Au pair residence card in France: conditions, agreement and cost
A non-EU au pair lives with a French family in exchange for light housework and childcare: first a VLS-TS visa, then a one-year card.
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Au pair: pocket money and stamps
Minimum pocket money over the stay
€3,840
| Per month | €320 |
| VLS-TS validation | €100 |
| First card | €150 |
The temporary "jeune au pair" residence card is open to non-EU nationals aged 18 to 30 hosted for a while by a family of a different nationality, with no family tie, to improve their French and their knowledge of France in exchange for light housework and childcare. You need a basic knowledge of French, or completed secondary education or a vocational qualification, and an agreement signed with the family before you leave. The agreement sets the pocket money, at least €320 a month, €3,840 over a year, a maximum of 25 hours of duties a week, a bedroom of at least 9 m² with a window and one day off a week. It lasts one year at most and can be renewed once, for two years in France in total. In tax stamps (timbres fiscaux), validating the visa on arrival costs €100, then the first card €150, €250 over the two years. The prefecture has 90 days to decide on a complete application.
The conditions, one by one
- Age: between 18 and 30.
- Nationality: non-EU; EU citizens need no permit.
- Host family: of a different nationality from yours, with no family relationship.
- Purpose: to improve your language skills and knowledge of France, in exchange for light housework and childcare.
- Language or education: basic French, or completed secondary education, or a vocational qualification.
- Visa: a long-stay visa obtained before arrival; without it, there is no au pair card.
The permit is provided for in section L426-22 of the CESEDA, the French immigration code, with details in sections R426-13 to R426-15.
What the agreement must contain
The agreement is filled in on an official form (cerfa no. 15973) and signed with the family before departure, because the consulate asks for it before issuing the visa. It sets out the rights and duties of both sides.
| Item in the agreement | Minimum or maximum |
|---|---|
| Pocket money | at least €320 a month |
| Duties and childcare | 25 hours a week at most |
| Bedroom | at least 9 m² of living space, with a window |
| Rest | at least 1 day a week |
| Length | 1 year at most, renewable once |
Over a twelve-month stay, the minimum pocket money adds up to €3,840; over two years, €7,680. An au pair cannot take any other job besides the duties agreed with the family.
The timetable: from visa to card
You arrive with a long-stay visa that serves as a residence permit (VLS-TS), which must be validated online within three months of arrival, as the official long-stay visa page states. Example: arriving on 1 September 2026 with a visa expiring on 1 September 2027, you validate it by 1 December 2026 and pay €100. To stay a second year, you need a new agreement and a temporary au pair card, requested at the prefecture or sub-prefecture where you live within the two months before the visa ends, here from 1 July 2027.
The file includes the visa, your passport, proof of address under six months old, three photos, the signed agreement, proof of your French or education level, a copy of an identity document for each parent in the host family and the commitment to respect the principles of the Republic. A complete file gets you a receipt (récépissé). The prefecture has 90 days from a complete filing to decide: with no answer, the application counts as refused. For a complete filing on 15 July 2027, that period would end on 13 October 2027.
The cost in tax stamps
Au pairs pay the reduced rate of the schedule in force since 1 May 2026. The official page gives the amounts: €100 when the visa is validated on arrival, then €150 when the first residence card is issued. The mini-calculator at the top of the page adds up the stamps and minimum pocket money for your length of stay.
| Step | Tax stamps |
|---|---|
| Year 1: VLS-TS validation | €100 |
| Year 2: first au pair card | €150 |
| Total over two years | €250 |
Renewing the au pair card
To stay beyond one year, you first sign a new agreement with the family, for one year at most. The renewal is then requested during the two months before the card ends, at the prefecture or sub-prefecture where you live, often by appointment. The file repeats the first one: your current card, your passport or another photo identity document, proof of address under six months old, three photos, the new agreement (cerfa no. 15973) signed by both sides, proof of your French or education level, a copy of an identity document for each parent and the commitment to respect the principles of the Republic. A complete file gets you a receipt, which covers you while the prefecture decides. The stamps come to €100 and are only requested when the card is handed over, so do not buy them in advance. Whatever happens, an au pair stay never goes beyond two years in total, so a renewal only makes sense within that limit.
After the au pair stay
The au pair card lasts one year at most and the stay cannot exceed two years. It is not one of the cards that can become a multi-year card on the same ground. To stay in France afterwards, you must meet the conditions of another permit: studies at a French institution (student residence permit) or a job, each with its own rules. If you hope to study in France afterwards, plan it early: the new application has to go in before your au pair card expires, and the conditions of the new ground, such as enrolment or a work authorisation, take time to gather. Reference: the official au pair card page. General information, not legal advice.