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Requirements
Where is it?
Renew your residence permit
What is it?
When the residence permit expires, that is to say the validity date approaches ("valid until"), you must apply for a new card. This is called a renewal of residence permit.
Whether you are a refugee, a beneficiary of subsidiary protection or a stateless person, you must apply online on the Foreigners in France (ANEF) website. between 4 months and 2 months before the document's expiration date.
Please note that this contract is different from the OFII's Republican Integration Contract (CIR) .
How to do it?
To apply for a new residence permit, you need these documents:
- Contract of commitment to respect the principles of the Republic
You must read, print, complete, date and sign the written engagement contract in French. This document explains the principles of the French Republic: personal freedom, freedom of expression and conscience, equality between women and men, dignity of the human person, motto and symbols of the Republic, territorial integrity of France, secularism. When you sign this document, you agree to respect these values while you live in France.
Everything is explained here.
If you apply for a residence permit directly at the prefecture, you must print, sign and add your commitment contract to your paper file, or send it by post or in PDF format to demarches-simplifiees.fr .
- Letter with the decision of OFPRA or CNDA granting you refugee, beneficiary of subsidiary protection or stateless person status
- Civil status documents sent by OFPRA (birth certificate , marriage certificate if you are married)
- Proof of address less than 6 months old (or proof of residence or proof of accommodation)
- If you are without stable accommodation and you only have a postal address to receive mail, the usual proof of address is accepted.
- If you are staying with someone (family, friend, volunteer, etc.), you must send: proof of accommodation from the person hosting you, a copy of their identity card (or residence permit) and proof of address in their name (electricity or telephone bill).
- 3 e-photos
> Read: the Réfugiés.info sheet “Taking and using an e-photo ”.
- If you are married and a national of a country that allows polygamy: sworn statement of non-polygamy (the fact of not being married to several people in France)
To renew a resident card (10 years), some prefectures may request a sworn statement confirming that you have not lived outside France for more than 3 consecutive years.
If you are a refugee or beneficiary of subsidiary protection , you must apply for a residence permit online on this site: https://administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr/
- Log in to your Foreigners in France (ANEF) account, then click on your name at the top right of the home page, and select "Access my account".
- Or if you've never done it before, create your account.
> Read: the Réfugiés.info sheet “Create a personal account on Etrangers en France (ANEF)”.
Stateless persons cannot yet apply on this site. If you have been recognized as stateless, you must go directly to the prefecture near your address to submit your residence permit application. The documents requested are the same as the online application.
Once you are logged into your account on the Foreigners in France (ANEF) website, click on “I request or renew a residence permit”.
You must complete the form and send the documents from step 1.
> Read: the Réfugiés.info sheet “Scan a document”.
After making the request online, you will automatically receive by email a "confirmation of submission" which proves that you have sent your file. This document does not confer any rights, it is only a proof.
If your file is complete and sent within the requested time frame, you will then receive a "certificate of extension of instruction" (API). This is a temporary residence document that proves that you have the right to be in France in a regular situation and that you can work. The API also allows you to open your social rights, but does not allow you to travel. This certificate replaces the receipt and is valid for 6 months. The certificate is renewable, as long as the prefecture has not made its decision.
When the prefecture has validated your application, you will finally receive a "certificate of favorable decision", which is valid until your new residence permit is available. This certificate proves that you can work and authorizes you to cross the borders of the Schengen area.
> If you would like to know more about the different types of certificates you can receive during your application, you can read this document.
Your request for renewal of your residence permit is studied by the competent prefecture or sub-prefecture close to your postal address. File processing times are different in each prefecture.
To find out how your application is progressing, log in to your personal account on the Foreigners in France website , click on your name at the top right of the home page, and select "Access my account".
There are four stages:
- Submission of the request: your request has been received.
- Instruction in progress: the prefecture has started to study your request, its processing is in progress.
- Decision made: your request has been processed, a decision has been made.
- Residence permit available: your new card is ready.
You must make an appointment on your prefecture's website to collect your card. Example: Paris Police Headquarters.
If you do not receive any message, you must go to the website of your prefecture to find out how to retrieve your residence card.
The day you pick up your residence permit, you must prove that you have paid €25 in tax stamps (with proof of payment of the stamp duty).
Tax stamps are sold only on the timbres.impots.gouv.fr website and in tobacconists.
> To read: the Refugees.info sheet which explains how to buy a tax stamp.
What happens next?
Remember to send a copy of your new residence permit to the administrative services to update your files:
- the CAF if you receive or have applied for RSA, APL and/or family allowances,
- the town hall of your city if you have applied for social housing,
- the CPAM of your department for your health insurance,
- France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi) if you receive or have applied for unemployment benefits...
If you change your address, you must declare it online on the Étrangers en France (ANEF) website. This Réfugiés.info sheet explains how to do “Declare a change of situation on Étrangers en France”.
If you have a technical problem (blocked page, error message, etc.), you can contact the Citizens Contact Center (CCC):
- by telephone at 0 806 001 620 (free number),
- or with the contact form (“Contact” button at the bottom left of the screen). You must clearly explain your problem and send screenshots (site, date and time visible) with the error message if you have one.
If you do not have any response from the prefecture or a negative response to your residence permit application, even though you have sent all the documents within the deadline, you can challenge this decision (say you don't agree).
To challenge the decision:
- You must contact the Administrative Court of your place of residence. To have contact details for the Administrative Court in your department, click here.
- Seek help from a lawyer . If you don't have a lot of money, you can request legal aid to cover all or part of your legal costs.
To read: the Réfugiés.info sheet on legal aid . - You can reach out to an association helping foreign people.
- You can contact the Defender of Rights, an administration which helps people in difficulty to access their rights.
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