French residency cards: The three different types and who can apply for them
All give the holder the right to live in France for 10 years
Family members of EU citizens can qualify for a special residency card
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There are three different types of residency cards available in France which all confer similar benefits, including the right to live in the country for 10 years. However, each card is intended for different groups of people.
All three of France’s residency cards, the carte de résident, carte de résident longue durée - UE and the carte de résident permanent cost €225 and are valid for 10 years.
People who meet requirements for these cards can apply for one two months before a previous non-EU citizen carte de séjour expires.
Note that Brexit Withdrawal Agreement cards confer similar rights to cartes de résident, even though they are called cartes de séjour.
For more information on visas and Residency cards consult The Connexion's guide, available here:
Carte de résident
The 10-year carte de résident is a residency card for people with family links in France.
You can apply online via Anef between four months and two months before your previous card’s expiry, if you are:
Married to a French person and have been for at least three years and are still living with your spouse (if you got married abroad the marriage must be registered with the French état civil register). You will need to sign a CIR contract and meet the language requirements. Note that the first card issued to this group is a vie privée et familiale card, valid for two years. Holders can prolong this with a resident’s card.
The spouse or child of a foreigner who has a resident’s card and you have lived in France for at least three years (children should apply during the year after which they turn 18).
A parent of a French child who lives in France and has held a vie privée et familiale card for at least three years.
A young person turning 18 who would otherwise have the right to claim French nationality having lived in France for at least five years since age 11 but chose not to.
For the full list of supporting documents required see the official page on service-public.fr here.
When the card expires you can apply for one of the other two cards below.
Read more: How is a French ‘carte de résident’ different to a ‘carte de séjour’?
Carte de résident de longue-durée UE
This card is for non-EU nationals who have lived in France, supporting themselves and have held one of the various kinds of carte de séjour for at least five years.
Apart from allowing the holder to continue to live and work in France unconditionally, it allows them to move to some other EU countries without the need to first obtain a visa.
However, they would still need to apply for a residency card to remain in the country long-term, based on their reason for moving there.
The EU has been discussing reinforcing and standardising the rights that are conferred by this card to better recognise the status of long-term foreign residents.
The card is valid for 10 years and is renewable.
Apart from living in France and fulfilling the requirements of your previous cards, including supporting yourself and having income of at least the French minimum wage and healthcare cover, you should be able to demonstrate ‘continuity’ of residence in France.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances which required longer absences, you should not normally have been away for more than six months consecutively or 10 months in total in the five-year period.
French government sites state that in terms of financial resources, you should demonstrate (for a single person) having at least the amount of the ‘gross’ Smic minimum wage, as opposed to the ‘net’ amount which is cited for the carte de séjour ‘visiteur.’
However the Interior Ministry told The Connexion this is only relevant to workers, and ‘visitor’ cardholders can still refer to the net amount. Benefits such as family allowance and housing benefit are not counted towards the calculations.
Gross refers to the amount of a French salary before employee’s social charges are deducted – as of 2024 this is €1,767/month (net is €1,399). You apply to your prefecture two months before your last card’s expiry. It costs €225.
For supporting documents see the official page on service-public.fr here.
Carte de résident permanent
Holders of 10-year cards coming up for renewal can ask to change to a carte de résident permanent – a permanent resident’s card.
This gives a right to stay permanently in France unless the person is deemed to be a public danger.
The card is systematically offered to people who have already had two other consecutive resident’s cards and to applicants aged over 60.
You should apply to your prefecture two months before your current card expires.
The cost is the same as for other cards (€225) and the required supporting documents are minimal. For more information see the official page on service-public.fr here.
It is renewable every 10 years without any conditions.
