, designed for foreigners who seek to enter and stay in France for a maximum of four years while working, particularly in competitive activities, as a global talent. It covers a variety of ten categories with an international reputation.
For seasonal workers
This is a document for foreign nationals (non-EEA, non-Swiss, and non-Algerian citizens) that allows them to stay in France and work as seasonal workers. The permission is renewable and valid for up to three years. While working and holding this permit, the holder is limited to staying and working in France for no more than six months per year.
For retirees
Foreign citizens who have lived in France for more than three years under a residency card or who have a retirement pension from a basic French social security program are eligible to apply for this type of residency for retired individuals. This resident permit does not allow them to work.
Highly qualified employee
Foreigners who enter France to work in a senior management position or contribute their skills to a company with similar expertise can apply for this form of residence permit, which is valid for up to three years.
EEA Carte de Sejour
As the name suggests, the EEA Carte de Séjour is meant for citizens of the European Economic Area and their family members. They are either temporary or permanent visas, and there are two categories: Carte de Séjour for citizens of the EEA and Switzerland, and Carte de Séjour for family members of EEA citizens.
For EEA and Switzerland citizens
In order to live in France, citizens of the European Economic Area and Switzerland do not require a residence visa. They are, however, recommended to do so to receive the full benefit of public services and assistance. The card, which says “Citizen UE/EEE/Suisse” on it, is granted for the first five years of your stay.
For family members of a European citizen
Family members of a European citizen (who are also European) can join them in France. They do not need to apply for a residence visa. Non-Europeans, on the other hand, must apply for a permit within three months of arriving in France, which permits them to stay for a maximum of five years before qualifying to apply for a permanent residency permit.
Au Pair Trainee Carte de Séjour
To be able to obtain the Au Pair Trainee Carte de Séjour you must be between the ages of 17 and 30, and the host family must provide you with housing in exchange for certain typical family responsibilities such as housework and childcare.
To enter and stay in France with a French family you have to sign the Au Pair Investment Agreement. After that, the host family must submit the agreement to the French administration for approval.
You must sign into a written agreement with your host family using “CERFA form 61-2116,” which must include details on: the task to complete, your timetable, weekly rest, and the amount of money you will get, etc. The agreement must be for a maximum of one year.
Once the agreement has been verified by the host family with the French administration, you can take it to the DIRECTTE along with a medical certificate that is less than three months old. If the certificate is in another language, it must be translated into French.
Documents required for your French Residence Permit
Depending on the type of residence permit you apply for, the documents you’ll have to provide will vary. However, in general, you may be asked to submit your:
- current carte de séjour or long stay visa;
- valid passport;
- birth certificate translated to French;
- proof of address;
- 3 (three) passport-style photos;
- OFII (French Office of Immigration and Integration) medical certificate.
Typically, for a ‘visitor’ French visa, you will be required to provide the following:
- Proof of financial funds of a minimum of €15,098 a year (you can provide bank statements from a minimum of 3 months back).
- A handwritten signed attestation stating that you do not plan and will not work in France.
- Health insurance certificate to cover any health related expenses for the duration of your stay.
For a ‘family’ visa:
- Marriage certificate and proof of registration with the French marriage registry.
- Proof of your spouse’s national identity (proving that they are a French citizen).
- A declaration of honor signed by your spouse.
- Any documents proving that you have lived in France together for at least 6 (six) months.
For a ‘work’ visa:
- a work permit
- a job contract.
Finalizing an application for French residence permit
Now that you have your photo ready and you have read all of the requirements, you will be ready to apply for a residence permit, thanks to which you’ll be allowed to remain in France for longer than 3 (three) months. You should remember that when applying for your residence permit you should apply within 2 (two) months of your arrival in France.
The application is similar to that for a France visa, student visa, or work permit, in that you are required to submit certain documents. However, one major difference is that instead of applying at the French embassy in your home country, you are required to apply in person, in France, with the local authorities at the prefecture.
The documents you will be required to present are:
- Translated documents. It is imperative that the documents are translated by an officially licensed French translator. Any documents that you present must be translated to the French language.
- Birth certificate.
- Your original passport and a photocopy of it. Your passport will need long-stay visa stamps or stickers to prove that you’ve previously been granted a visa and the photocopy will need to show this. This, along with your birth certificate, is used as proof of identity.
- Medical Insurance. Nothing is more important than our health, so having medical insurance is necessary to show that your medical expenses are covered.
- Marriage and Birth Certificates. You are required to show proof of marriage as well as your children’s birth certificates, if applicable.
- Proof of income –to show that you can support yourself whatever your employment status is. If you are employed, you will need to show a work contract and your pay slips; if you are self employed you will need proof of this, and if you are retired then proof of your financial well-being, with a bank statement, should suffice.
- Photos. Lastly you will need recent photos of yourself that meet all requirements set by the authorities.
For more information on French immigration in general, or how to submit your visa application contact the French Ministry of Foregin Affairs.
