Conditions to be met:

• You have refugee or stateless status or you have obtained subsidiary protection in France.
• You have a receipt for recognition of international protection or a residence permit .
• Your family ties (marriage, PACS, common-law union, etc.) existed before your asylum application .
• You declared your family members to Ofpra at the time of your asylum application.

Which member of your family can join you?

• Your husband , your wife , your PACS partner or the person with whom you are in a common-law relationship .
• Unmarried children of your couple aged 19 or less .
• Your children under the age of 18 born from previous unions who are entrusted to you by a foreign judicial decision.
• Children under the age of 18 of your current husband or wife, PACS partner or the person with whom you are in a common-law relationship who are entrusted to them by a foreign judicial decision.

After checking that you can carry out this process, prepare a long-stay visa application file to be submitted by your family members to the French Consulate closest to their home in their country.

Each member of your family must attach the following supporting documents to their long-stay visa application.

Documents concerning your family member:

• One long-stay visa application form per person.
• A passport or pass for cases that justify it.
• 2 identity photographs conforming to the European format.
• The full copy of the birth certificate from the country of origin.
• Copy of the marriage certificate from the country of origin
• Or any document that can prove the family link.
• The equivalent of €99 per person in local currency.

Documents concerning you:

• A copy of the OFPRA's positive decision for your protection.
• The copy of your birth and/or marriage certificate given by OFPRA.

Start your Visa application on France-Visas.gouv.fr. You will be able to build your file more easily then print it to submit it to the Consulate.

Good to know : Not all countries accept the online application yet. Check the correct procedure by choosing your country of origin on this page.

Your family members must submit their complete application to the French consulate closest to their home in their country of origin.

Find the consulate for your country

You will receive an information form from the refugee families office to complete and return by post.

The processing time is long and depends on the country. It takes at least two months. The period may be extended if civil status records need to be verified (between 4 and 8 months).

Before your family arrives in France

If the visa is granted to your family members, then a visa sticker is stuck on their passport.

You need to check :

• Civil status information and passport number .
• The visa validity date .
• The signature and stamp of the embassy .

Wrong or missing information will prevent your family from traveling. Your family will then need to apply for a new visa.

When your family arrives in France

You must quickly do:

• An application for a “Refugee Family Member” residence permit from the prefecture where you live.

Or if your family needs protection:

• An asylum request to a first reception structure for asylum seekers (SPADA) .

The consulate can refuse the visa application for several reasons:

• if you or your family do not meet the conditions for family reunification,
• if the family link could not be proven,
• if the arrival of your family constitutes a danger to public order,
• if you do not respect the essential principles of family life in France.

If the visa is refused, you can appeal within 2 months of notification .

Send your appeal to this address:

Appeals Committee against decisions to refuse entry visas to France

BP 83.609 - 44036 Nantes Cedex 1