Over the next six months, tens of thousands of Brits living in France will have to renew their post-Brexit residency cards. The French government has now confirmed the method for renewal.
Back in 2020, as the Brexit transition period came to an end, British citizens who had been living in France prior to Brexit were required, for the first time, to get the French residency permit known as a carte de séjour.
Those who had been living in France for more than five years were given a 10-year card, but more recent arrivals were given a five-year card. The cards were mostly issued in late 2020 or early 2021 – meaning that they are now coming up for renewal.
Back in 2020, the French government created a special web portal specifically for these applications, but it closed in 2021.
It had been unclear whether this would be reopened for the renewal process, but now the French government has confirmed that it will not be re-launched, and instead applications for renewal must be made directly to the local préfecture.
An Interior Ministry spokesperson told The Local: “The préfectures have been informed of the upcoming expiry of certain ‘Article 50 TUE’ permits and have been encouraged to post information on renewal procedures on their websites within the next week or two.
“Therefore the best option is to apply directly to the préfecture.”
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In bad news for ‘clear instructions’, each préfecture in France has its own process for certain types of administrative procedure, and these vary from place to place.
Some préfectures accept requests made online, others require an application to be made by post.
The Interior Ministry has simply advised readers of The Local whose cards are expiring in the next couple of months to check the websites of their local prefectures to see if there are “any special renewal procedures” published online. If not then they should make an appointment with the prefecture as soon as possible.
Here’s a look at what to do next;
Who?
This article refers to people who have a carte de séjour bearing the words ‘Article 50 TUE’ and were given a five year card (rather the 10 year “carte de sejour permanent”).
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Article 50 TUE cards are the specific Brexit cards that were issued to people already legally resident in France at the end of the Brexit transition period – the card is sometimes referred to as the WARP (withdrawal agreement residency permit).
It can also be issued to certain family members of people who were legally resident in France at the end of the Brexit transition period.
Brits who moved to France after 2021 will have a different type of card, and are not affected by this announcement.
When?
The request for a renewal must be made within two months of the expiry date on the card – requests made earlier will simply be rejected.
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The majority of Article 50 TUE cards were issued in the first months of 2021, but some were issued at the end of 2020 meaning the date for renewal is approaching.
The Ministry spokesperson added: “To be pragmatic, if a person has a residence permit that expires in less than two months, they should check the website of the relevant préfecture to see if there are any special renewal procedures. If nothing is mentioned, they should make an appointment at the préfecture to renew their permit without delay.
“For people whose residence permit expires in more than two months, they should wait a while and check the préfecture’s website regularly. If the expiry date is approaching and there is no information on the préfecture’s website, they should make an appointment for renewal.”
How?
As mentioned, unfortunately the simple, user-friendly web portal created to issue the Brexit cards in 2020 will not be reactivated.
Instead, people apply directly to their préfecture.
Because all préfectures have slightly different processes, the first step is to visit the website of your local préfecture to see if they have posted any information about this.
Information will likely be in the ‘acceuil d’étrangers’ section of the website. This should provide information on exactly how to make the application – whether that is online, by email, by post or in person.
The ANEF website – the national website that deals with various types of administrative procedures including the renewal of certain types of carte de séjour – has recently been updated to state that it cannot, at present, deal with Article 50 card renewals.
What documents do I need?
In better news, the Withdrawal Agreement states that renewal should not require a large dossier of documents, or proof of financial means.
Brits continue to benefit from a simplified process and should only be asked to supply proof of their original carte de séjour Article 50 TUE, and proof of continued residency in France.
Specifically you will need;
- Valid UK passport
- Current proof of address (eg utility bill or attestation)
- 3 ID photos (conforming to official standards)
- Your old carte de séjour
- If your personal circumstances have changed (eg you got married, divorced or were widowed) proof of the changes
You should not be required to show proof of financial means, nor should you be affected by recent law changes that require French language certificates for certain types of residency permit.
It does appear, however, that the ‘contract of engagement in republican values’ will be required for a renewal of the Brexit card, with the French government specifically stating that this requirement includes Brits on the Article 50 card.
The document simply needs printing out and signing.
READ ALSO: French residency: How to complete France’s new ‘republican values contract’✎
How much will it cost?
In more good news the card renewal is free, and the new one will last for 10 years. In other words it will be a carte de séjour permanent”.
The Interior Ministry added that some information on their Brexit-related websites should be updated “in the coming days” – we will update this article when we know more.
In the meantime, if you have questions feel free to leave them in the comments section below and we will do our best to answer them. And let us know if your préfecture has published renewal instructions.