Applying for a French CdS if you're working

This is an archived page.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.

Permanent residence is covered in Chapter VI, Articles 21 to 24 of the decree, which you can read here.

Applying if you've been resident for 5 years or more

On this page we take you through the process of completing the online application form if you have been resident in France for 5 years at the time of your application but you don't have a carte de séjour permanent. 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.

Applying for permanent residence if you have less than 5 years residence

(1) If you are finishing work

In certain situations, if you cease working as either an employee or a self-employed person in France, another EU or EEA country, Switzerland or the UK you can apply for permanent residence status with less than 5 years residence. This is covered in Article 22 II 1° to 4° of the decree. You can do this if:

You have worked in France for at least the previous 12 months, you have reached the age at which you can legally claim a retirement pension, and you have been resident for at least 3 years; or
You have worked in France for at least the previous 12 months, you have taken early retirement, and you have been resident for at least 3 years; or
You have been declared permanently incapable of work and you have been resident for at least 2 years; or
You have been declared permanently incapable of work following an accident at work or an occupational disease which leads to the right to receive a social security pension. In this situation you can apply for permanent residence status without any minimum residence period.

In one further situation, you can acquire permanent residence status after 3 years of work and residence in France if you are going to work in another EU or EEA country, or in Switzerland, or in the UK. In order to benefit from this you need to remain a resident in France and return to France once each week.

Periods of involuntary unemployment which are on record at Pôle Emploi, or periods where your activity has ceased for reasons that are beyond your control, or absence from work or stoppage of work due to illness or accident are counted as periods of work for the purposes of these paragraphs.

Note that these dispensations are part of your rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, which replicates the permanent residence rights provided for in Article 17(1) of Reg EC 2004/38, the EU free movement directive. However, under the directive the dispensations apply only if you have worked in your host country. The French government has chosen to take a more generous approach and apply the dispensations to those who have just finished work not just in France, but in another EEA country, Switzerland, or the UK.

(2) If you are married to a French citizen

If you are married to a French citizen, you will automatically qualify for permanent residence when you apply for your new status and card, providing your life together has continued since your marriage, and your spouse has retained their French nationality, and - if you were married outside France - your marriage has been registered in France. This is covered in Article 22 I of the decree. You will follow the specific route for this on the application form. This applies however short a time you've lived in France.

If you've lived here for more than 5 years, it's better to use the 'permanent residence' route rather than the 'spouse of a French citizen' route.

A straightforward procedure

If you've been resident for 5 years or more, your application will be straightforward and you can breathe a sigh of relief. You don't have to prove your status, or your income, or show that you've exercised treaty rights for 5 years. Instead, you're asked only to prove that you've been resident in France for 5 years. This 'light touch' application is a major change.
The process varies according to whether or not you hold a carte de séjour permanent.
This page describes the process to follow if you don't have a carte de séjour permanent, even if you do hold a 5 year initial residence card.
If you have a 5 year residence card and have, at the point of making your application, accrued more than 5 years residence, you should follow the route described on this page.
If you have a 5 year card and are close to, but have not yet quite reached, 5 years residence, you may like to think about deferring your application until you have reached the 5 year point. This is because the '5 year route' is much simpler than the route for those resident for less than 5 years. Remember that the deadline to apply is not until 30 June 2021 so there is plenty of time.
If you hold a 10 year carte de séjour permanent, even if this has expired, or you have an old-style card without an expiry date, then the process is slightly different. Please go to this page to find out about this route.

YOU DO NOT AND HAVE NEVER HELD A
CARTE DE SEJOUR PERMANENT

Start your application

Note that this section only relates to those who don't have a carte de séjour permanent. If you have a carte de séjour permanent, even if it has expired or even if it is one of the old-style cards with no expiry date, please go to the previous page.
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

As you have been in France for over 5 years, you will benefit from the simplified procedure that the French government has introduced. You do not have to prove your exercise of treaty rights or show that you meet the conditions for a given category. Instead, you simply have to prove that you were resident in France 5 years ago, and that you remain resident in France at the date of your application.
First of all, you'll be asked for the date you first settled in France.
Next, you'll be asked whether you have a 10 year residence card - you'll click 'No' here.
You'll then be asked whether you have any other kind of residence card - if you have a one year or a five year initial card, enter the details here. Take care to enter the right number - on cards issued since 2011, it's the number on the right hand short side that you need, not the one at the top. You'll find instructions and a diagram here: accueil.contacts-demarches.interieur.gouv.fr/media/uploads/2020/10/15/comment_trouver_mon_numero_d_etranger_en.pdf Then add the issue date and the 'valid to' date on your card.

If you don't have any form of card, go straight to the next page, where you'll first of all need to upload a scan or a photo of your passport.

Next you're asked to upload 2 more documents or sets of documents. The first is to show that you are/were 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, 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.
The second document relates to the date you first settled in France. This must be at least 5 years ago. If you have a residence card (eg a five year or one year card) that you've already listed on the previous page, this will suffice as proof of your installation date; you need to upload a copy of the front (the side with the photo) only. If you don't have any form of residence card, then you'll need a rental agreement, or a home insurance contract or certificate, or a copy of a tax statement (your avis d'imposition), or an employment contract or pay slip, or a document issued by social security or your health provider, or any other supporting document. Remember that you don't need to prove your income or your status, only your residence.

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 Username.
Use the Issuing Authority details from your passport - for example, for a UK passport use GBR.

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.
Note that 'Channel number' and 'Label of the Channel' refers to your road name and number, and that 'Locality - PO Box' relates to your Lieu-dit or your Boite Postale if you have one (this will only apply to a few people and is not compulsory to complete).

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 10 year permanent residence card.

resident for more than ​5 Years without carte de ​sejour permanent.