To apply for RSA, you must:

• prove that your resources are low and do not exceed the “ceilings” (the limits which give entitlement to this aid),
• live in France at least 9 months per year and have an address (even a registered address). > Read: the Réfugiés.info sheet "Get a postal address"
• have a valid residence permit or receipt,
• have already applied for other available financial assistance, such as unemployment benefits from France Travail (Pôle emploi) or retirement pension if you are entitled to it,
• be over 25 years old.

But there are 2 exceptions:

• if you are between 18 and 25 years old, without any children, and have worked full-time for at least 2 years in the last 3 years,
• if you are a single parent with one or more children or if you are pregnant.

Before making a request, to check whether your personal situation allows you to receive RSA, you must first do a simulation on the CAF website.

• If the simulator indicates that you are entitled to receive the RSA, it indicates an approximate amount. To be sure of receiving it and to know exactly how much, you must register with the CAF and officially make a “benefit request” (step 3).
• If the simulator indicates that you are not entitled to receive RSA, an explanation is given.
• If you made a mistake while answering the questions, you can try again.

> Read: the Réfugiés.info sheet “Register and request assistance from the CAF”

List of all documents necessary for the RSA application (for each person in the household):

• A birth certificate from OFPRA or provisional family certificate from OFII (see “Good to know” below)
• Your Vitale card (or a certificate of rights)
• Your health insurance card if you have one
• A RIB (bank identity statement) for your current account or your savings account
• A residence card or certificate of submission of application for a residence permit
• Letter with the OFPRA decision granting you international protection (refugee status, stateless person or beneficiary of subsidiary protection) or letter with the CNDA decision (you can hide your personal history in the document sent to the CAF)
• Proof of all your household income for the last 3 months (pay slips, Pôle emploi payment certificates, Health Insurance benefits, disability or alimony pensions, retirement, etc.)

Optional documents, depending on your situation:

• certificate of end of payment of the ADA from OFII
• declaration of pregnancy made by the doctor if you are pregnant
• divorce judgment if you are divorced
• marriage certificate if you are married
• sworn certificate of separation if you are separated
• family record book and birth certificate if you have children

You must now choose whether you make the request online (step 3), by making an appointment on site (step 4) or by sending it by mail (step 5).

Log in to your personal space if you are already registered with CAF, by clicking here.

If you are not registered, you must first request a service online before creating your account.
> Read: the Réfugiés.info sheet “Register and request assistance from CAF”

Click on “Help and procedures”, “Apply for benefits online”, “Professional life”, then “Active solidarity income” and “Make the request”. Answer the questions, the same as for the simulation (step 1 ) and send your documents.
> Read: the Réfugiés.info sheet “Scan a document” to have your documents in digital version.

Please note: the RSA will be sent to you from the date you submitted the file (even incomplete). If it takes a long time to contact a social worker, do not wait and go directly to a CAF agency (step 4).

If you applied for your RSA online or by mail, go directly to step 6.

If you want to make an appointment to apply for RSA with an advisor at a CAF agency, the first thing to do is to go to the site (click here) and write your postal code at the top right in “ My CAF”.

You can then make an appointment:

• on the Internet: click on “Contact us” at the bottom of the page > “Request an appointment”, then follow the steps to make an appointment.
• by telephone: call 32 30 (price of a local call).
• Directly on site, at the CAF agency near you, which you can find by clicking on “Find a reception point”.

If you have an address in Paris, you can also go to a Parisian space for integration. A professional can help you apply for RSA after making an appointment:

• on the Internet: click here, then on the number of your district, then on “Make an appointment online for an RSA application” and find a date that suits you.
• by telephone or directly on site: contact details for the 7 Parisian integration spaces are available by clicking here.

If you applied for your RSA online or on site, go directly to step 6.

To send your RSA request by La Poste, you must:

• print and complete this document:
  Request for RSA or activity bonus (Form 15481*01)
• make a photocopy of all the documents requested on the last page

Finally, you must send your file in a large envelope with acknowledgment of receipt, to the CAF closest to you. To find the postal address: write your postal code at the top right of the site in "Ma Caf" , then click on "Contact us" at the bottom of the page. The postal address of your CAF will be displayed.

You will receive from CAF a beneficiary number (6 digits and a letter) and a password to allow you to connect to your online space. If you made the request online, you already have your login details.

You can follow the processing of your request on caf.fr > My Account space > My Procedures section or from the Caf-My Account mobile application.

As soon as your request is accepted, the first RSA transfer normally arrives the following month.

If you have no response 2 months after the request, contact CAF by telephone or email. The CAF receives a lot of requests and needs time to process each file.

Every 3 months, you must declare your resources to the CAF.

This is the “quarterly declaration of resources”. You must complete a table, for each month requested, with the money received (salary, unemployment benefits, etc.).

This allows CAF to calculate the aid that will be sent for the following 3 months.

> To read: the Réfugiés.info sheet “Make the quarterly declaration to the CAF”

The reciprocal commitment contract or “personalized project” is a document that the majority of beneficiaries sign just after the RSA request.

This contract presents the rights and obligations of RSA beneficiaries, but also of public structures.

Public structures (France Travail (formerly Pôle emploi), the city or department, the CAF) are obliged to set up personalized support from a professional social worker, to help you:

• build your professional project,
• find a job or start your business,
• find a childcare solution,
• solve difficulties and answer your questions individually.

Recipients have the right to receive financial assistance every month. In exchange, you must:

• look for work or training (make a CV, send applications, etc.)
• update your situation on the France Travail website (Pôle emploi),
• come to appointments,
• declare your resources every 3 months.

If your personal situation changes (for example: a new person arrives in your household, you move, or you separate), you must inform the CAF. If your professional situation changes (new job for you or your spouse, start of activity, end of employment contract, entry into internship, etc.), you must also report this.

Don't forget to send your new RIB if you change bank accounts.

To do this, on the CAF website , in “My profile”, click on “Declare a change”.

Each change in situation leads to a new calculation of your financial aid: if your salary or your rent changes, CAF sends you more or less money.

RSA recipients are also entitled to:

• support from a social worker to find work suited to their situation,
• Universal Health Protection (PUMA) and Complementary Health Solidarity (CSS) for reimbursement of health costs,
• reductions or free public transport,
• the energy check to help you pay your electricity bill,
• housing assistance ...