Resident for less than 5 years and retired or otherwise inactive

This is an archived page.
The application window and the online portal are now closed and all remaining applications must be made to your local préfecture.
The basic information provided on this page however remains relevant.

This is covered in Article 14 of the decree, which you can read here.

Applying if you've been resident for less than 5 years and you are retired or otherwise economically inactive

On this page we take you through the process of completing the online application form if you have been resident in France for less than 5 years and you are retired, early retired or you don't work for another reason. We look at how to apply and what evidence you need to provide when you apply.

The previous 2 pages gave an overview and set the context for your application, and looked generally at the process of making your application. It's a good idea to read these first.

YOU ARE RETIRED OR OTHERWISE ECONOMICALLY INACTIVE

Start your application

Note that this section only relates to those who have been resident in France for less than 5 years. If you have lived here for 5 years or more, you will complete a different part of the application form and don't have to provide the details in this section. If you've been in France for 5 years or more and already hold a CdS permanent, go to this page. If you've been in France for 5 years or more and don't hold a CdS permanent, go to this page.
It also relates only to those who are retired or are economically inactive for another reason.
Begin your application by navigating to either the French or the English version of the application form on the French government website.
Follow the instructions on the previous page to complete the introductory pages of your application if you haven't already done so, then return to this page.

Continuing your application

First of all, you'll be asked for the date you first settled in France.
Next, you'll be asked to choose your current situation. You'll need to select "I live in France without working there (retired / person with sufficient resources / incapacity for work)".

The next page takes you through all the documents you need to upload, firstly your passport.
After that, you'll be asked to upload proof of your residence in France in 2020 ((in other words, before the end of the transition period on 31 December 2025). Suggested proofs are a utility bill (electricity, gas, water, landline phone, internet) or a rental agreement or rent receipt or a taxe d'habitation bill that is less than 6 months old, although you can also use something else that proves your residence. You can upload several documents if you're not sure. If you live in someone else's house you'll need an attestation d'hébergement from the person who is accommodating you (dated and signed), along with a copy of their identity card or passport or residence permit, and proof of their address if the address on their identity card, passport or residence permit is no longer up to date or doesn't appear. You can find a model attestation d'hébergement here.
You'll then be asked to upload a copy of the front of any residence card that you hold, even if it is expired. If you have a one year or a five year card, upload that here. If you don't have a card, leave this blank.
Next on this page you'll need to upload proof of your resources and proof of your health cover. As both of these always generate lots of questions, we cover them in a bit more detail in the boxes below, before the screenshots of the form. You can use any document that shows your overall resources: bank statements, pension or savings statements, tax statements etc - include as much as possible. For health cover, upload your attestation of health cover if you're in the French system or the equivalent from your private health insurance.

Sufficient resources

The WA says that those who are inactive you may be asked to present evidence that they have 'sufficient resources for themselves and their family members not to become a burden on the social assistance system of the host State during their period of residence'.
This applies only for the first 5 years of your residence. France has chosen not to ask people who have already lived in France for 5 years to prove this retrospectively, but if you have less than 5 years residence you will be asked to submit evidence of your resources.
There are some exceptions to the requirement to show sufficient resources if you have recently stopped working - see below for more about this.
Préfectures should not use a fixed, one-size-fits-all minimum income level to assess whether you have sufficient resources; instead they must assess each application individually, using the information you have provided. As in other EU countries they are provided with a guideline figure to help with the assessment. The guideline figure now confirmed in legislation published on 29 November 2025 is the basic level of RSA (revenu de solidarité active) for a single person, whatever your age or household composition. This is currently 565,34€ per month. If your income is equal to or higher than this you will automatically meet this condition.

What are 'resources'?

Your préfecture should take into account not just your regular monthly or annual income, but also your savings, and whether you live rent-free or own your own home. So it's an overall picture that they're looking for - which means that if your regular income is borderline in relation to the guideline figure, you should provide as much information as you can about the different strands that make up your overall resources.
The only income that you can't count is any form of French income top-up benefit (for example, RSA). We are clarifying the position regarding AAH (allocation aux adultes handicapés).
The French authorities have repeatedly stressed that they want everyone who has made France their home to be able to stay, and the overall politic is to grant residence rather than to refuse it, unless a person clearly has no possibility of maintaining themselves. Please don't worry too much about the process of proving your resources - just remember to give as many details as you can, and use the comments box at the end to give any supplementary explanations about your circumstances.

Who is exempt from having to show 'sufficient resources'?

You don't have to provide any proof of resources (or of health cover) if you meet any one of these conditions:

You have lived in France for 3 years and you have just retired after working for the last 12 months in France, the UK, Switzerland or any EU/EEA country. If you meet this condition, you need to upload your notification of retirement or a pension certificate, plus any document proving that you have worked for the required 12 months.
You have worked in France for 3 years and now have a professional activity (employed or self-employed) in the UK, Switzerland or another EU/EEA country. If you meet this condition, you need to upload two documents, one to prove each of those things.
You have been declared unfit for work, either temporarily or permanently. If you meet this condition, you need to upload any document proving that you exercised a professional activity in France before being declared unfit, and a certificate of your incapacity to work due to illness or accident. If your incapacity to work is permanent, you also need to upload a document to prove that you have been in France for more than 2 years or that you receive a social security pension.

If you fall into any of these conditions, you'll find the box to upload your documents right at the bottom of the page, below the Health Insurance box - see the screenshot below. You also need to note in the 'Observations' box if you are intending to rely on these special provisions.

Health cover

If you are non-economically active you're required to have - and show proof that you have - comprehensive health cover, which can be either 'public' or 'private'.
Public cover means that you have joined and are covered by the French health care system. This may be via your S1 form if you have a UK state pension, or via PUMa if you don't have an S1. You can find out more about the health care system in France on this page. To prove that you are in the French health care system, you can download an attestation from your account on the Ameli website.
If you have recently arrived in France, note that your EHIC will not suffice as proof of health cover. This is because (a) it becomes invalid when you move permanently to an EU country (unless it is a UK EHIC-E issued to S1 holders), and (b) it only covers treatment that becomes medically necessary during your stay abroad and therefore is not comprehensive health cover.
You can join the PUMa system after 3 months residence in France; until then, unless you have an S1, you will have to take out private health insurance to cover you until your PUMa application has been approved.
If you have an S1 we recommend that you register this with your local CPAM office as soon as possible. Make sure you take a photocopy of it and ask how long it will take for you to be registered. If the waiting time in your area is relatively short, then it may be better to delay your making your residence application until your application has been processed and you have received your social security number. If the waiting time is likely to be long, you may want to make your application for residence and upload a copy of your S1 plus the receipt you received from CPAM when you registered it. (We don't yet know for certain whether préfectures will accept this but you can always provide more information later.) Although you will eventually be reimbursed, you may need still to take out private health insurance to cover you until your S1 is registered as otherwise you will have to pay in full for any treatment received.
If you have private health cover, this must cover everything that is covered by the French health system; this is referred to on the application form as providing 'the services mentioned in Articles L.160-8 and L.160-9 of the Social Security Code'. You will need to make sure that any policy you take out meets this requirement. You can find out exactly what must be included on this page.

On the following page you are asked to identify yourself, give your name and marital status, your date and place of birth, and your passport details.
If you use a different name from your birth name - for example, your spouse's name - enter this as your Preferred name.
Use the Issuing Authority details from your passport - for example, for a passport issued in the UK use UKPA, and for one issued in Paris use FCO.

Finally you're asked for your address details, email address and a phone number, either mobile or landline. An email address and at least one phone number are obligatory.

The last box on the form asks whether you have any additional observations to make. This is where you should now add your reasons for not applying before the original deadline of 30 June 2021. You can also use this box if, for example, you would like to attend the préfecture at the same time as your spouse or another family member (add their names here); if you have mobility difficulties and would like your préfecture to get in touch to see if alternative arrangements can be made; or for any other comments on your application. Please write in French, otherwise your comments may not be fully understood. If your French isn't good enough you can use this site to translate what you want to say: www.deepl.com/en/translator.

When you click on Suivant, you'll be taken to a page where you can see all the information you have input and verify whether it's correct. If so, you can go on and validate your application (press Valider); before you do this you'll have to answer a simple anti-spam question.
You will receive (usually in under an hour) an email which is your attestation d'enregistrement and contains your unique application number. Keep this email very safe as you won't be able to get a copy. It is your proof that you have made your application. If you travel outside France after 31 December 2025 you'll need to take it with you until you receive your new card so that you are treated as a resident and not as a tourist when you return.
In due course your préfecture will contact you with an appointment for fingerprinting and to present your photo - see this page for details.
Your new card will then be sent to your home by post. You will receive a 5 year card.