29/01/2025
Renewal of French Residency Cards:
Many five-year Brexit Withdrawal Agreement (WA) cards are due for renewal in 2025 (for Britons who had been living in France for less than five years before Brexit), with holders eligible for ten-year cards, and there are hopes that the process may now be available online.
Due to a reported backlog of renewals received by the administration leading to long delays of issuance, some card holders who have already reached five years of residency would like to renew early even if their card is not yet due to expire. In 2022, the French Interior Ministry stated that holders of five-year WA cards can apply for a permanent residency card after five years of legal residency. However, it also advised that applications should be made two to three months before the card's expiry, with minimal paperwork required. It is thought that a centralised online system for renewals may be launched in due course.
Cards with five years of validity were issued to Britons who had been living in France before Brexit for less than five years. Those living in France for more than five years were issued with cards valid for 10 years, marked carte de séjour permanent (permanent residency). These cards require renewal only every decade, provided the holder is not absent from France for more than five years. They also provide proof of having acquired ‘permanent’ residency rights under the WA including the right to do all forms of work and to receive certain benefits on the same conditions as EU citizens. WA beneficiaries who do not yet have 'permanent' residency rights, officially, should not be absent for more than six months a year without a good reason, such as for work, study or training abroad. Official EU guidelines state it is possible to apply for the 10-year card once you meet the conditions of five years of legal residency.
The process of swapping five-year WA cards for 10-year cards:
The first WA cards were issued in 2020 to people who had applied via a website that was briefly opened for Britons in the event of a ‘no-deal’. Thus, five-year cards issued in 2020 will be expiring this year. Others applied after a website opened for WA card applications in October 2020. All applications had to be made by October 2021.
As of 2022, France reported issuing 105,600 permanent residency cards and 48,700 five-year cards. The Interior Ministry stated that people holding a WA residency card with a five-year duration have the right to obtain a permanent residency card based on this agreement, after five years of legal residency in France. The ministry also advised at the time that holders should apply to their prefecture two to three months before the card’s expiry.
The Interior Ministry have stated that they would like to keep paperwork as light as possible for Britons applying for permanent cards based on more than five years’ residency, however, this remains to be seen. Either way, we will keep you informed as we learn more, and we are here to help you with the renewal/swapping card process at any stage.
