French Residence Permit (Titre de Séjour) for Non-EU Nationals

Step-by-Step

1. 1

   Confirm Your VLS-TS Status (If Arriving on a Long-Stay Visa)

   Expat
   If you arrived on a Visa Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour (VLS-TS)

   1. Inspect the visa sticker in your passport — it must mention 'VLS-TS' or 'valant titre de séjour'
   2. A visa labelled 'VLS' only (without TS) requires a CST application at the Préfecture instead of online validation
   3. Note your date of entry into France — the 3-month validation clock starts on that date

   💡 Tip: VLS-TS categories include étudiant, salarié, époux de Français, visiteur, and certain talent variants. If unsure, check your visa decision letter from the consulate.

   💬 Say:

   Visa Long Séjour valant Titre de Séjour

   "long-stay visa serving as residence permit"

   📋 Use when: Reading your visa sticker

2. 2

   Validate the VLS-TS Online (Within 3 Months of Arrival)

   Expat
   If you arrived on a VLS-TS

   1. Open the ANEF portal at administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr/particuliers
   2. Authenticate via FranceConnect or create an ANEF account
   3. Provide visa number, date of entry, intended residence address, working email
   4. Upload e-photo and the entry-stamp page if requested
   5. Pay the validation taxe online — composed of a droit de timbre and a category-specific taxe; consult france-visas.gouv.fr/web/france-visas/tarifs for the current figure
   6. Save the electronic validation attestation returned by ANEF

   💡 Tip: The deadline per F16162: 'Dans les 3 mois suivant votre arrivée en France, vous devez valider votre VLS-TS et payer une taxe.' Missing it places you in séjour irrégulier — see the failure-paths section.

   ⚠️ Watch out: Missed the 3-month deadline → file régularisation via the Préfecture. Expect the 300 € droit de visa de régularisation (F2208 framing) plus standard CST fees and likely an in-person convocation.

   ANEF online portal (administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr ↗) service-public.gouv.fr F16162 — VLS-TS validation (service-public.gouv.fr ↗) France-Visas tariffs (france-visas.gouv.fr ↗)
3. 3

   Identify Your CESEDA Category

   Expat
   If you are filing a first titre de séjour (non-VLS-TS arrival or change of status), or renewing

   1. Open the service-public.gouv.fr index N110 to see the full list of titre de séjour categories
   2. Read the per-category page to confirm eligibility and document list
   3. Note the validity period and renewal fee for that category

   💡 Tip: Common categories: vie privée et familiale (F2209) — spouse, parent of French child, ≥10-year ties; salarié or travailleur temporaire (F15898) — CDI / CDD; passeport talent (researcher, qualified employee, founder). Each links to its own per-category page.

   service-public.gouv.fr N110 — titre de séjour index (service-public.gouv.fr ↗)
4. 4

   Open the ANEF Dossier and Upload Documents

   Expat
   1. Log in to ANEF at administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr/particuliers
   2. Pick 'Demandes concernant certains titres de séjour' and select your category
   3. Upload passport, justificatif de domicile, e-photo, acte de naissance, and the category-specific justificatif
   4. Re-upload any document ANEF rejects as non-conformant
   5. Submit the dossier — ANEF returns the attestation de dépôt electronically

   💡 Tip: Apatrides and work-accident beneficiaries still require Préfecture in-person deposit per F2208 — ANEF will redirect those categories to the Préfecture rather than accept the online dossier.

   ⚠️ Watch out: ANEF rejects non-conformant uploads at the upload stage with no fee charged. Re-upload corrected documents — the dossier is not formally registered until the attestation de dépôt is issued.

   💬 Say:

   attestation de dépôt

   "deposit confirmation (electronic, ANEF)"

   📋 Use when: Confirming receipt of your online application

   service-public.gouv.fr R59398 — ANEF démarche en ligne (service-public.gouv.fr ↗) service-public.gouv.fr F15763 — récépissé and attestation (service-public.gouv.fr ↗)
5. 5

   Pay the Timbre Fiscal

   Expat
   1. Pay online via the ANEF dossier or directly via timbres.impots.gouv.fr
   2. Use the per-category fee from service-public.gouv.fr (see the costs table)
   3. Save the digital timbre fiscal receipt — the dossier is not complete without it

   💡 Tip: Standard CST or CSP first delivery: 350 € (300 € taxe + 50 € droit de timbre). CSP renewal: 250 €. Reduced categories (étudiant, protection subsidiaire) and gratuit categories (victimes de violences) follow their own rates per F2209 / F35799.

6. 6

   Track Your Renewal Window (Earliest 4 Months / Latest 2 Months Before Expiry)

   Expat
   If you are renewing an existing titre de séjour

   1. Set a calendar reminder 4 months before your titre de séjour expires
   2. Open the ANEF renewal dossier inside the 4-to-2-month window — the service-public directive is 'au plus tôt 4 mois et au plus tard 2 mois avant la fin'
   3. Upload renewal documents — mirrors first-issue list plus the previous carte
   4. CSP générale renewal requires continued-residence proof of at least 6 months/year in France per F35799
   5. Pay the renewal timbre fiscal (250 € CSP générale, 100 € for reduced categories)

   💡 Tip: File outside that window and a 180 € droit de visa de régularisation gets added to the standard fee per service-public.gouv.fr F15898. Set the reminder early — once you're inside 2 months you're already in penalty territory.

   ⚠️ Watch out: Title expired before you filed → application becomes a régularisation, not a renewal. Consult the Préfecture or legal aid (e.g., La Cimade or a permanence d'avocats).

   service-public.gouv.fr F15898 — carte de séjour salarié (renewal window + late penalty) (service-public.gouv.fr ↗) service-public.gouv.fr F35799 — carte de séjour pluriannuelle (service-public.gouv.fr ↗)
7. 7

   Receive Your Récépissé or Attestation

   Expat
   1. Online deposit on ANEF → attestation de dépôt issued immediately, supports right to remain pending decision
   2. In-person Préfecture deposit (categories that require it) → paper récépissé valid 4 or 6 months on first applications, 3 months on renewals
   3. If the wait extends beyond the récépissé validity, request a renewal of the récépissé from the Préfecture

   💡 Tip: On certain first-time categories (salarié, recherche d'emploi, vie privée et familiale), the récépissé carries work authorization. On renewals, the récépissé preserves the prior title's work rights.

8. 8

   Wait for the Préfecture Decision

   Expat
   1. Watch for additional-document requests on ANEF or by post
   2. Track the 4-month statutory ceiling — service-public does not publish a typical processing time
   3. Préfecture issues the carte (in-person collection or by post per local practice) or sends a refusal

   💡 Tip: Specific Préfecture or département may impose additional local steps. The 4-month figure is a statutory ceiling for implicit refusal, not a typical processing time — actual time varies by Préfecture, by category, and by season.

   ⚠️ Watch out: Préfecture silence at 4 months equals refus implicite per F2208/F2209/F35799/F15898. Contest before the Tribunal administratif within 2 months of the implicit-refusal date.

9. 9

   Collect Your Carte

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   1. Receive a convocation from the Préfecture (post or ANEF message) inviting you to collect
   2. Bring your passport, the convocation, and the timbre fiscal receipt if not already paid
   3. Sign for the carte — validity printed on the card itself

   💡 Tip: CST validity: 1 year, renewable. CSP générale: 4 years (per F35799: 'En principe... a une durée de validité de 4 ans'). CSP vie privée et familiale (spouse / parent of French): 2 years maximum. Carte de résident: 10 years, renewable. Carte de résident permanent: perpetual, issued after two CR renewals.

10. 10

    Sign the CIR with OFII (If Required by Your Category)

    Expat
    If you are a first-time CST or CSP holder on a category that requires CIR

    1. OFII issues a convocation after the carte is delivered
    2. Attend the 600-hour linguistic training if below A2 French
    3. Attend the 24 hours of civic training across 4 sessions
    4. Pass the civic exam — 80% required for access to a CSP or carte de résident from January 2026

    💡 Tip: Exemptions include students, visitors, and certain work permits — confirm your status with OFII at the convocation.

    service-public.gouv.fr F17048 — Contrat d'Intégration Républicaine (service-public.gouv.fr ↗)