Exceptional admission to stay: regularisation case by case
Without a residence permit, one door stays open: persuading the prefect that your situation justifies a card, on terms the prefect weighs freely.
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What exceptional admission costs
Total if the permit is granted
€650
| Paid at filing, non-refundable | €100 |
| Per person | €650 |
Exceptional admission to stay (admission exceptionnelle au séjour, AES) lets a non-EU national living in France without a permit apply for a private and family life, employee or temporary worker card on humanitarian or exceptional grounds. It is never automatic: the prefect decides case by case, with full discretion. Since the circular of 23 January 2025, at least 7 years of presence in France is expected unless there is an exception, along with integration judged notably on French language skills; after 10 years in France, the prefect must consult the residence permit commission before refusing. For shortage occupations and areas, until 31 December 2026, 3 years of presence and 12 months of work in the last 24 are enough. If the card is granted, it costs €650: €350 in stamps and a €300 regularisation visa fee, €100 of it paid at filing and lost if you are refused. The card granted lasts one year.
What exceptional admission covers
Exceptional admission to stay is a regularisation route for a non-EU national present in France without a permit. It rests on sections L435-1 to L435-4 of the CESEDA immigration code and on the guidelines sent to prefects in the circular of 23 January 2025. Three kinds of grounds can be put forward: private and family life (length of stay, personal and family ties, a child at school in France, violence suffered), work (length of stay and of employment), and exceptional talent or services to the community in culture, sport, associations, civic life or the economy.
Depending on the ground, the prefecture issues a private and family life card (vie privée et familiale), or an employee (salarié) or temporary worker card. What they share is the absence of any right: the prefect has discretion and weighs each file. The official page on humanitarian or exceptional regularisation says so; it was checked on 12 March 2025, before the May 2026 fee increase, and we apply the schedule now in force for the cost.
What the prefect looks at
- Length of presence: at least 7 years as a rule, unless there is an exception.
- Integration: judged notably on your French, shown by a French diploma or a certificate from an approved body.
- Public order: no threat, no unexecuted order to leave France (OQTF), no polygamy in France.
- Republican principles: signing the commitment to respect them.
After 10 years in France, a prefect who intends to refuse must ask the residence permit commission for an opinion. Year-by-year proof of presence then becomes the heart of the file: tax notices, state medical aid (AME) certificates, payslips, children's school certificates.
Regularisation through work
The official page on regularisation through work sets out two procedures. In the general case, the prefecture may require 7 years in France; the file includes form cerfa no. 15186, completed and signed by the employer, and proof of past salaried work. If approved, a permanent contract (CDI) leads to a one-year renewable employee card, a fixed-term contract (CDD) to a temporary worker card for the length of the contract.
For shortage occupations and areas, listed in the order of 21 May 2025, the procedure stays open until 31 December 2026. You need 3 years of uninterrupted presence and 12 months of work in the last 24 in a shortage occupation and area. Periods worked on a student or seasonal permit, under an asylum-seeker certificate or as self-employed do not count. Here the applicant fills in the work authorisation request personally, without the employer, and the receipt issued for a complete file allows you to work.
| General case | Shortage occupations | |
|---|---|---|
| Presence in France | 7 years as a rule | 3 uninterrupted years |
| Work | length of employment considered | 12 months out of the last 24 |
| Work authorisation request | by the employer (cerfa 15186) | by the applicant |
| Work during the review | not provided for | yes, with the receipt |
| Scheme ends | no end date | 31 December 2026 |
What regularisation costs
Someone who entered without a long-stay visa pays, on top of the card, a €300 regularisation visa fee, €100 of it at filing. For a private and family life card granted on exceptional grounds, the total reaches €650: €350 of tax and stamp duty plus the regularisation fee. The figure is the same for an employee card obtained through work: €650. The renewal a year later costs €250, with no regularisation fee. These amounts follow the schedule of 1 May 2026.
| Item | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Tax | €300 | when the card is handed over |
| Stamp duty | €50 | when the card is handed over |
| Regularisation visa fee | €300 | €100 of it at filing |
| Total | €650 |
Preparing the file
The prefecture hands you the list of documents for your situation, but some appear on every official page: a full copy of your birth certificate, a passport or consular certificate with photo, proof of address under 6 months old, three photos, a sworn statement of non-polygamy if your country allows polygamy, and the signed commitment to respect the principles of the Republic. The heart of the file is proof of presence: several dated documents for each year carry more weight than undated letters from friends. Keep copies of everything you hand in, and write down the filing date, since every deadline runs from it. If a document is in another language, plan for a certified translation, which adds cost and time that no calculator can estimate for you.
Timing and appeals
No prefecture publishes an average review time. The only fixed period is the implicit refusal: 4 months of silence. For a filing on 2 November 2026, that refusal arises on 2 March 2027; you then have until 2 May 2027 to appeal to the prefect, the minister or the court. A written refusal usually comes with an order to leave France, which carries a much shorter appeal deadline. The deadline calculator gives the date for each permit.
A regularisation involves your whole situation: for a difficult file, a migrant-support association or an immigration lawyer can help. This guide is information, not legal advice.