French residence cards: every type compared
A French residence card carries a "mention" that sets its length, its price and how long the prefecture has to answer. The table puts them side by side.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
One card: price and response time
First issue
€350
| Renewal | €250 |
| VLS-TS validation | €300 |
| Silence means refusal after | 4 months |
France does not have one residence card but about twenty, each carrying its own "mention" (the ground printed on the card): employee, student, visitor, talent, private and family life, retiree, resident. The mention decides three things. First the length: one year for the employee or visitor card, up to four years for the talent card, ten years for the retiree card and the resident card. Then the price: of the 28 permits in our calculator, 15 are at the standard rate, €350 for a first card, 9 at the reduced rate of €150, and a few carry only the €50 stamp duty. Finally the period after which the prefecture's silence counts as refusal: four months for most cards, 90 days for students and the EU Blue Card, three months for seasonal workers. A student card costs €150, an employee card €350, a retiree card €50. The table on this page compares ten common mentions.
The table of mentions
Each row comes from the card's official page and the tax-stamp schedule of 1 May 2026. The "silence counts as refusal" column gives the period after which no answer from the prefecture equals a refusal, which opens the right to appeal; it is not an average processing time, which no prefecture publishes.
| Mention | Length | First issue | Renewal | Silence means refusal after |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| “Salarié” (employee) residence permit | 1 year, then a 4-year multi-year card | €350 | €250 | 4 months |
| “Travailleur temporaire” (temporary worker) permit | 1 year, renewable | €350 | €250 | 4 months |
| Student residence permit | VLS-TS of 4 months to 1 year, then the course length (4 years at most) | €150 | €100 | 90 days |
| “Visiteur” (visitor) permit | 1 year, renewable | €350 | €250 | 4 months |
| Self-employed / liberal profession permit | 1 year, then a 4-year multi-year card | €350 | €250 | not stated |
| Talent card: skilled employee or innovative company | length of the contract, 4 years at most | €350 | €250 | 4 months |
| Talent card: EU Blue Card | length of the contract (+3 months if under 2 years), 4 years at most | €350 | €250 | 90 days |
| Private and family life: spouse of a French national | 1 year, then a multi-year card of up to 2 years | €350 | €250 | 4 months |
| Retiree (or retiree's spouse) card | 10 years | €50 | €50 | not stated |
| 10-year resident card | 10 years | €350 | €250 | 4 months |
Cards for work
The employee card (salarié) is requested once the employer has obtained a work authorisation; valid for a year, it leads to a four-year multi-year card. Its official page adds that an unemployed employee receiving benefits can get a new one-year card. The temporary-worker card covers contracts under a year. The talent card covers about ten profiles, from skilled employee to researcher, and needs no work authorisation; the talent card page sets its length at that of the contract, four years at most. The self-employed card (entrepreneur / profession libérale) requires a business earning at least the minimum wage.
Cards for study and for living without work
Students start with a VLS-TS of four months to a year, then receive a multi-year card for the rest of their course, with resources of at least €877.50 a month. The visitor card is for people living on their own means without working, at least the net minimum wage of €1,477.93 a month; it stays annual. The retiree card is for former residents with a French pension who live outside France; it lasts ten years and allows stays under a year without a visa. The visitor card page and the retiree card page give the conditions.
Cards for family life
The private and family life card (vie privée et familiale) covers the spouse or parent of a French national, personal and family ties, young adults, people needing medical care and victims of violence. Its multi-year version lasts up to two years for the spouse and parent of a French national, four years for family admitted through reunification. The official family life page sets out each case, and our dedicated page costs each one.
What every card has in common
All are paid for in tax stamps on collection, under articles L436-1 onwards of the CESEDA. All are renewed between 4 and 2 months before expiry, or the €180 late fee applies. The multi-year card, provided for in articles L433-1 onwards, has required A2-level French and the civic exam since 2026. A lost card is replaced by a duplicate at the first-issue price, after a loss or theft report. While a renewal is being examined, the receipt or online certificate extends the rights of your previous card, including the right to work where the card gave it.
Cards for protection and medical care
Three situations are spared the tax and pay only the €50 stamp duty: a foreign national needing medical care that is not available at home, a retiree with a French pension, and the family of a refugee or subsidiary-protection holder. The recognised refugee receives a free ten-year resident card; subsidiary-protection holders and stateless people first get a multi-year card, then the resident card after 4 years. These exemptions are written on each permit's page and do not depend on income.
What a card requires you to keep up
A card only holds while the situation behind it lasts. When a multi-year card or a resident card comes up for renewal, the prefecture may refuse if you cannot show that France is your habitual residence: the centre of your private and family life, and at least six months of presence per calendar year. The 10-year resident card stops being valid after more than three consecutive years outside France; the EU long-term resident card after six years. A change of address or civil status must be declared on the ANEF, otherwise renewal becomes harder. Keep copies of every card, receipt and certificate: you will need them to prove continuous residence for the resident card or citizenship.
How to choose
A mention is not picked like an option: it follows from your real situation and the documents you can produce. Where two grounds are possible, say spouse of a French national and employee, compare length and price: the family life card lets you work with no authorisation, while the talent card opens the talent-family card to your spouse. The which-permit calculator applies these rules to your answers. This comparison is general information, not legal advice: only the prefecture decides which mention it issues, on the basis of your complete file.