Renew your residence permit from inside France
Most renewals are filed online between 4 and 2 months before the card ends. A complete file gets a receipt while the prefecture decides. Renewing late can mean paying a regularisation visa fee.
Moving to France
Practical facts for newcomers, from official sources Finance Living
Finance
3
Currency
Euro
EUR
Euro
Cost of living
83
Price level · US = 100
World Bank price levels, 2025
Tax
11–45%
Income tax (national)
VAT 20%
Per household share: 0% up to EUR 11,600, 45% above EUR 181,917 (2025 income, taxed 2026); plus 3-4% high-income contribution and 9.7% CSG/CRDS on most income.
Living
1
Happiness
#33 of 145 countries
World Happiness Report 2025
Eligibility
Who it’s for: People in France with a residence card or long-stay visa that is ending.
Filing period
Sign in to check this route against your profileFile your renewal between 4 months and 2 months before your card ends, for most private and family life renewals.
Filing window before card ends
- Earliest
- 4 months
- Latest
- 2 months
- Some routes file at the prefecture 2 months before.
Official wording
Service-Public: at the earliest 4 months and at the latest 2 months before the card ends, for most private and family life renewals. Some routes file at the prefecture 2 months before.
Receipt
Sign in to check this route against your profileA complete file gets a receipt (récépissé). Online filings get an immediate digital certificate of filing.
Keep meeting the conditions
Sign in to check this route against your profileYou must still meet the conditions of the card. Renewal can be refused, including if you did not comply with an obligation to leave (OQTF).
A sneak peek at what's inside
- Document checklist
- Fees
- Steps to apply
The full requirements are for members
Create an account and subscribe to see every requirement, the full document checklist, fees, steps, processing times and conditions, and how your profile compares.
- 5 documents
- 3 fees
- 4 steps
- Processing times and conditions
Want a licensed advisor to check your case?
Connect with a licensed legal advisor for France. They set their own price and you pay them directly.
- Licence checked with the regulator
- You choose what they see
- They start from a prepared case
Your edge here Premium
What gives you an edge here: passports, visas and permits you hold, work, study, language and family ties
Places to visit in France
Attractions picked for you, based on your profile and interests.
Finding places for you…
Other routes to France
- Visit & tourismSchengen tourist & business visa
- StudyVisa long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS) « étudiant »
- Work permitsCarte de séjour pluriannuelle « talent » (formerly Passeport Talent) - salarié qualifié and carte bleue européenne streams
- 3 more routes with Premium
