Applying for a residence permit on ANEF
The French online portal for foreign nationals takes most applications: here is when to file and what to prepare.
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Your ANEF filing window
File by
30 April 2027
| Window opens | 28 February 2027 |
| Permit ends | 30 June 2027 |
ANEF (Administration numérique pour les étrangers en France) is the Interior Ministry's official online portal, where most first applications and renewals of residence cards are filed, along with changes of circumstances and naturalisation applications. For a permit renewed through ANEF, you file no earlier than 4 months and no later than 2 months before your residence document ends: for a card expiring on 30 June 2027, between 28 February 2027 and 30 April 2027. Every document is uploaded as a clear scan: passport, birth certificate, proof of address under six months old, your e-photo code and the documents for your specific ground. The portal immediately issues a filing certificate, which is not a permit, then a certificate extending the examination if the file is complete and on time. The tax stamp, €250 to renew a French national's spouse's card, is paid when you collect the card, by appointment at the prefecture.
The filing window
The rule comes down to two dates: no more than 4 months before your visa, VLS-TS or permit ends, and no less than 2 months. It is written in the private and family life card page and the student page. Before the window opens the portal will not take the application; after it closes you can still file, but late, with a €180 fee on top of the stamp and without the certificate extending the examination.
| Residence document | Ends on | File from | File by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residence card | 30 June 2027 | 28 February 2027 | 30 April 2027 |
| Student VLS-TS | 1 September 2027 | 1 May 2027 | 1 July 2027 |
| Residence card | 31 January 2027 | 30 September 2026 | 30 November 2026 |
Documents to scan
For an online application, every document must be uploaded in digital form and be readable. The official page for the private and family life card, for a French national's spouse, gives a full example that other permits follow with a few variations:
- Lawful entry and stay: passport pages with the visa and entry stamp, or a valid residence permit.
- Nationality: passport, or a consular card, ID card or consular certificate with a photo.
- Civil status: a full copy of your birth certificate with the latest annotations, unless you already hold a residence card; a foreign certificate must be translated by a sworn translator and sometimes legalised or apostilled.
- Photo: the e-photo code printed on the sheet from an approved photographer or photo booth.
- Address: a proof of address under six months old.
- Ground for the permit: the documents specific to it, for instance the marriage certificate and proof of living together for a spouse.
- Commitment: the signed contract committing you to respect the principles of the Republic.
Two items come later, when you collect the card: proof of the tax stamp and, where applicable, the medical certificate from OFII (the French immigration and integration office).
Proof of address, by type of housing
The official proof-of-address page sets out three cases. Tenant or owner: an electricity, gas, water, landline or internet bill, a lease or a rent receipt. Hotel: a statement from the hotel and the last month's invoice. Staying with someone: the host's signed statement, a copy of their ID or residence card, and a proof of address in their name if the address on their card is out of date. A secure document carrying a 2D-Doc barcode cannot be refused.
Certificates you receive
Filing produces an immediate filing certificate, which proves you sent the file but not that your stay is lawful. For a complete file lodged on time, a certificate extending the examination follows, valid for 3 months at most and renewed until the decision, then, if approved, a certificate of favourable decision. These documents are provided for by CESEDA, articles R431-15-1 and R431-15-2 and described on the official page on application certificates. The receipt page explains what each allows, including work.
How long your receipt covers you
Receipt valid until
1 July 2027
| Permit ends | 31 March 2027 |
| Receipt starts | 1 April 2027 |
| File by | 31 January 2027 |
Six mistakes that hold up a file
- A blurred or cropped scan: the official pages require readable documents, and an unreadable one counts as missing.
- A foreign birth certificate without a translation by a sworn translator, or without legalisation where it is required.
- A proof of address more than six months old, or a host's statement without the host's ID.
- Forgetting the e-photo code, which replaces paper photos.
- Filing after the deadline, which costs €180 more and loses you the extension certificate.
- Buying a fine stamp (timbre amende) instead of the "titre pour étranger" tax stamp; it is worthless when you collect the card.
A typical timeline
For a card ending on 30 June 2027, the earliest filing date is 28 February 2027 and the latest 30 April 2027. Filing early in that window leaves time to answer a request for a missing document before the card expires. If the decision has not been made by the expiry date, the certificate extending the examination covers you from the following day. The prefecture then contacts you when the card is ready; you book the collection appointment and buy the stamp at that stage, not before, because the stamp is only due once the permit is granted. Keep every certificate the portal sends you until the card is in your hands, and download a copy of each, because your employer may ask for the one currently valid.
After approval: collecting the card
When the application is approved, the prefecture tells you the card is available; you collect it at the prefecture or sub-prefecture for your address, by appointment in most cases. That is when you show the tax stamp: €250 to renew a French national's spouse's card, €150 for a first student card. Moving from the temporary card to the multi-year card is also requested on ANEF for the permits it covers, according to the multi-year card page.
What ANEF does not do
The portal is free: only the tax stamp costs money. No private website is needed to file, and none can speed up the examination. If you cannot manage the online application, prefectures have digital help desks (points d'accueil numérique). This site is independent of the French administration and files nothing on your behalf: general information, not legal advice.