Residence permits for refugees and subsidiary-protection holders
As soon as OFPRA or the asylum court grants status, a refugee applies for a free resident card; the family follows through family reunion.
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Refugee and family: stamps to budget
Total for the family
€100
| Your resident card | €0 |
| Per family member | €50 |
A refugee recognised by OFPRA (the French office for refugees and stateless persons) or by the CNDA (the national asylum court) receives a resident card (carte de résident) valid for 10 years, which allows work without any work authorisation. It is free: €0. You apply online on ANEF, the government portal, as soon as the decision arrives, and the prefecture has three months from that decision to issue the card: for status granted on 15 March 2026, the card is due by 15 June 2026 at the latest. A subsidiary-protection holder receives a multi-year card for up to 4 years, also free, and can then apply for the resident card after 4 years. Each family member pays the €50 stamp duty on their first card, €150 for a spouse and two adult children. Relatives whose family ties predate the asylum claim come through family reunion (réunification familiale), with no income or housing condition. Refugees need no minimum period of residence to apply for naturalisation.
The refugee’s card: free and valid for 10 years
Refugee status, granted by OFPRA or by the CNDA, gives the right to a resident card. It allows you to live and work in France, and an employer does not need to apply for any work authorisation. It costs the holder nothing, whereas an ordinary resident card costs €350 in tax stamps (timbres fiscaux). The file includes the civil-status certificate that OFPRA sends to the prefecture, proof of address under six months old or a domiciliation certificate, the OFPRA or CNDA decision and the signed commitment to respect the principles of the Republic. The rules are in sections L424-1 to L424-21 of the CESEDA, the French immigration code.
The application is made online on ANEF as soon as the recognition letter arrives, and filing immediately produces an electronic certificate. The prefecture has three months from the decision granting status to hand over the card. It is collected from the prefecture or sub-prefecture of the département where you live, once you receive an email or text message.
Subsidiary protection: a card for up to 4 years, then the resident card
Subsidiary protection (protection subsidiaire) is granted to people who do not meet the refugee definition but face a real risk of serious harm. It gives a multi-year card for up to 4 years, also free, allowing salaried or self-employed work. After 4 years with this card, the holder and their family can apply for the resident card within the two months before it expires. Example: a subsidiary-protection card starting on 1 April 2026 opens the resident card from 1 April 2030. The resident card calculator applies this ground.
| Status | Card issued | Length | Cost for the holder | Cost per family member |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Refugee | Resident card | 10 years | €0 | €50 |
| Subsidiary protection | Multi-year card | up to 4 years | €0 | €50 |
Relatives already in France, or married after the claim
The prefecture also issues a card to these relatives: a spouse, cohabitant or civil partner already allowed to stay through family reunion; a spouse or partner aged at least 18 whose marriage or partnership came after the asylum claim, if it is at least a year old and the couple really lives together; children in the year after their 18th birthday, or from 16 to 18 if they want to work; and the parents of a refugee who is still a minor and unmarried. A relative who came through family reunion provides the OFII medical certificate by the time the card is handed over; one who did not must show a year of shared life.
Each person pays the €50 stamp duty on the first card: €150 for three people, €250 for five. The mini-calculator at the top of the page does the sum. A refugee’s relative receives a 10-year resident card; a subsidiary-protection holder’s relative receives a card of up to 4 years marked "family member of a subsidiary-protection beneficiary".
Family reunion, step by step
Family reunion lets you bring over family members who stayed abroad, without the income and housing conditions of ordinary family reunification. The family ties must predate the asylum claim, and the relatives must have been declared to OFPRA. It covers a spouse or partner aged at least 18 married or partnered before the claim, a cohabitant with whom you had a stable shared life before the claim, and unmarried children aged 19 or under, age being assessed on the date of the reunion request. The rules are in sections L561-2 to L561-5 of the CESEDA.
- The relatives apply for a long-stay visa at the French consulate in the country where they live, with civil-status records proving the ties, or failing that documents drawn up by OFPRA.
- If approved, a visa sticker is placed in their travel document.
- Once in France, they apply for their residence permit on ANEF between 4 and 2 months before the visa ends.
A visa refusal is first challenged before the visa appeals board (CRRV), by post, within 30 days. Marriages and births after the asylum claim fall under ordinary family reunification. The details are on the official family-reunion page.
Travelling, settling in, becoming French
A refugee cannot use their own country’s passport. To travel, they apply on ANEF for a refugee travel document (titre de voyage pour réfugié), biometric and valid for 5 years, which lists the country or countries you may not visit, usually your country of origin; it carries a fee, paid with a tax stamp bought the same way as for a permit. Once you have your card and have signed the republican integration contract (CIR), OFII can help you look for work and housing. Finally, refugees need no minimum residence period for naturalisation, and the naturalisation calculator takes this into account. The official refugee page and the subsidiary-protection page remain the reference. General information, not legal advice.