On this page we'll take you though the process of applying for a carte de séjour if you're a student.
You come under this category if you're enrolled in a course of study in a registered public or private educational establishment.
You are expected to be a full time student; you may do some part time work as long as it remains ancillary to your status as a student.
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​IMPORTANT: this page currently covers the situation as it is at the moment, with the UK still a member of the EU.

A new process will be put in place by the French Ministry of the Interior once we know whether the UK will leave the EU under a Withdrawal Agreement or with no deal, and this page will be updated at that point to reflect new information and procedures.

​Where do I apply?

• The responsibility for registering and processing applications for residence cards for anyone coming from outside France, whether EU citizens or third country nationals, lies with the préfet of each department, so your application will be dealt with by the préfecture that covers your department of residence, almost always by the Etrangers section.
  
  
• Very occasionally, you may be able to apply at your local sous-préfecture, but do check this first as not many sous-préfectures have Etrangers sections along with the ability to process the electronic fingerprinting needed for all cards. A trip to the main préfecture is almost always needed.
  
  
• In Paris applications are dealt with by the Préfecture de Police.
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• ​Although all préfectures work to the same guidelines issued by the Ministry of the Interior and based on EU and French law, they all have different processes for applications, and these change often. 

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How do I find information about my local préfecture?  

• Always check your préfecture's website for local instructions.
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• You'll find this at the web address made up by the name of your department followed by gouv.fr - so, for example, www.charente.gouv.fr. Go to the section called Démarches Administratives. You may have to dig around a bit to find the section you want - it's usually, not not always, under the heading Etrangers. 

How do I apply?

Different préfectures have different systems: some ask you to make an appointment, while in others you turn up, take a ticket and wait to be seen to present your dossier and a few are asking for dossiers to be sent by post. Make sure you know how your préfecture works before you start the process.

• Some préfectures have application forms: if you are given a form to complete do make sure it's for the correct card and not a residence permit for Third Country Nationals.
  
  
• Préfectures have never had to deal with large scale applications for EU cartes de séjour before - indeed there are some that have never issued one before - and they're learning as they go along. Don't assume that if things are difficult it means that the staff are being deliberately obstructive - they're struggling with this too and only a handful have been given extra resources to deal with applications.
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• ​If your préfecture seems not to know that you have the right to apply for a carte de séjour as an EU citizen, print out and take (or send) this document that we've created - it includes extracts from legislation and official guidance which makes it clear that préfectures must issue cards to EU citizens who meet the conditions: Le droit d’obtenir la délivrance d’une carte de séjour 

APPLYING FOR YOUR INITIAL CARD:
​LESS THAN 5 YEARS RESIDENCE IN FRANCE

​Carte de séjour UE: resident less than 5 years

• This is also known as the 'initial' or 'temporary' card.
  
  
• For the first 5 years of your residence in another EU country you must, in order to be classed as legally resident, be exercising free movement (or treaty) rights. When you apply for this card, the agent at your préfecture will verify that you are doing that and that you properly meet the conditions. That means that you have to produce a large bundle of documents to back up your application.
  
  
• Your card will last for 1 year and is renewable.

What evidence do I need to provide?

You'll need to produce a dossier of evidence that covers these 5 categories:

1. Your identity;
2. Your 'domicile' - proof of your permanent address in France; 
3. Your student status;
4. Your health cover; and
5. Your resources.
   
   

You will need to include photocopies of every document in your dossier, and to take the originals to your préfecture with you so that these can be verified if necessary. 
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IMPORTANT: Some préfectures request translations of certain, or all, documents that are not in French. You'll need to check with your own préfecture whether they ask for this and if so, whether the translations need to be sworn translations (done by a traducteur assermenté).​​
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Evidence of your identity

• Your passport; and
• 3 identical identity photos. These must conform to the official requirements, which you can find here. 
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Evidence of your domicile

The guidance states that you can prove your permanent address 'by any means'. The following items are generally accepted:

• Rental contract and / or proof of rental payment;
• A bill from EDF, from your water supplier, from your internet or phone provider (not mobile phone);
• An attestation from EDF, downloadable from your EDF Espace client on their website;
• An attestation of your house insurance.

If you live with another householder and don't actually pay household bills yourself, or all your bills are in (for example) your partner's name, you can supply an 'attestation d'hébergement' from the householder. This doesn't need to be complicated - an example of such an attestation is below.

​Nom Prénom expéditeur 
N° Rue 
CP Ville 
Nom Prénom destinataire 
N° Rue 
CP Ville
Objet : attestation d'hébergement de M./Mme (préciser les prénom et nom de la personne hébergée) 

Je soussigné(e) (indiquez prénom, nom), né(e) le (date) à (lieu), demeurant au (indiquez votre adresse), atteste sur l'honneur que (précisez si monsieur, madame, mademoiselle et prénom, nom), né(e) le (date) à (lieu), réside à mon domicile depuis (date). 

Fait à (lieu), le (date) 
Signature

Evidence of your student status

You'll need to provide evidence to show that you are a bona fide student, via one of the following:

• ​An attestation of your enrollment in a registered educational establishment; or
• A student card.

Evidence of your health cover

This will normally be an attestation that you are in the French health system, either through PUMa or via an S1 form. You can print this out from your account page on the Ameli website. It can also be:

• proof that you have full private health insurance and that if so the cover provided is 'comparable' to that provided in the French system; 
• proof that you are covered by the the health system of another country and that if so the cover provided is 'comparable' to that provided in the French system;
• for the first year of residence (but not beyond this) an EHIC is acceptable as proof of health cover.

​You are not required to have a mutuelle (top up health cover).
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Evidence of your resources

As a student you're required, as a condition of legal residence, to have sufficient resources to support yourself. You are free to do this however you choose:

• via a declaration on your honour guaranteeing that you have sufficient resources; or
• via any other means.

You don not have to specify or prove the amount of your resources.
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How long will my card last?

A carte de séjour for a student will last for 1 year. You can renew it after this as long as you are still a registered student.
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How do I renew my card?

• You must apply to renew your card during the 2 month period before its expiry date;


• You'll need to present similar evidence to that presented for your first application, to prove that you still meet the conditions;
  
  
• If you've still been resident for less than 5 years, you'll receive another initial card;


• If you've now been resident for 5 years or more, you've acquired permanent resident rights and your application will be for a carte de séjour permanent (see below);


• You'll need to present your old card at the préfecture when you apply to renew, otherwise you'll be charged 25 euros.
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>>>>>>>  Read the official French government page on applying for a carte de séjour as a worker - click here.

APPLYING FOR YOUR PERMANENT CARD:
​MORE THAN 5 YEARS RESIDENCE IN FRANCE

Once you’ve established legal residence here as a European for 5 years, you have the right to apply for a carte de séjour permanent.

Permanent residence allows you to live in France without having to meet any conditions. But:
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• You must have been in France for at least 6 months in each of your qualifying 5 years. Absences longer than this will debar you;
  
  
• If you've previously held a carte de séjour covering your first 5 years of residence, you'll be asked to provide evidence that you continued to meet the conditions as a worker or self-employed person for the period since you last applied;
  
  
• If you haven't previously held an initial or temporary carte de séjour, you'll still need to prove that you've been legally resident for 5 years, so things will feel a bit as though you're applying for the initial card;
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• Think of your application for a carte de séjour permanent as looking back for 5 years in order to establish your rights going forward.

The card is free, lasts for 10 years and is renewable. It will remain valid unless you spend a continuous period of two years outside France.
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What evidence do I need to produce for a carte de séjour permanent?

You need to produce all the same evidence that's listed in the section above, for the initial card.

• If you've never held a carte de séjour before, this needs to cover a 5 year period.
  
  
• If you've held an initial carte de séjour, this needs to cover the period since you last applied for a card to prove that you've continued to be legally resident ever since.
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How do I renew my card?

• You must apply to renew your card during the 2 month period before its expiry date;
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• You need to produce the following evidence to renew a carte de séjour permanent: passport, proof of permanent residence, 3 identity photos, proof of your continuing residence in France for the preceding years (household bills etc).
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​>>>>>>>  Read the official French government page on applying for a carte de séjour as a student - click here.

Difficulties, refusals etc - what to do