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Temporary residence card for a foreigner in France

Verified 01 January 2023 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

If you are a foreigner and wish to stay in France for more than 3 months as an inactive person, you can obtain a residence card visitor. This card is issued to you under resource conditions if you agree not to work in France. It concerns foreigners coming to exercise religious functions in France. It is valid for a maximum of 1 year and renewable.

Temporary residence card visitor allows you to stay in France for more than 3 months without working.

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You are Algerian

If you are an Algerian, you can get a 1 year residence certificatevisitor.

You are European

If you European, you cannot obtain a temporary residence card visitor.

You do not need a residence permit.

However, you can ask an EU/EEA/Switzerland citizen's residence card as a pensioner or inactive.

Other

If you are a foreigner and want to come to France for more than 3 months, you must hold a long-stay visa valid for residence permit (VL-TS)) mention visitor.

You are concerned if you are a foreigner (except European or Algerian).

You must commit not to work in France and you must have sufficient resources to live for the duration of your stay.

The minimum amount of resources required for a single person is €1,353.07 Monthly net, over 1 year.

This can be your own resources (annuities or pensions, real estate income, etc.) or those of a family member. You can submit bank certificates or sureties or proof of income provided by creditworthy individuals.

Housing conditions are also taken into account in the assessment of your resources, and possibly guarantees provided by solvent persons (including your family).

Family allowances are not taken into account (they are paid for the maintenance of children).

You can get this title as:

  • Dependent parent of your children legally residing in France
  • Partner Civil partnerships: titleContent (less than 1 year of common life)
  • Religious (priest, imam, etc.) if you come to exercise your duties in France

Application Filing

You must submit your application for a card online, no earlier than 4 months and no later than 2 months before the end of the validity of your residence document (visa, VLS-TS or title).

Apply online for a residence card or travel document

You will immediately obtain, when submitting your application for a residence permit on the Internet, a dematerialised certificate of deposit.

Parts to be provided

  • Long-stay visa or valid residence permit (unless you hold a "long-term resident - EU" issued by another Member State of the European Union)
  • Full copy of birth certificate with the latest information
  • Passport (pages on marital status, validity dates, entry stamps and visas). Otherwise, other supporting documents (e.g. consular certificate, identity card, consular card).
  • 3 photos. If the request is made on the Internet: indicate the code of the e-photo (provided by the photographer or the approved cabin on the photo board).
  • Medical certificate issued by theOfii: titleContent (to be remitted at the time of delivery of the security)
  • Justifications of your resources reaching an annual amount equal to €16,236.85 (bank certificates, bonds of creditworthy persons, pension security for pensioners, etc.)
  • If you are supported by a third party: documents proving sufficient resources from the guarantor, financial support certificate and guarantor ID
  • Certificate on the honour (manuscript) of not working in France
  • Certificate of sickness insurance covering the duration of your stay
  • Justification for payment of the residence permit fee and stamp duty (to be handed over at the time of issue of the residence permit)

Review of application

Acceptance or refusal to issue residence card

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Your request is accepted

If your application is accepted, you are summoned to the prefecture for the issue of the title.

Your request is denied

If the prefect has notified you of the refusal

The decision of the Prefect is yours notified by reasoned letter (explicit decision). Except where otherwise provided, such refusal shall be accompanied by obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) fixing the country where you will be returned.

You can form a litigation before the administrative tribunal (within 48 hours, 15 days or 30 days depending on the type of OQTF).

No reply from the Prefect on your request

If the prefecture did not respond after 4 months, it is an implicit refusal.

You can then train within 2 months of this refusal:

Warning  

if your receipt expires and you do not have a response from the prefecture, the processing time may be extended. In this case, you can get your receipt renewed. Find out more on your prefecture's website.

Cost

You have to pay €225 (sales tax €200 + stamp duty €25) by tax stamps.

The proof of payment of the stamp duty is required upon delivery of the card.

Card Discount

Your card is given to you by the prefecture or sub-prefecture of your home (depending on the place where your application is submitted).

This card is valid for 1 year and renewable.

Approach

You must submit your application for renewal of your card online, no earlier than 4 months and no later than 2 months before the end of the validity of your residence document (visa, VLS-TS or title).

Apply online for a residence card or travel document

Cost

You have to pay €225 by tax stamps.

The proof of payment of the stamp duty is required upon delivery of the card.

If you file your application after the deadline, except in cases of force majeure or presentation of a valid visa, you will have to pay a visa fee to regularise €180.

You must pay this visa fee by tax stamps.

Who can help me?

Find who can answer your questions in your region

  • For more information on this subject, you can contact Allô Public Service.

    Cost: Free Service

    The informants who answer you are from the Ministry of the Interior.

    Attention: the service does not have access to users' personal files and therefore cannot provide information on their progress.

    The service is available at the following times:

    • Monday: 8:30 to 17:30
    • Tuesday: 8:30 to 12:15
    • Wednesday: 8:30 to 12:15
    • Thursday: 8:30 to 17:30
    • Friday: 1 pm to 4:15 pm

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