EU long-term resident card: do your five years count?
Five years of lawful stay are not enough if they were broken too often. Check your absences first, then the other conditions.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Do your absences break the 5 years?
Uninterrupted residence
yes
| Limit in a row | 6 months |
| Total limit | 10 months |
| Margin left | 3 months |
The resident card marked "résident de longue durée-UE" is the ten-year card for foreign nationals settled in France for at least 5 years without a particular family tie. The period is counted with accepted permits only: VLS-TS, employee, visitor, self-employed, private and family life, talent and resident cards; years on a student card are not on the list. The stay must be uninterrupted, but some absences are allowed: no more than 6 months in a row and 10 months in total over the five years. You also need stable income of at least the minimum wage, €1,867.02 gross a month, excluding family benefits, RSA and ASS, health cover, B1-level French and the civic exam before 65. An employee who arrived on 3 January 2021 meets the period on 3 January 2026. The card costs €350 on first issue, €250 if you already hold a valid permit. On top of that, it lets you settle for more than three months in another EU country without a long-stay visa.
Counting absences, case by case
The rule is two limits applied together: no single absence longer than 6 months, and no more than 10 months in total over the five years. An allowed absence does not reset the clock; it even counts within the five years. The mini-calculator above applies both limits to your figures; the table shows three profiles.
| Profile | Longest absence | Total over 5 years | Uninterrupted stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employee, two family trips | 4 months | 7 months | yes |
| Engineer on a posting abroad | 7 months | 7 months | no |
| Visitor, many short trips | 5 months | 11 months | no |
In the second case, one seven-month absence is enough to break continuity even though the total is moderate. In the third, no absence is long but together they exceed the limit. The prefecture weighs these periods on evidence: passport stamps, employer letters, statements. Keep them from the day you arrive.
Which permits count
The official EU long-term card page lists the permits taken into account: long-stay visa serving as a permit, visitor card, private and family life card (except subsidiary protection and two cases linked to criminal proceedings), employee card, self-employed card, talent card except intra-group assignees, and resident card. The student card is not on the list. For refugees and subsidiary-protection holders, the five years start when the asylum application was filed.
A shortcut exists for EU Blue Card holders: two years in France on that card are enough if you had previously lived lawfully for at least three years in France or another EU country with a Blue Card, a researcher card, a highly-qualified employment permit or international protection. The absences allowed over that period are wider: twelve months in a row and eighteen months in total. This rule sits in article L421-12 of the CESEDA.
Income, health cover, integration
Income must be stable, sufficient and regular, at least equal to the minimum wage (Smic), €1,867.02 gross a month since 1 June 2026. All your own income counts; the young-child benefit (PAJE), family allowances, the family supplement, housing benefit, AEEH, ASF, ARS, AJPP, RSA and ASS are excluded. AAH paid for an incapacity of at least 80 per cent and ASI remove the condition. Health cover is required.
Integration is judged on your commitment to the principles of the Republic, actually respecting them, B1-level French and a pass in the civic exam ("carte de résident" version); after 65 only the first two criteria remain. The prefect consults the mayor of your town. The page on French-language requirements lists the accepted tests and diplomas.
EU long-term card or ordinary resident card?
Both cards last ten years, cost the same and require the same French level. They are not aimed at the same people. The ordinary resident card assumes a particular tie: spouse or parent of a French national, family admitted through reunification with a resident, international protection. The EU long-term card rewards length of residence alone, in exchange for minimum-wage income. It brings two advantages in return: mobility to another EU country and a slower lapse if you live abroad for a while. If you qualify for both, think about your plans: a likely move within Europe argues for the EU long-term card. The resident-card calculator gives the date for each ground.
A worked example
Take an engineer who arrived on 3 January 2021 on a VLS-TS, then held employee cards. Five years of lawful residence are reached on 3 January 2026. Over that period she spent three months abroad in 2023 and four months in 2025, seven months in all, the longest being four: both limits are respected. Her salary is well above the minimum wage, she holds a B1 certificate and has passed the civic exam. She can apply when her current card comes up for renewal, paying €250 because she already holds a valid permit, or ask at the prefecture as soon as the date is reached.
Filing, paying, keeping the card
You can apply when your card is renewed: at the prefecture in the two months before it ends, or on the ANEF portal between 4 and 2 months before. You can also apply at any time at the prefecture. First issue costs €350; if you already hold a valid permit, €250. Filing late adds €180. With no answer in four months, the application counts as refused; you then have two months to appeal.
The card lasts ten years and is renewed at the second rate, or turned into a permanent resident card. It lapses after more than three consecutive years outside the EU, six consecutive years outside France, or if you gain the same status elsewhere in Europe. Its particular advantage: it lets you stay more than three months in another EU country without a long-stay visa, then apply there for a permit matching your reason for moving. The legal basis is article L433-7 of the CESEDA. This page is general information, not legal advice.