How to Renew Your French Long-Term Stay Visitor Visa

The heavy, ancient printer started printing my récépissé.  I closed my eyes.  Whenever the old printer starts running in a French immigration office, you’re in the clear.  I had done it.  I had survived my first year in France and I had just renewed my visa too.  The relief and triumph wasn’t nearly what I felt when I first got one or confirmed it.  But it was relief.  Palpable relief.  I could go on about my year without having to think about this again for a while.

Because I had originally moved to Paris in December 2013 my one-year visa was up that same month in 2014.  Trouble was it was around the time I needed to go back to see my family, take care of some business, etc.  I could have chosen to renew it earlier, or I could have just chosen to move to France sometime other than in December, but there it is.  Think about where you will be in one year whenever you do apply for your visa.  I think December and January make a lot of sense for many, though, because the move has all the notes of a “new start” and you give yourself a whole year of runway (although some of our readers need only two months!)

To be fair, I had to make two visits, because they asked for some things I didn’t have on hand the first time.

You can make your appointment for renewal online at this link.  I should make the point that I am speaking to people applying for a long-term visitor visa.  Students and workers should consult their own subcategories when preparing their dossiers.

I did have a list of what was needed at the time, but this constantly changes and the Préfecture has stopped providing an online link to such a list.  On that list is marked the need for the original and one photocopy for each of the documents listed.  However, if you have forgotten or the copies get damaged on your way there, there are large commercial copying machines that charge you ten cent(imes) per copy in the vestibule of the office you have to go to.  There are also two Photomaton booths to take your pictures should you have forgotten them.  They honestly do have your bases covered here.

Where to Go

It faces Notre Dame directly and is easily accessible via the Cité stop on the Métro.  Bring water, snacks, a nice book to dig into, a charger for your phone, and block out your whole day for whenever your appointment is.  Some say mornings are better, others afternoons I only chose afternoons because I’m not a morning person and in both instances I “checked in” an hour before my appointment which allowed me to actually be seen only 30 minutes after my scheduled appointment time.  Be early or you may not even get seen that day.  I’m serious.

Paperwork you MUST have:

1.  A copy of your original titre de séjour as well as the passport which contains it.  This is the sticker you would have gotten on your follow-up visit when you first arrived in France.  For visitors your first year titre de séjour resides simply in your passport.  Come renewal time, you actually get issued a card.

2.  Your birth certificate.  You’ll need a certified French translation of it.  Mine was written in English by the Singaporean government and the French translation cost 72€.  If you need the translator’s contact info, simply send me an email.

So, about that birth certificate.  If you’re like me, you keep all your important documents in a folder somewhere.  The trouble was, up to the point when my eyes first looked upon these requirements, I thought I had brought them with me to France.  My birth certificate, immunization record, baptismal certificate, all that jazz.  After the search that starts with, “I’m sure it’s around here somewhere,” turned to, “Goodness, did I actually not bring it to France?” I ended with the eye-closed panic of, “Oh no, it must be with my stuff in storage.”

Before I went to the nuclear option of having to order new copies I called up reliable people in my life a business partner, a sister, and my mother: “Did I leave any documents with you or do you happen to have a copy of my birth certificate?”  They all replied in the negative.

The boxes of “stuff” that comprised my life when I had an enormous townhome in the United States were currently peacefully residing in the spare room of a dear friend in Kansas City.  It was already enough that he was storing these things for me at no charge.  I wasn’t going to ask him to do the dreaded task ahead: go through all the boxes looking for a manilla or green folder that has a bunch of important documents in it.

Who could I call?  My ex-girlfriend.  I know, this sounds odd, but hear me out.  She is one of the sweetest, best girls I’ve ever dated and she can tell you herself that the move to Paris was perhaps the biggest reason we broke up.  So, could she now assist me in helping to prolong said stay in Paris?  Yes, she’s actually that awesome.

After work one day she drove 30 minutes to my friend’s house and audibly inhaled when she saw the roughly 20 boxes and rubbermaid tubs she had committed to going through.  She called me.  “You’re kidding, right?”  Chagrined, I replied, “Look, if you find it, great.  If you don’t find it, I still owe you.”  Various words of affection were exchanged and she commenced.  Two hours later, no dice.  She hadn’t found it.  (Postscript to the story: when I visited last month to clear out those boxes I found the documents, in a green folder, in a box closest to the doorway.  It might have been in a state of fatigue that she missed the closest possible option.)

So I was officially out of luck, and given that I had only pulled up the requirements six weeks before renewal (how hard could it be, right?  Wrong!) I now had to convince either the American government or the Singaporean government to get me a certified copy of my birth certificate.  Why would both of them have one?  Well, I was born in Singapore, so that’s why the Singaporean government would have one.  But I was born as an American citizen abroad, by virtue of my father, so we had a Consular Report of Birth Abroad as well.  Either would suffice.  I decided to bet on both simultaneously.

I went to the American Embassy the Monday after Meghan’s unsuccessful search and got a notarization for a request for the certified copy of my consular report.  I enclosed an American check with the $14.95 overnight mailing fee.  The Singapore process was a little more complicated, but more automated.  I would have to request a copy of my birth extract, which would contain my birth certificate number.  Then I could use the birth certificate number in conjunction with other documents to request a certified copy of my birth certificate.

What had my failure to bring this single document to France with me cost, apart from the emotional distress of waiting?  Roughly 300USD.  So, don’t forget, kids.

Ultimately, Singapore won my bet.  A registered letter containing my birth certificate arrived the day before my appointment at the Prefecture.  The American one had arrived at my American post office box (I use US Global Mail to receive mail and packages while I’m in Europe) a day before but because it was around the Thanksgiving holiday I would not get it overnighted to Europe in time.  And you can’t ask them to ship your certificate outside the US.

3.  Three photos of standard size.  As I said in previous articles, you can find these literally all around Paris and even if you don’t, they have two machines out in the vestibule you can use.  Five euros gets you five photos.  Keep the photos.  You’ll need them for other documents and applications while here.

4.  If you are married or have children you will need proof of marriage as well as the birth certificates for your whole family.

5.  EDF or QDL.  EDF is short for “Électricité de France,” the monopoly state-run organization and one of the many providers who can give you an attestation you can use for pretty much EVERYTHING in France.  If you rent, like I do, you might not get an EDF, so you’ll bring an up-to-date Quittance de Loyer which is simply proof from your landlord that you are paying rent and have done so faithfully, etc.

So those are the basics for all visas.  Now, let’s look at page 2 and what we long-term visitors additionally need.

6.  Twelve months of bank statements.  I hope you saved yours or get them digitally.  These should come from a French bank account and you need to ensure that you are not receiving any income from any French companies.  Make sure any wire transfers that come in come from a corresponding account in your name.

Remember that you signed an attestation when you got your visa that you would not do work while here and the careless forgot that (or just stupidly got jobs) and the careful civil servant may look at your statements line-by-line.  All my paperwork had been in order up to this point so when my agent started flipping through my bank statements she looked up and asked, “Where do you get your money?”  “I tutor on the internet and I also write.”  She nodded, flipped through to October 2014, which was the last statement I could provide, and promptly turned them all over to her “done” pile.  If you don’t have sufficient cash flows in said bank account (they like to see a minimum of 1.5-2k € a month of revenue) you may have to produce other evidence of means be it a savings account, etc.  As I’ve written before, a simple letter from your bank will not be sufficient.  They will want statements.  (A previous version of this article implied that your foreign, i.e. non-French, account would be sufficient, but that is not the case anymore.  They want to see a French bank account for renewal.  If you have experienced otherwise for a renewal of this visa, please share with us in the comments.)

7.  Health Insurance.  When I was in America, it was okay to provide proof for this in English.  Not now.  You’re in France now, so just as my birth certificate needed an official translation, I needed one for my medical policy as well.  I had originally selected Cigna Global and while I only found out later that they did have French translations of all the relevant documents, the agent on the phone told me that the “front page” of declarations would be sufficient.  Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t.  The cost of translating my whole policy would have been more than simply buying a French policy of health insurance for foreigners.  So I did just that, and in my cancellation call with Cigna (with a very courteous and apologetic Irish girl) I was told that they did indeed have French docs.  Sorry, I told them.  Maybe next year.  If you want a French policy, I can put you in contact with my agent.  Great lady.

8.  Renter’s insurance for my apartment.  Ohhhhhh.  Well, despite the fact that my lease had stipulated that I carry this, I had simply forgotten.  This held me up at my first appointment and led to a “follow-up” at which time I would bring said documentation proving I did have it.  Rather than admit straight out that I didn’t have such insurance I simply said that I didn’t bring it, which was true I hadn’t. 🙂  We scheduled a time seven weeks out, when I would have been safely and actually back from my Stateside visit, and when I came back, having secured insurance (if you need that, my guy is great), I handed said docs to her.  She stamped a couple of things, had me sign the document for my new carte de séjour and the old printer started printing.

What was printing was my “récépissé.”  It was a “temporary ID” that was valid for two months.  In two months I could come back to the prefecture, drop 106 €, and pick up my permanent card (which I’ll have to renew again).  This was the final separation of my passport from the act of flashing “ID” when asked in France.  To be honest, my American driver’s license worked most times.  But if you’re writing a check, they will prefer a French ID, though some smiling and hand wringing will usually allow for the exceptional passport to be used as proof.

I was, of course, relieved.  I didn’t do this entirely by myself, though.  I consulted with someone who specializes in helping expats, Jean Taquet.  I first started speaking to him last year as part of a long-term strategy to build a business and stay in France.  If you want he will hold your hand every step of the way through the titre de séjour process, up to and including coming with you to the Prefecture.  It’s not free but I’ll leave it to you to discuss fees with him.  I’ll also talk more about Jean and his help for those who want to make a long-term living here in a future blog post.

As always remember that if you have your stuff in order and are polite you’ll have success.  Speak the French you’ve hopefully been learning all year with even a measured diffidence, and you’ll go further.

Photo is of the eastern-facing entrance to the Prefecture, which is where you will exit from whether your visit was successful or not.

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205 thoughts on “How to Renew Your French Long-Term Stay Visitor Visa

    • Thanks so much for this! Your experience really helped me. I would not have known to bring a copy of renters insurance to the meeting. You taking the time to reply to my questions in email was sincerely appreciated. Two issues I had were not bringing copies of my French bank account statements but had my bank email them directly. And my teeth were showing slightly in my photos so had to retake them. But I just left with my Visa extension and so relieved. Thank you again!

  1. Pingback: I forgot my passport | The American in Paris

  2. hi! I found this in my feverous search regarding French Visas. The French consulate says you can’t renew the long term visa in france…. I am assuming by your blog this is not truly the case. So two questions:
    If I get the long term visitor visa in the states, can I renew it for another year in france?

    If I get the long term visitor visa, can I switch to a type of self-employed/artist (i make films) visa once I am there? Or do I have to return for that?

    I want to apply for the Carte Competences et Talents – Artist’s Visa, the issue is I don’t think I know enough about france to get it yet. I think after a year I can. I would like to know if I can come on a long stay visitor visa and apply for this card. I have seen vague evidence on the internet that this is possible, but nothing solid yet…

    • Given that I renewed my long-term stay visa in France last year, yes, it’s possible. Not sure what specific case/length the French Consulate was referring to. So, to answer your first question: “Yes, unless I’m somehow special.” As far as “switching” to the “auto entrepreneur” visa once you get here…not so fast. This isn’t college and changing your major, and France is a couple thousand years old so a basic immigration trick like that isn’t going to work. I’m changing my status to a working one later this year, but that took a lot of planning and tactics. Short answer: “No, you can’t.”

      The artist visa is an interesting one – I can connect you with a friend who might be able to help. Email me at stephen AT aroadtaken.com and I’ll connect you guys.

  3. Hi Stephen,

    I am currently in my search for apartments in Paris and have one question with regard to the apartment that I find and renewing the visa one year later.

    My preference would be to get an apartment for a shorter term (say three or six months) and then get a one year lease perhaps in another location, once I am more familiar with the neighborhoods.

    My question: When I go to renew the long stay visa, will I need proof of where I lived during the previous 12 months, similar to having to show 12 months worth of banking statements? Or will I just show my current lease?

    Thanks,

    Coleman

    • Coleman

      Firstly I would recommend using ParisExpat.com to help you find an apartment.

      Secondly, the renewal is about the future, so a current lease is fine. They don’t assume life works neatly and that you necessarily decided to stay in the same place all 12 months and hence need to show proof of all the places you lived. Furthermore, they don’t require proof that you have signed another 12 month lease. A simple QDL will do. And proof of insurance on that property.

      s.

      • Thanks, Stephan. I just found a perfect place for the location that I need on ParisExpat.com. Hopefully I will get a response to my inquiry tomorrow.

  4. Hello! I’m so glad I found your blog post, I am trying to renew my long stay visitor visa in a few weeks and wanted to know,

    1) Where did you get your birth certificate translated
    2) Do I really need renters insurance?
    I live with my boyfriend (french) in his house, so I have all the proof that he owns the place and that I’m allowed to live there, (worked to get the visa coming here), so just wondering if I’ll still need this, seeing as it’s what held up your process.
    3) Do they process the passport/visa right away? Or will I have to come back? Because poor planning I’m flying out to the UK 2 days after my appointment, and will need my passport back.

    Thank you for your help!!

  5. Hello thanks so much for the info.

    Do we really have to have our birth certificate??
    my appointment is in a few days and i thought i just needed to reshow the documents shown when i got my initial long term visa which did not include a birth certificate…. i am so screwed if that is… since it is deep within a box in a storage unit back in the states..

    I’m thinking to go in without the document even if i have to go back instead of canceling/ losing my appointment.

    Can’t believe this birth certificate thing!

    • Heather – you have a 1/100 chance of getting away with this. Worst case, you have everything else in order and when you come back that’s the only document you need to show. There’s always a chance you might not need it. But it’s very, very slim. I would encourage you to get someone to go in there, get it, and overnight it to you. It’s worth the hassle to avoid the hassle.

      PS As a general rule and as the blog demonstrates, don’t EVER make assumptions of the French. Really bad idea 🙁

  6. hello, sorry to keep asking, and i’m kicking myself constantly as i write this…

    I know i will not be able to get my birth certificate into my submission files. So in this case would you recommend that i still go to the prefecture knowing that they will ask me to come back with the document?

    Or should i cancel and try to book another appointment instead. I fear i may not get an appointment in time though because my visa expires at the end of january 2016…

    When they asked you to come back, did you have to get another appointment?

    thank you so much for your time…

  7. Let me rephrase the above crazy posting.

    I am going to the embassy tomorrow to get my certificate going as you mentioned. My question is more about: Do you need to make another appointment if you had a missing document the first time? How long did that take for you?

    Sorry for the messy communication, it is indication of my frazzled condition….

    many many, thank yous

    ps. can you please let me know the translators you used for this process?

    • hello Stephen, i tried clicking on your name link but it takes me to a hosting service. I also looked around but could not find your email address or link anywhere?

      can you see my email address? i was required to put it in to post to this thread.

  8. A quick question. You had to produce all these documents to extend your visa for one year. What if I only want to extend mine for 3 months? Will I still need to produce all the documentation you list?

    • Rob – you need to provide documentation to extend. So, I suppose instead of showing a one year lease, you can show them a 3-month. But there’s no “shorter list” for shorter stays. That’s not how the French work, as I try to indicate on this blog 🙂

  9. Stephen, thanks for your answer. Do you think that I will need to have my bank statements translated into French? That would be very expensive, since each one is many pages long. Also, you mention that there’s no shorter list for shorter stays, but when I present myself to the office is there an occasion for me to indicate that I am only wanting to extend for 3 months, not 1 year? I ask this because I am not able to make the case for 1 year, since I absolutely must return to my home country after those 3 additional months? Thanks so much for your help.

  10. Rob – you simply tell them how long you want to renew for. There is a place for that on the form. Just because you were there for a year doesn’t mean you want to renew for a year. Also – where do you bank? Do you not bank with a French bank? If you’ve been here for a year I suspect that they will want to see your French bank account, but if you’ve been living out of your American bank account, you should be able to show them your American bank account statements, untranslated. But you’re asking me about a scenario I’ve never pondered, as I don’t know how someone would live here for a year as a regular part of society without a French bank account, but I feel they are just as likely to ask you for a French translation as they are not. More likely not because you’re asking for so short – and my follow-up is, why don’t you just leave the country (go to London, so you’re out of Schengen, so you get stamped on the way back in) at the end of your visa and come back the next day on a 90-day tourist visa? Free. No hassle. No nonsense. I would never go through this drama for just 3 months. But that’s just me.

    • Dear Stephen, I promise I will only badger you with this one additional question. I thought about leaving and coming back, as you recommend, but I was under the impression that if I leave and the end of my long stay visa I would need to stay gone for a period of time before returning under a tourist visa. Am I incorrect? I hope I am, because it would save a major hassle.

      • you are actually in major luck, IF you have a 1-year long stay visa (such as the initial France visitor’s visa), are from 1 of the visa-free countries that normally allows 90 days upon entry, and if all you want is another 90 days.

        Save this link, be prepared to show it at airport immigration* if you need to make a case:
        http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex:32013R0610

        See Article 5b, where it says: “Periods of stay authorised under a residence permit or a long-stay visa shall not be taken into account in the calculation of the duration of stay on the territory of the Member States.”

        I’m no lawyer either, but there’s plenty of discussion out there that says you could still take advantage of the normal 90 days visa-free allowance starting the day after your long-term stay expired– you don’t even need to do the proposed “visa run” to London.

        *By the way, re showing that link and making a case: the risk is far greater when you are *leaving* Schengen then when arriving. This used to be counter-intuitive to me but is very true. Immigration is very strict all over Schengen these days re over-staying, so don’t mess with the rules.

      • Just to follow up, given Ken’s helpful remarks and link below, I received confirmation from the French Consulate in San Francisco that I am indeed able to leave France on the date of the expiration of my long-stay visa, travel to a non-Schengen country, and then return to France under a normal 90-day tourist visa. But they did say that I must make certain that I get a stamp on the way out and on the way in. So Ken, while your interpretation of the law is compelling, it’s probably not a risk I would want to take.

  11. Well – as I said – who is going to be checking that? Do you think they are going to flip through your passport, find your OFII stamp, then do the math and realize your visa just ended and ask why the hell you are in France? Or are they going to see you as a tourist, and flip to the closest page available and stamp and wave you through? My bets are on door #2. This is also where I remind you that I offer advice, but I’m no lawyer or immigration expert. Just someone who’s been through the paces with these people.

  12. Hi, I will reiterate Monica’s (unanswered) question: What’s the deal with the apt insurance? I have stayed at long stay vacation rentals and similar, so no utility bills nor insurance, but an informal “lease” from landlord worked to get my titre de sejour. To do (my first) renewal, will apt insurance be a new required thing (like needing a birth certificate even tho it wasnt needed to get original visa)? Or did you only need it because it was somehow entailed in the lease you produced in your paperwork?

    • Bruce
      As I stated, yes, you need to bring insurance for your property. It’s not a “new required thing” because you’re assuming that the renewal process is like the process for the original visa – except it’s different on a number of levels. My “job” on this blog is to get people as prepared as I know possible. So sending you to one of these appointments without insurance (which is both inexpensive and easy to obtain) would be remiss of me. And careless of you. You have to be prepared to produce even the things that are not listed on the sheet they give you at the prefecture. This is how the French work and I try to constantly make that clear on the blog – Bring everything, and even more than everything 🙂

      • hmmm…I’m not sure what renters insurance would even mean for someone like me who has been staying at essentially hotels (i.e. residence hotels) for up to 2 or 3 months at each location…I was hoping you would say that the only reason the French Govt would even care about it was that it was a required part of your particular lease, and hence was considered part of proving that you had a valid one.

  13. Ah – Bruce – I misunderstood – I didn’t realize you meant you had been staying at short-term rentals during this past year – I thought you meant in the past, just as a point of reference about insurance in general.

    So, in that case – I don’t think your problem will be with renter’s insurance. If the French are okay with you moving around every few months, they certainly won’t care about renter’s insurance. I’m not sure why you chose to do that, as it doesn’t show a lot of stability, but I don’t think you’re required to stay in any one place. It just makes your visa application simple if you do. I’ve never heard of anyone applying for a one-year visa after moving around during that one year, so keep us posted on what happens so others can learn. 🙂

    • Hi there,
      I wrote you an email with some queries but had an additional one that’s relevant to the ones here so thought I’ll pop it in here. I’m currently subletting and have no written lease. My intention is to submit an attestation d’hébergement + facture électricité (under the name of my landlord) with his ID. My first visa has a different address and so I intend to state that I’ve only just moved. Question: I have a bank transfer record of the rent I’ve paid in Nov. Should I include that in my dossier or make it out that I’m not paying rent at all (which was the case in my first visa application) ? That way I’m off the hook for any official documents trying to prove where I live.

      I obviously don’t have renter’s insurance and can’t get one.

      • Candice
        I’m not entirely sure what you’re asking. You are providing “official documents” proving where you live in the form of the ADH and the EDF you are going to provide. If you have no written lease you clearly can’t just fabricate one now.

        Remember that although this is a renewal, there is no institutional memory. When they sit down with you, it’s almost a new application – they are going to look through all the documents again. Yes, it’s a renewal, but don’t feel like “because this is how I did it last time this is how I have to do it this time.”

        I also don’t know why you would have to prove you pay rent when you already have an ADH?

  14. Very helpful info! Somewhat off-topic, have you had to convert your American drivers license to a French one or have any experience with that? We are coming up on our 1 year and planning for the visa renewal, but also understand we are meant to have converted our licenses within the year as well. Were you/ have you ever been asked for your French license?

    • Naomi – I’m not a driver here – I drove over a million kilometers when I lived in America and bask in the beauty of public transportation supplemented by taxis and uber. If you don’t convert your license within one year, you won’t be able to, and will be dumped into their arcane system of driver’s education and training. So, if you have any intention of staying here long term AND driving, you better get your license.

      For me, the hassle and trade off of not keeping my American license, when you can use it for so many things there, including domestic travel, I made the conscious decision NOT to get a French license. I may write on this topic at some point.

  15. Hi Stephen,

    My question is that whether I should prove that I pay rent to fulfil the criteria of having a Quittance de Loyer, as that may strengthen my case. The ADH is written by my landlord and the EDF is under his name (as stated in my original reply). Hence, I can get one without a written lease. The purpose of the EDF is to prove that he is connected to the property. Yes, I get your point on forgetting the first time, but the reason why I’m drawing on the previous experience is to explore the options on how I should present my case.

    As far as I know, most sublets do NOT have a formal written lease in Paris that’s legally actionable. And that causes a problem.

    I hope this clarifies?

    • Candice – I think you’re making a huge distinction between ADH and QDL as proofs of residence – except there’s not such a big distinction at the prefecture. And it’s not the part of your application that receives the most attention. All they want to know is that you are staying in France legally in some kind of regular residence. If you were able to obtain your visa with an ADH (which was perfectly acceptable to OFII when I presented one for my 90-day visit after I first arrived) I don’t see why it wouldn’t do in a renewal situation.

      Furthermore, you don’t have to “prove you pay rent” in order to get a QDL. Your landlord issues you one or doesn’t – you don’t have to provide a QDL AND proof you pay rent to the prefecture. The QDL is its own standalone document that says you are in good standing at that place, though a QDL is going to lead to the follow up question of “where’s your renter’s insurance”?

      In my case, I have a lease and renter’s insurance, and have since about the 3rd month I lived in Paris, but even then, when it came to this point in the interview, my inspector glanced at the lease to verify that the address was the same, then put it onto her “done” pile, then looked at my insurance to see that it matched the address, ran her fingers along the policy limits, then flipped it onto the done pile. Probably about 20 seconds altogether.

      Do I think that they may look a bit more closely at an ADH + EDF + someone else’s ID? Sure. But I don’t think it’s a dealbreaker. As long as you can explain your situation, and have documentation to back yourself up, you should be fine. Does that help?

      • Hi Stephen,
        Yes thanks heaps. I’m just overthinking this in true French fashion of pre-empting the possible obstacles they could throw to complicate everything. I keep being settled at what I have and then I’ll go into panic mode and think of other documents that I can add to my dossier! Especially in this case, a QDL was mentioned (as an OR though). Honestly, I am baffled by their acceptance of an attestation in such a manner while being notoriously a stickler for admin. Back in Australia, we call it a statutory declaration and it needs to be witnessed by a Justice of Peace or other notarised persons. Thank goodness no such thing here else it’ll really do my head in! Cheers.

  16. Is there an online/easy way to get renters insurance (with a French document, because I assume it has to be in French)? Or who is the guy you mentioned? I don’t have a french bank account (no french income) so I’d rather not set foot in one.

    btw – I didn’t have 3 months left on my long stay visitor visa (only 2, which is when the French consulate in Miami told me ON A PRINTED DOCUMENT to go for renewal) so I went to the Paris prefecture anyway. They would not let me in. They said make an appointment (via the online site), and as long as you made the appointment before the visa expires it is ok. We’ll see how it plays out.

    • Brian – did the document tell you to go to the Prefecture for an appointment and neglect to say “make an appointment”? This might be a lost in translation moment – the staff at the consulate might have thought in their French brains, “Surely he won’t go to the Prefecture without an appointment…imagine what would happen if we allowed that”? 🙂

      You’ll be fine as long as you got a date.

      • The document which I received last April from the French consulate in Miami says (in English) something like “to renew your long stay visa go to the prefecture within the last two months before it expires” and “They will give you a list of things you need and you can make an appointment”. Bad information, obviously. But that is what it says.

      • Hello!!

        It Is June and my visa ends on October 16. My passport expired June 2017. Two questions, can I still renew my long stay visa even though it’s past the 6 month mark? And will I need to renew my passport before the appointment since if I get the extension it would be valid beyond June 2017?

        Thanks!!!

        • Val you can’t do a “renewal” on an expired visa. You can apply for a new one. As for your passport, that’s not really relevant – as long as it’s valid at the time you present it (and isn’t expiring within a few months) you’ll be fine – but in general I say don’t wait until your passport is nearly expired to renew.

  17. Hi Stephen, Thanks for writing this. Could you let me know where you had your birth certificate translated? Also, you wrote that we’d need 12 months of bank statements. On the prefecture’s list of requirements, the way I understood it is they want to see a bank statement showing you have money equivalent to 12 months worth of salary (for someone earning minimum wage) at the time of application. So just your recent statement, not one that goes 12 months back? Thanks again.

    • June – if you send me an email I can get you my translator’s information.

      If you are speaking about your original application, yes, you are correct, and to an extent, for the renewal as well. The reason for the 12 months of bank statements is that you are a) demonstrating that you are living here in France and b) are not making income here. I have had readers tell me that they have gone in with bank statements certifying a large amount of capital and that has been satisfactory.

      • HI Stephen, just wondering if have you heard any more about whether these bank statements need to be translated into French? I have an australian bank account and am worried that the cost of translating 12 months would be huge! thanks 🙂

      • Lisa – I think that 12 months of original (in English) Australian bank statements, along with a letter, in French, from your bank, which testifies to your moving daily/monthly balance, should do the trick.

  18. The aduciel website provide above does not function correctly. If anyone has an easy way to get renters insurance in Paris without having a French bank account, please advise. The amount of time I have spent researching and trying to obtain is now at the ridiculous level.

  19. Hi Stephen, My original insurance provider is unable to provide a policy in French. Can you please give me the information for your agent?

  20. Thanks for all the info. I have 2 questions. Do you need the same things for the 3rd year, etc? In other words, Do you need a new translated birth certificate, marriage certificate, etc. each year? Second, since my husband and I will have two separate appointments – do we EACH need everything original for the long stay visa the first time and each subsequent time? Thank you!
    Karen

    • Karen

      Once you have an “official” translated document that’s good for life. The translation doesn’t expire.

      I don’t quite understand your second question.

  21. For anyone needing renter’s insurance (which is everybody needing to renew a long stay visitor visa): The US embassy website has a list of resources on various topics, including insurance.

    After I emailed them and filled out a form, they mailed me the certificate/document I need. I haven’t had my visa appointment yet, but I do have a document that (I think) says I have renter’s insurance.

  22. Hi Stephen, this blog post is SO helpful!!! i was just wondering, i cant get my health insurance policy in French (and as you say to get it translated would be expensive). can you please tell me who your insurance provider was?

  23. Hey, can you please help me figure out where I can get a translation of my birth certificate? I have my original and it is in Russian, though I am now an American Citizen, I carry a US passport, but am here studying french. Thank you!

  24. Hi Stephen, Just a question on the total amount needed in your bank account. if the minumum wage is around 1,500 to 2000 euros per month so you would require a total of about minimum 20,000 euros in your account to present to them is that correct?

    • James – yes – or an account you have access to, like a 401K or something you are a signatory to. Alternatively, something that shows you will be receiving the necessary monthly income, either a letter from an employer or a bank.

  25. Hi Stephen, just got a quick question. Do you have to surrender your old carte de sejour? Would you be able to still travel with just the recipisse? thanks

    • Naomi – yes, traveling with the recipisse is sufficient – but I’ve recently been traveling in Schengen, and as usual, have not even had to show my passport, much less my French ID, but I applaud your thoroughness in bringing it along (I left it at home 🙂 )

  26. I just returned from the prefecture with my recipisse (receipt?) for my carte de sejour. They gave me another appointment 3 months from now to pick up the actual card. Here are my tips for US citizens renewing their long stay visa:

    Prefecture Meeting: I have a fairly large amount of money in my US-based bank/brokerage account. I showed them the most recent one month statement and that was sufficient. (I had a year’s worth of bank activity printed and ready as a back-up). However, the woman said “You need a bank account in France next year”, implying for the next visa renewal I will need to have a French bank account. My bank statement was in English.

    Important NOTE: I was surprised by this: I WAS REQUIRED TO SHOW THEM MY OFII MEDICAL VISIT DOCUMENT. This is a document you receive when you complete your OFII medical visit after your first arrive in Paris. Thankfully I had everything with me in a folder, so I had this document. It has a couple of stamps on it… and unfortunately the woman at the prefecture took the original – I hope I do not need it again for the next renewal. (Of course, the fact that I have the OFII stamp in my passport indicates I passed the medical visit, but they wanted the document today anyway.)

    So the documents they took were:

    – Renter’s Insurance
    – Health Insurance
    – Bank statement
    – OFII medical visit
    – EDF power electricity document (A QDL document from your landlord if you do not have a power bill)
    – Birth certificate (translated into French, cost me 50 euros, can’t recommend my translator, too bad for her)

    So thanks to Stephen for the information. Hopefully this summary is beneficial to someone.

  27. Hi Stephen,

    thank you for this information. One question, how long do you need to renew the long term stay visa before it ends? Because I currently have a 6 month visa and I was hoping to get another 3 months after that under a tourist visa (by simply leaving and re-entering the country after the long stay visa ends) before renewing my long stay visa.

    Thank you!

    • Cheejun

      I’m a bit confused by your question. If you mean, can you stay as a tourist for 90 days after your visa ends by exiting and then returning, the answer is yes. If the question is, can you renew after being under a tourist visa, then the answer is no, as you can’t “renew” something that is expired. You would need to apply for a new visa.

  28. Hi Stephen,

    Just a quick question, do they absolutely require a French/American bank account or any bank account will do? Because my family lives in Singapore and I was hoping to get my dad to print his bank statement and vouch that he will support me financially should I extend my visa (is that possible too?).

    Thank you for everything!
    Mark

    • Since I’m writing the American in Paris blog, I will refer to “American” bank accounts but surely a Singaporean would not be using an American account, right? As far as renewal goes, the reason I say a French account is the way to go is because then that part is easier. If you have a letter in French from your father, along with a letter from your bank, in French, noting that you have access to these accounts, and then all the statements of the accounts in English, then I think you could possibly be okay. But giving him a bunch of English-spoken bank accounts with an explanation in English? That’s not going to work.

  29. Hi Stephen, Im trying to get a head start on the process and i was wondering if they need a long copy of the birth certificate or will an abstract work? Does it need to be less than 6months old? Also, is an apostille required? (Im also going through the process for a pacs and they require a long version less than 6months old with apostille so im hoping to only have to order them once!)

    Cheers and thanks for the helpful post!
    Abbey

  30. Hi there and thank you!
    I would love help. My long term visitor Visa expires January 14th and I have been trying to book an appointment on line but I cannot get the website to work and I cannot get through on the call.

    I would be going to Montpellier… or I could go to Nime.

    Help! All I want to do is set my appointment 🙂

    Thank you!

    Laurie

    • I went to the Paris prefecture and they would NOT make an appointment for me. They said the only options were online of telephone. Try someone else’s phone or computer/browser.

    • Dear Ms. Strickland,

      Stephen Heiner forwarded your email message.
      I believe that you have the long stay visa and also the OFII stamp which you got once you finished the medical visit.

      Legally speaking the OFII stamp is your immigration ID and its validity is the same as your visa. Therefore the information you need to book the appointment with the prefecture is on this stamp and not the visa. Indeed on the upper left corner there 3 numbers the last of the 3 is “le numéro d’étranger” which is the one used by the prefecture as an ID Nº for your length of your stay. The system generates the confirmation of the appointment called “convocation” which has your ID Nº. It also give you the list of documents to bring at the meeting. Make sure that the file is complete

      This is the most common difficulty when people try to book an appointment through the website.

      Doing it through the phone it used to be very difficult as the line was busy all the time. Today I find a lot easier after navigating through the choices offered. The very first thing again that is asked is the ID Nº. This phone number is not easily found on the site, 01.56.95.26.80.

      Last comment you are better off taking the very 1st appointment of the day 8:45. Yes you wait at least 30 minutes outside the building as it is better to show before 8AM but you end up being one of the very first ones arriving in that office and you are out of there within just one hour.

      This is for the prefecture in Paris, the other prefectures have pretty much the same procedure.

  31. Pingback: Three Years On: Part I, Penseés for those planning to move to France | The American in Paris

  32. Yet another piece of (possibly useful) information: I now have my plastic “titre de sejour” card. I’ve been through this process once already. So now I am planning ahead and trying to make an appointment early… months prior to my visa expiring… so I don’t have to worry about what I’ll do if they won’t renew it (which they will/should, but I don’t like to worry) next year.

    Guess what? You can NOT make an appointment for a time prior to your visa expiring. Right now I am 5 months prior to visa expiration, and the 1st appointment shown as available is the 1st day AFTER my visa expires. So unless the visa office is closed from now until May 2nd, they aren’t letting me make an appointment until after my visa is officially expired. Unreal.

    • Such a long delay at the Paris prefecture has existed for a long time for some offices. Private life is indeed about that time. Now there is ZERO, truly NO need to ask for an appointment before the card expires. It is even detrimental to you to have an appointment too early as you could lose some months on the validity of the card as they tend to start the new card the day of the appointment in those circumstances. If you past a few weeks and even more a few months, you can always ask for a ‘récépissé’ to bridge until the day of the appointment.

      • never count on that those prefecture appointments are worth close to gold. Exceedingly rare they are cancelled. Also once you have one appointment you cannot get a new one unless you cancel it before and running the risk of losing both as the better deal will surely be gone by the time you can choose it!

  33. Just a follow up – it looks like the visa appointment lead time right now is SIX MONTHS. It does not appear contingent upon the expiration date of my visa. But it means you must make your appointment SIX MONTHS prior to when you want it. (This is for the prefecture in Paris). Unbelievable…

    (and M. Taquet – there are plenty of reasons to want your visa finalized before it’s expiration date)

    • BT – Were you able to make an appointment six months in advance prior to your expiration? My understanding was that the online system would only accept a person’s request no more two months before expiration. Appreciate your info.

      • Right now I am 6 months prior to expiration. The online site went through the process of taking my titre sejour number, birthdate, etc. then gave me next available appointment times.

        The earliest appointment date that is available is 6 months from now. That is AFTER the expiration of my visa. It looks like I can go ahead and make this appointment reservation, but I won’t be in town at that time. So I have to wait for LATER times to become available. Because of this I did not go ahead and MAKE my reservation/appointment. However it looks like I just make the reservation like I did last time and it will give me the appointment for 6 months from now.

        Maybe what you heard is that you can obtain an appointment date that is at most 2 months prior to your visa expiration date. I do not know if that is the case. For me to have tried to get an appointment date 3 months prior to my visa expiration it looks like I would have had to make an appointment about 3 months ago – which is actually about the time when I picked up my card from the office from LAST YEAR’s renewal process.

        I will update on this blog about 1 month from now when I accept an appointment time for June.

          • You are welcome and keep in mind that the Paris prefecture is currently massive renovation and this disorganises some their work AND has recently set up the text message alert to pick up the new card when ready. It is not properly working either. So people need to be very careful when renewing their immigration status in Paris right now and probably for most of 2017.

      • These 2 months come from OFII and clearly they have not followed the steady increase in the delay to obtain the appointment. These last days, I had clients arguing I was wrong since the French administration stated 2 months. Then when they saw the appointment secured 2 days after the expiration date, the discussion changed.

    • I confirm the blocking of the prefecture if one tries more than 6 months before. I also confirm that the appointments are issued right now about 6 months in advance. It is quite unusual and I do not have an explanation for this.

      I know that they are valid reasons for people to attempt to book an appointment before the expiration date. The risk is that the new card starts at the date of the meeting and not the expiration date of the old card. People decide if this is worth it.

  34. Hi Stephen,
    Thank you for providing all of the above listed information – much appreciated!
    I am Australian and currently on a 1 year tourist visa in France. I recently went for my appointment to extend and have been asked to return with further documentation. I am however having difficulty in getting information from the Prefecture de Police regarding the requirements of said documents (and yes, I know, I should have confirmed at the appointment – but I did not!). These are for (1) proof of income & (2) health insurance. Is this something you could possibly advise on?
    (1) Proof of Income – They have requested ‘relevés bancaires en francais’. From your experience, does this means a line by line translation of my most recent bank statements (I have two – 1 US & 1 Australian), or does it mean a summary of assets across the two accounts – translated into French and converted into Euros?
    (2) Health Insurance – I currently have World Nomad Health Insurance but this expires this month (hence why I need to come back with another), and I require ‘assurance medicale 1an en Francais’ for my new visa application. From your experience, if I were to move forward with another policy from world nomad (I feel comfortable with them, and like their customer service etc), would I require the full policy to be translated into French, or just the page outlining what I am covered for. Alternatively, is it better to purchase health insurance in France, from a French health care provider such as Generali?
    Apologies for all of the questions. I understand that you do not work for the Prefecture de Police or immigration department. I’m just hoping that you may have come across these questions/requests before.
    Thank you!
    Bethaney

    • Hi Bethaney
      The ideal is to have French bank account statements. If you don’t have a French account yes I think having the originals with a French cover page explaining the moving monthly averages with conversion to Euros would be a step in the right direction. You don’t even want to know what a line by line translation would cost.

      As far as the insurance question I highly recommend getting a french policy. It will likely be cheaper and you won’t have any worries about translation. You can send me an email and I can connect you with someone if you would like.

  35. Hi Stephen,
    Thank you for the quick response!
    I do not have a french bank account (as I am unable to work in France and therefore have no income it did not make sense for me to get one), so a summary of my savings across my Australian & US accounts translated into French and converted into Euros seems like the best way to go.
    As for insurance, I agree. As much as I love World Nomad I believe its time to transition to a french policy. Please can you confirm your email address (I can’t seem to locate it on the site), as any recommendations would be much appreciated.
    Thank you!
    Bethaney

    • Allow me to respond. You are now a French immigrant and it is now mandatory to have a French bank account if you live in France, just like you must have health insurance valid in France. What you are doing ” so a summary of my savings across my Australian & US accounts translated into French and converted into Euros seems like the best way to go.”

      will only buy time and you will go back 3 months later with the proof of the opening of the French bank account and the last statement.
      So you are much and I mean MUCH better off opening the account NOW!!! You might still have to go back to show your statements but the hardest part will have been done and the problem is fixed sooner than later.

    • Hi Bethaney,
      I am Australian and I think I might face the same problems when I go to renew as well. It is really difficult opening a bank account in France since terrorist attacks without considerable amount of wealth to invest in an International Bank (such as HSBC)
      I have a 2 year travel insurance comprehensive policy with QBE in Australia which has already paid out twice in France! Surely this is enough!

      • Bethaney if you join our Facebook group there are at least a couple Americans who have opened a French bank account with standard opening balances. We can pass on names and contacts to you there.

        • I have the list of the documents needed for just about all the different immigration statuses that exist. I can send the one for you through email.
          Keep in mind that the entire documentation submitted at the prefecture must be in French and therefore a policy 100% in English means a considerable cost for translating those documents. Keep that in mind when you shop for the best deal!!
          Once the logic is understood and the requirements accepted, the renewal of this immigration is simple and quite cheap.
          The cheapest policy that complies with the prefecture is 410€ a year, but I am not sure that the coverage it offers meets your expectation.

          I can be very useful in making this process simple and cheap even when you add my fees!!!!

      • BTW, this is a side issue but it can help considerably. Having a bank account in France is MANDATORY for everyone living in France including you. I know about the difficulties of opening an account for foreigners and YES the French banks state that you are foreigner and therefore you “Must” open a non resident account which asks for exorbitant deposit. Now if you “demand!” to have an account opened as a French immigrant which you are BTW, it changes radically the response coming from the bank. It is does not, then you can report this to the “Banque de France” the French Federal Reserve, suddenly the bank behaves differently!
        This is just food for thoughts

  36. Hi there, thanks for this really helpful post and questions. Do you know if I could do a side trip to Switzerland as it is technically not part of the EU to gain a 90 day tourist visa? I really only need to renew for another 3 months but to go to London is difficult from the ski fields in France.
    Also to apply for this extension, do you know would I just attend an interview at my local prefecture? presumably I would not need to go to Paris
    Thanks for your help!

    • Liz

      If your question is whether Switzerland is outside the Schengen zone, as London is, the answer is no. If the requirements of your visa are that you leave Schengen, CH does not qualify.

  37. Hi Stephen, Liz, Jean,
    Thank you all for your feedback! I will endeavour to open a french bank account prior to my appointment, though as I do not want to transfer my savings from my Australian & US accounts into said French account (I charge everything to my credit cards and manage payments online) – I will still have to find a solution to providing those account balances in French.
    I have had no luck to date in confirming with the prefecture de police on what documentation will suffice. But I will update here if and when I do for those that are facing the same issue.
    I was living working in New York when I applied for my initial visa so all of my documentation was written in English. I had assumed (I know, you should never assume!) that documentation for the renewal process would be the same. So the request for everything translated into French has thrown me for a bit of a loop. It may have been easier (and only slightly more expensive) to fly back to the US to renew!
    Stephen if you could please provide your email address I will email you direct. I would love your recommendations on the best french health insurance providers for foreigners living in France.
    Thank you.
    Bethaney

  38. Thank you so much for this! I’m renewing my VLS in March and this has put my mind at ease. Any health insurance recommendations are greatly appreciated, as I dislike my Cigna plan and feel it’s time to move on to a different company. Thank you, SR

  39. Thank you Stephen, et al.

    This is an extremely helpful post and Q&A – much appreciated! In reviewing the required paperwork (the PDF on their website) to renew the long stay visitor visa, it asks for the “dernier avis d’imposition” — are they asking for one’s last tax filing from the home country (in my case the US)? Has anyone been asked to provide this at their appointment?

    Thank you!

  40. I received this message because Mr. Heiner believes that I can address this issue. The issue seems simple but it triggers a rather complex issue, which can be summed up this way? Are you really a French immigrant?

    I am going to scrupulously follow your message and you will see what I mean by that.
    YOU
    In reviewing the required paperwork (the PDF on their website) to renew the long stay visitor visa
    ME
    1 – So you received a immigration long stay visa that allows you to stay in France 365 days a year. So this is why I call it immigration because there is no end to how long you can stay in France on this immigration status.
    2 – You are thinking or renewing it, which means that you have come to France and went through the OFII physical a few months after your arrival in France. At that time you had met both the police and the Dr. and this bone fides 100% your status as an immigrant.

    3 – A small detail which is not a true detail. You are not renewing a “long stay visitor visa” as your visa is not immigration ID right now, the so-called “OFII stamp” you got at the end of your physical is your ID since it has your foreign ID Nº on it and your French address, your domicile, in short your home.

    4 – Therefore you are renewing your “VISITEUR” immigration status by applying for a carte de séjour, which is a plastic card. BTW, this “VISITEUR” immigration status does not translate by any means to visitor.

    YOU
    it asks for the “dernier avis d’imposition”
    ME
    As immigrant, you might have stayed long enough that you received the French tax statement called indeed “dernier avis d’imposition”. Since you arrived last year and the declaration is done in May you have not declared yet, and therefore the prefecture does not expect you to show this document at the meeting of the 1st renewal of your “VISITEUR” immigration status.
    I would like to go back to 2 issues that could have been overlooked by you.
    1 – If you have stayed in France more than 183 days in France during the 2016 year, you have become a fiscal and a legal resident in France. You obey all the French laws and regulations, and your fiscal allegiance goes 1st to France. It happens that there is a tax treaty between the 2 countries that decides that the unearned income made in the USA is taxed in the USA. Therefore if you have become a French fiscal resident you should declare to the French tax office this May 17, that is the law and this is what the treaty states. It also means that your #1040 that you must fill out must bear your French address.

    2 – I remind you the 3 basic grounds on which your immigration status is based on:
    a) you prove that you have financial means either saving or earnings outside of France that enables you to stay in France. The minimum to prove is 14,000€ a year.
    b) you prove that you have secured a home i.e., an address in France.
    c) you prove that you are covered by a comprehensive health policy valid in France. The prefecture demands that it is either issued in the French language or that it is translated.

    One of the best way to prove financial means is a tax statement called in France avis d’imposition sur le revenu. Prefecture is also asking for 12 months of bank statements to check you are living in France and you are spending a minium of 14,000€.

    YOU
    are they asking for one’s last tax filing from the home country (in my case the US)
    ME
    NO! They are asking for the French tax document for reasons explained above. Now for the 1st renewal for the reasons explained above you could and maybe should submit your #1040.

    YOU
    Has anyone been asked to provide this at their appointment?
    ME
    I understand because you are asking this question that you do not consider yourself as being a French immigrant, even though you are one. You react as if your allegiance still goes to the USA when it is mainly with France, because the tax treaty creates exceptions and you fall into those exceptions.

    Now comes something that most Americans are totally unaware of, all the Préfectures are very lenient with American citizens, so much that it blurs a lot of issues.
    1st example, the “VISITEUR” immigration status for American citizens allows them to state that they are not French fiscal residents because they are not staying in France long enough every year. The prefecture NEVER checks whether this statement is true or not, and therefore accepts that American renew their “VISITEUR” immigration status without giving a French income tax statement. So some Americans renew with the #1040 form and it is OK. Some of them even produce no tax statement and they get away with this most of the time. This leniency is incredible when one thinks how much scrutiny the prefecture applies to study the files.

    2nd example, French residents are all expected to be covered by the public health coverage administration. There again there is never a problem showing a private policy as long as a) it covers somewhat the same as the public coverage b) if the documents are not in French that there are translated.

    My last comment is that these is a cost for many foreigners to have their income declared in France as it takes a professional to fill out the French and the American declarations saying the same thing. To offset this cost there can be 2 reasons to do it:
    1 – under certain circumstances, it is quite possible that there are no local taxes paid in the USA only the federal one.
    2 – filling 5 times in France pretty much guarantees you to obtain the carte de résident which is valid 10 years and offers all the possible rights one can have in France including all the rights to work in France.

  41. Hi Stephen and others,
    thank you for the helpful information! I have to renew my visa soon too.

    I have just one question, will the Prefecture take your passport for the time period that they need to renew your long-term visa? I mean I have to travel very often in the coming months and I need my passport.

  42. Hi, I’ve read most all of the comments and maybe I missed the answer to this. I was wondering I f you get a long term visa then return to the United States for a short while, could you apply for another same type visa or does it have to be a renewal to be able to stay long term again?

    • Al

      Of course you could let your visa lapse and apply again in the US. But I don’t know why you would. Renewal is just about 3-4 times easier than the original application, and you get no preference for a second application. You’ll start from scratch.

  43. Hey Stephen,

    I’m gearing up for my visa renewal now. Could you provide me with the name/contact info of the translator you used and the French insurance agent? My googling attempts have not been fruitful 🙂

    Also, how did you handle your apartment lease? I do not want to be presumptuous and renew for another year only to be rejected, but I reckon they want to see that I have a place to stay if I’m accepted (my current, renewable contract ends the day of my visa expiration).

    • Melissa

      Please email me and I’ll give you the information you asked for. As for the lease – I don’t quite understand your question. To reply I would just say you need to show a lease that covers at least part of the next period you are asking for. A lease that expires on the day of your appointment won’t work. And it’s not presumptuous to ask for a year because if your visa is denied and you have to leave by mandate of France your lease is not legally enforceable.

  44. I just looked on one of Stephen’s sites and think he answered my questions. It looks like there is a lot to do to renew again… and a costs. Since we will not be doing this in Paris, the requirements may vary somewhat.

  45. Hi Stephen,

    This blog is incredibly helpful. I live in Boston, and am looking to apply for the visa de long sejour in January 2018, and move to Bordeaux in February/March. I work for a company now, but when I go to France I will be freelancing (independently). Would my income from that be accepted for the financial requirement along with my savings 401K, etc?

    Also, I will be moving in with a French national. Can I just provide their renter’s insurance, or does my name have to be included in the documents?

    Thanks so much,

    Katie

    • Katie – let’s do the second question first – if you are moving in with a French National (or a Dutch National, or anyone for that matter) you can simply obtain an “attestation de hébergement from him/her along with an EDF and insurance (renter’s or owner’s). If your name is on the lease, you will need a lease and renter’s insurance.

      As for your first question, yes, the freelancing income will be countable towards your resources for your LTS

      • Thank you!
        How would I “prove” that I will be receiving consistent income for a year from freelancing? I will apply when I have at least 1,500 per month for 12 month plus the freelance income which fluctuates.

        Do you think this is sufficient financially security? Also, the cost of living in Bordeaux is less than Paris. Do they take that into consideration?

        Thanks again,
        Katie

        • Katie – perhaps a letter from your biggest client or bank statements showing consistent deposits? The cost of living in Bordeaux is not significantly different enough for them to adjust what they consider “self sufficient” in France to my knowledge. Several people have written me from the rural parts of France where they reside and they were asked to provide the same proof of level of income as I did when I was still LTS.

  46. Hello!
    I am wondering if I need to bring my original birth certificate? I have copies with me but my original is in the States with my parents!

  47. Hi Stephen, I have a one year long stay visitor’s visa that expires in a few months. The prefecture in which I live handed me a form entitled DEMANDE DE TITRE DE SÉJOUR on which I understand I in the question for “Nature de la Demande” the boxes “le renouvellement” and “d’une carte de séjour temporaire” and ” 1 an” . I have 3 questions: 1) on the form, when they ask for my address, do I provide my address and phone number in my home country, or do I instead provide my address and phone number in France? 2) my prefecture does not seem to require health insurance certificate, or tax declaration or bank statements (they provided me with a Pour obtenir une carte de sejour temporaire”). Might they suddenly ask for it when I deliver my application and documents? 3) is it possible as a visitor to receive a multi year visa? Many thanks, Alina

    • Alina

      I’ll answer your last question first – no it is not possible for a visitor to receive a multi-year visa.

      Secondly, you are now here in France on a LTS, so ostensibly your address is here in France, where you are renewing, not some address in the US where you don’t live 🙂

      Finally – whatever is on the demands from your prefecture, there is no way you can get a LTS renewal here in France without health insurance, bank statements/tax return, etc.

      You’re trying to prove to them that you are actually continuing to live here in France, not using this as a shadow visa so you can travel around Europe.

      • Hi Stephen, Thanks for the quick and thoughtful response. I really do still have a home in the US, and really don’t travel around Europe at all, it’s either France or the US for me. I have bank statements for every month I’ve been here, but I won’t be 12 months at the time of renewal (since one renews prior to the expiration of 12 month Long Stay Visa), would that be a problem? Since I wasn’t in France for 183 days in 2016, I won’t have filed a declaration this month (May 2017), so would must I present my 1040? I do have French health insurance and renter’s insurance. If I am here for more than 183 days, I think I understand that when renewing my visa in 2018 that I must present my “DÉCLARATION DE RETENUE À LA SOURCE ANNÉE” for calendar year 2017 at that time, correct -this is an absolute must? Finally, I believe I have read in your forum that after 5 years of Declarations I should be eligible for French national health insurance (as French citizens have it), or do I have that wrong?

        • No, I don’t think you have to have 12 months, per se, you just need to have them dating from your last renewal. Sometimes you renew before, but sometimes you renew after (I wrote recently that I had to get a 2 month extension on a one year PL because of the scheduling issues here in Paris).

          I’m a bit confused on your residence – the long term stay visa is designed around you spending more than half the year here, but you’re saying you spend less than half the year here. When you say you “really do have a home in the US” then you are really stretching the purposes of this visa. It’s for people who live in France, nearly full time as visitors, not for people who split their time between here and the US – the best situation for that is dual citizenship, since neither country cares what you do when you’re a citizen, but any country cares down to the milimeter what you’re doing when you’re a visitor.

          I don’t know if they need to see your 1040 – it’s not really relevant to them as you’re not a fiscal French resident but you can bring it in the “just in case file.” I think the larger question is going to be “why did you get a 1 year visa when you aren’t even here half the year” when you tell them that you didn’t file your french taxes.

          As far as your revenue – this can be proved out by your bank statements.

          I’m not entirely sure what you mean by the five years of declarations – I don’t see a connection between being a visitor here and being permitted to enter the National health insurance system here. If you’re a visitor, you acquire “assurance etrangers,” as you’re a visitor. If you’re in the national health insurance system, you’ve changed your status such that you contribute into the system – it’s not “free,” and how would a visitor do that?

          My caveat to anything I’ve said above – if Jean Taquet says anything on these matters that contradicts me – he is right 🙂

          • Thanks so, so much again Stephen. I still work, but in the US, and luckily I work freelance, so whether I spend more or less than 183 days per year in France will depend on work – I work onsite in the US when I do work. Hopefully 2017 will see me in France for more than 183 days- that was my intention. I suppose I was confused by some 5 year reference I saw somewhere, and I was thinking also that I would be obligated to pay social security taxes (although I could be wrong about that) once I am a fiscal French resident, so I thought mistakenly though those 2 things together might someday entitled me to participate in National Health Insurance. Not all my revenue can be proven by French bank statements. My financial assets reside and income flows into my US accounts, some of my French expenses are even paid from US accounts or US credit cards since my US bank is very good about wire fees and foreign transactions fees and what not – the last friendly bank in the US. That said, if less than 14.000 EUR does not flow into my French account in a given calendar year (more probably always will), but just in case), should I show they US bank statements, too?

          • No. You can be a fiscal French resident and pay no taxes. That’s what I did my first two years (I have a couple articles on the experience if you want to check it out – just look for “taxes” using the search bar.).

            As regards proving your income from something other than French bank accounts, sure. You can show your assets from any country/bank, as long as it gets to a level they are comfortable with.

  48. Hi, I am wondering if anyone can help me with my situation. I would really appreciate any answer.
    – I am a US citizen and I obtained my Visitor Long Stay French Visa in San Francisco. The visa’s validity is from Sep 27, 2017 to Sep 27, 2017.
    – I entered Paris in December 2016.
    – in Jan 2017, I obtained my VLS-VT (Visa Long Sejour-Valent-Titre de Sejour). It is affixed to my passport. It does not have any expiration date on it. On that day, they also gave me a leaflet with a website and a phone number where I could visit or call to obtain an appointment to renew my stay before my visa expires.
    – The leaflet says to make the appointment 4 months before my visa expires, which would be aroun May 27, 2017.
    – Here is the problem: When I visited the renewal appointment website on May 17, and entered my information, the first listed available appointment is in late October 2017, several weeks after my visa would expire.
    – I am concerned if I take the appointment (say for October 24, 2017) and show up at their office on that date, they will tell me that I have violated the terms of my visa by staying in France between Sep 27 (when my visa expired) and Oct 24 (my appointment date). And in fact they would be correct.

    What do I do? Do I need to go back to he US and get another visa? Is there any other way to get an appointment? I know I could also call to get an appointment, but what if the same happens when I call the listed number? Do I need to get a temporary permit (if there is such a thing)?

    Thank you for any input!

  49. Stephen, thank you for the link. I read it and I believe now I understand what needs to be done. Essentially, I just need to get a temporary extension to my visa (récépissé), which would keep me “legal” until the time of my renewal appointment.

    Update:
    So I did call and made the renewal appointment for October 24, which is about one month after my visa will expire. They told me to go to the office at 19-21 Rue Truffaut and obtain a récépissé, just as you had mentioned in your story.

    They told me to obtain the récépissé not earlier than 2 weeks before my visa expires. So for instance, my visa expires on Sep 27, I am therefore planning to go their office on Sep 14, but not earlier (nor later).

    They also told me to bring the following when applying for the récépissé:
    1 photo,
    Utility statements for past 3 months,
    Passport,
    The renewal convocation,
    Plus a copy of each of the above.

    I just hope that they won’t give me any hard times when I go there, such as why I didn’t request for a renewal appointment earlier.

    Thanks again for the informative link!

  50. Bonjour Stephen !

    My husband and I are here in France on 10-month student visas, which expire this July 14. We are finishing up the gathering of all the documentation we need to apply for renewal. I have a question I’ve not been able to find the answer to ANYWHERE! So I’m hoping you can help me.

    1. We currently rent a flat here in City A
    2. We attend school in City A – our last day is June 29
    3. Our current student visas expire on July 14
    4. We are moving to City B on July 6 and have leased a new flat there
    5. My husband registered for school in City B to begin in September

    Which prefecture do we go to next week to apply for renewal of our student visas? City A or City B? Both cities are walk-in only for students, with no appointments available.

    Thank you so much for your help. Love your blog!

  51. It seems like it’d be necessary to submit some kind of application form for the visa renewal (almost like a cover page where I give my contact information and check the box for which kind of visa I’m renewing), but I don’t see anything about that online. Are my eyes tricking me about this?

    Thank you for your very informative article! This demystification has taken a lot of the stress out of the preparation process.

  52. I’m just seeing these comments about the need for all bank statements to be in French… given that my appointment to renew (1st time) is next week I am starting to panic! I do have a French bank account, but I just transfer petty amounts of cash there. My income is deposited directly into my US account. I was going to present statements from both accounts. I’m not really sure if there’s something I should (or can) do at this point aside from bring what I have and hope for the best… (after pouring myself an American sized glass of wine) Any advice?

    Also, I have not gotten a tax form in France yet, which I find odd. If taxes are declared in May, and I arrived end of last August, I should have gotten something in the mail. Did you file them your first year? Or did you just present your US tax returns?

    BTW, Stephen, I went with the translation service and insurance you recommended and it was a breeze! Thank you!
    🙂

    • Melissa – glad to hear it! This is a renewal so they don’t care about your US account. Just bring your French bank statements, and keep the US statements in the backup folder. Be ready to explain (if they ask) where the deposits are from.

      You are not going to get a tax form from the French. Immigration and Finance are not connected in that way. You need to file on your own. I can recommend someone if you write me. She’s handled my “non revenue” returns when I was a visitor and just helped me file my first personal return with French income (I hired a different firm to file my French business returns).

  53. I never saw anywhere that you need french bank statements, all I have are my US bank statements. Is that going to be a problem? Should I open an account even though it won’t be enough time to get any statements from it ?

    • I think if you can at least prove that you have the account, it will help you. I had an appointment two weeks ago and they would not give me a visa without the account, even though I gave them an attestation that my application was in process at LCL. They gave me a récépissé and told me to come back in October when the account was approved.

    • Melissa – my husband and I had our renewal appointments about 7 weeks ago in Lyon and we brought copies of our US and our French bank accounts. They said they did not want anything about our US account and only took the copies of the French account, which is necessary for them to see you are settled in France.

  54. Hello Stephen!

    I just want to firstly say that you have a wonderful thing going on here – thank you. The sharing of experiences is often underestimated, especially concerning these types of topics which can seem overwhelming to those who have never gone through the steps. So again, thank you for taking the time to share with us.
    I wanted to ask you a question for my parents regarding an initial long term stay visa application. We did a test run of a month or so in Normandy, and they loved it. They have decided to apply for the long term visa when they get back to the United States in a few weeks. Our question is regarding the translation of documents. Would you be able to tell us what exactly should be translated for the first application? Our main concern is bank statements. My parents’ statements are lengthy – very lengthy – and all in English. They plan to open the French bank account, but as this is the first application and not a renewal, the United States accounts will be used. I am hoping that these will not need to be translated, as it would be incredibly expensive. Can you shine some light on this topic for me?

    Again, I thank you for your time and effort. We are all from the United States. I am currently a university student studying in England. I’m trying to doing everything that I can to help this transition for my parents. It’s all very exciting!

    Thank you for your time and I look forward to your response.

    Best regards,

    – Armani Trotman

      • Hello Stephen,

        Thank you for the quick reply! I am very happy to hear this, and have already told them. We will be regrouping later before they return to the United States. Hopefully that solves all the questions that they could have, but if there are more, I hope you don’t mind if I ask you more about your experience.

        I know you aren’t running a business here in the comment section and are probably very busy, so I want to say thank you again for taking the time to respond.

        All the best,

        – Armani Trotman

  55. Hey all!
    A few questions about my French long-stay visa, but I’ll start with the most important one:

    My Visa finishes the 20th of February. On the 21st of February, can I still be in Europe under a traditional 90 day tourist visa (I’m American). If so, do I need to get this stamped/leave the country/leave the EU entirely?

    • Christian

      This is a mistake people make a lot; they think they can just “roll over” to the tourist visa. This is not legally possible and can result in a fine if you’re caught. Your visa ends on the 20th of February, which means that’s the end of your legal stay in the EU/Schengen. Easiest fix for this is to head to London (that leaves Schengen) and come back the next day and your entry stamp will start the new 90 day stay. You can’t just “hop” over to another visa the day your old visa ends. That’s not how visas work.

      • Thank you. I’ll probably have to apply to renew my visa anyway, since it seems I’ll be staying more than a few months after February. Thank you for this page, it’s a gem for people in this position.

  56. Hello All,
    I have a question to renew my French long-stay visa,
    My visa is going to expire on 31th of October 2017, I have just finished my Ph.D. in April 2017, Now I want to renew my card but i don’t have any inscription right now for the whole year 2017/2018, I will be enrolled in next semester from January to April 2018 for French language course diploma. So my question is one-semester inscription is enough to renew the card and there will be an issue that I have one-semester inscription and has nothing to do in these months? I m really worried about the renewal of card and I have very less time in expiration of visa.

  57. Hello, you are a gem for hosting this space loaded with information. Thanks for this.

    We are currently in France with a long-stay visa. It expires in Feb, we are leaving back to our home country (USA) to then return to France in May. My question is around renewal. Can I renew a visa with a date gap from the date of expire, or is this irrelevant? Second question: if we renew for another year (ie: beginning of May) but then must travel out of France to USA (say, a month) for other reasons, will this jeopardize the existing visa? Don’t know the extent of which we can travel out of France.

    Thank much,
    Mike

    • Mike

      You can’t renew a visa with a date gap. It’s called a “renewal.” 🙂 What you’re proposing is a new visa. You’ll have to repeat the entire process in order to get a visa to return in May. My question is, why not just renew in February and don’t tell the French you are heading out of town for a couple months? Technically speaking the French want you to stay in France for the majority of the year when you are on a long-stay visa, but they have absolutely no way of knowing where you are if you are inside Schengen. You could be in Berlin for the whole year without them really knowing, for example. I’m not recommending this – I’m just pointing out you should renew in February and realize the French are not entitled to know your travel plans for the whole year. Or ever, really.

      • Yes, yes. I figured as much. I will proceed with the renewal for starting end of February then. Lord knows I have no desire to start at the beginning again, ouch. I assume since my passport is set to expire next May, I will need to get that sorted via Paris before I even think about renewing? Meanwhile, I am still awaiting a response from OFII for my initial appointment for the prized sticker.

        • No – the French don’t care about when your passport is going to expire, as long as it’s not within 30 days of your appointment. But sure, if you want to renew early, there’s nothing wrong with that, but given your plans, I would wait until you’re stateside, otherwise you’ll be constrained in your travel while it’s out of your possession here.

  58. Thanks for this site, it’s a lot of work (and repetition, and we need it!). My 1st year long stay visitor’s visa is about to expire (end November). I did go into the Prefecture (Perigueux) middle of August to get information, and she said return end of September only (no appointment necessary).

    I arranged all the documents, and called the Prefecture to verify that I could just show up, and the person handling foreigners said to just come two weeks before my visa expires, that no appointment is necessary and I shouldn’t come too early. This worried me, and I called back two times since, always get this same man on the line and am always told the same thing (emphatically).

    This differs from everything I am reading online. What are your thoughts?

    • Hi Sarah! Perigueux is also my prefecture, so I’m curious how it went for you. Do you have a French bank account? Did you have to provide proof of insurance? I went to the prefecture a few weeks ago with what I thought was a complete list of documents, and they turned me away without much additional information. Gave me a list, made some additions to it by hand, and chastised me for not speaking French (which I recognize is terrible). Would you mind detailing what you brought and whether it worked? Email is fine too if you’d prefer! Thanks, and I hope it went well for you!!

  59. Hi there,

    I missed my appointment because I was in hospital and am trying to figure out how to book another one online. Unfortunately the working holiday visa I’m on has just recently expired. How do I book another appointment online so I can rectify the situation?

    Thanks,
    Iris

  60. For renewal of carte de sejour, do they want birth certificate issued from within 3 months? (Or only the translated copy needs to be dated from within 3 months?)
    Thanks!!

    • I’ve heard tell of this “three month” guideline before but I’ve used the same translation each time it was needed and it was more than a year old the last time I did.

      • Can I ask which prefecture you went to? Cuz I understand things can vary between the different prefectures.
        Thanks!

        • I always go to the Paris prefecture. That’s the only one I can speak definitively on. But this idea of “retranslating” documents seems crazy to me, especially since they don’t seem to examine the official translation stamp anyway, but are concerned as to whether it’s a French version of the original document.

          • For French people they usually have to give birth certificate issued from within 3 months when birth certificate is needed, reason is the French birth certificate contains information about any marriages or divorces in their lifetime (and not just info about their birth, even though it’s called a “birth” certificate or acte de “naissance “), so they want a recent copy for any up to date information.
            However for us foreigners our birth certificates will never change from time we’re born till the say we die, so I can’t understand why here they often ask for birth certificate issued from within 3 months (or sometimes it’s 6 months for foreigners) even for foreigners.
            I’ve to renew my titre de sejour (or 1st carte de sejour) next year and I’m hoping I can just use the birth certificates I brought with me this year haha

  61. My long term visa expires on the 20th April 2018 however my contractual obligations with a school in Lyon ends in May. What can I do to extend my stay?

  62. Hi Stephen,

    Thanks for your great blog site! Its so helpful.

    I have a few questions –

    1) Can you send me your health insurance agent’s info?
    2) Where can I get my USA birth certificate translated into French?
    3) Q – I plan to move to Paris for a two year (part time masters program beginning in Setember 12, 2018). I don’t want to wait that long to move to Paris so I will go to Paris on a tourist visa May, June and part of July. Then, I plan to fly back to the USA for my consulate meeting in LA (to get my student visa), wait for it to be processed and then when approved, fly back to Paris as soon as I can. Does this sound like a reasonable plan? I just want to be sure I don’t have to be out of Paris for a certain amount of time in between the tourist visa expires + student visa begins? I have heard in Austria you have to make sure you are out of the country for at least 3 months so want to be sure this isnt the case in France. Thanks so much. I hope to hear back soon. Regards, Annie

    • Hi Annie – I’ve emailed you regarding questions 1 and 2. As for 3 – your plan sounds solid. Just make sure you have your appointment made and that you give yourself enough leeway to get an appointment in LA and your student visa before flying back. If you are back in LA in July and don’t come back to Paris until September I think that’s plenty of time for you to get your visa approved.

  63. Dear Stephen
    My daughter is in Lyon working as a English Teacher Assistant her contract ends 30th April 2018, however her long Stay visa ends on the 20th April. I contacted the Embassy in St Lucia because we are citizens of Trinidad and St Lucia is responsible for this region and they said that she has to leave the Schengen area, go to a Non Schengen region and return in order to be legal. I contacted the Police Prefecture using your Link and they referred me to The Police Prefecture in Lyon. So I wrote them about a month ago and I am still awaiting there response. Do you have any suggestions, my daughter is thinking of going to Ireland but I still feel it can be extended while in Lyon.

  64. Just wanted to share my experience with something a few people have asked about during this thread, which is staying on for 3 months extra after a long-stay visa expires.

    I can confirm that I had no issues getting back into France: I flew to London the day my visa expired, and flew back the very next day. No issues at all coming back into France.

    I did, however, have a minor issue arriving in London, which I thought was very strange. They instantly identified that I was on the final day of my French visa, and I was honest and said the purpose of my trip to London was just to get out and get back in to France. The lady spoke to her supervisor, then came back and was just trying her best to be the most miserable person possible.

    She told me (is this even legal) that if I tried to come back into the UK in the next 6 months I would NOT be allowed in, but that I’d be let in this time “as a favor.” It had something to do with “If you would do this to France, you could do it in my country, as well,” as if I was doing something illegal. When I very politely tried to explain what I was doing was legal, and not even a loophole but expressly allowed, she cut me off for doubting her because “I live here, I know the law,” (never mind that we were talking about France, not the UK).

    Anyway, they let me in, and I’m not sure they have any reason not to let anyone else in, but perhaps it’s something to keep an eye on for anyone looking to do the same.

  65. Hi all,
    I have a question regarding my situation and I will appreciate if you give me heads up.
    I came to France with a six month internship visa. While I am still waiting for the Ofii appointment to get the sticker on my visa, next month my visa expires. But my research is not finished yet and I would like to extend my contract. How to proceed to extend my visa?? Is it possible to extend it?

    Thanks,
    Harken

      • Thank you for the reply Stephan. Just to clear up my visa type was D and when I got the visa I also received a form to fill up and send to OFII. Are you saying that I should not wait for an appointment?
        Also do you know where should I apply for the renewal and how long it takes to process? What is recipisse?
        Sorry I am new to French system,
        Thanks

  66. A few questions for the kind helpers on this thread:

    I was on a 1-year long-stay visitor’s visa living with my girlfriend while she did a masters (I work remotely). As she was close to finishing her masters, and we didn’t plan on staying, I let my visa expire.

    Now it seems she might get a good job offer in France, and we may stay. So, I’ll plan on applying for the same visa as before in the United States.

    Will this be an issue? I know it would have been preferable to renew and not start the process over, but it’s too late for that. Is simply applying for the same visa again a problem legally in any way?

    Secondly, is anyone aware of how long before my desired arrival date in France I can apply for a long-stay visa? I recall reading 90 days, but I can’t seem to find that source again.

    • Christian

      No problem to apply for a new visa. There may be a section asking if you have applied/received a visa in the past and this time obviously your answer will be different.

      The 90 days you read about is still correct.

    • So Christian you have overstayed your visa. Wouldn’t the French Embassy look at that as an Infraction on your part. My daughter had a similar situation and on the the her visa expired I made her leave the Schengen region and re-enter,this was done upon the advice of the embassy for our region.

      • Neal has a point. At the point the French don’t know you have overstayed your visa, but popping over to London and coming back under a tourist visa would solve this problem and get you 90 more days. But then you need to get out, especially if you’re trying to stay on the good side of the immigration authorities.

        • Neal/Steven,
          I’ve already done what both of you suggested, left the Schengen Zone and come back in to stay for 90 more days legally(As I initially assumed we’d only be staying 2-3 months after the expiration of my visa, this seemed much more simple than renewing for an entire year). I didn’t over-stay on my 1-year visitor’s visa, and I definitely don’t plan on overstaying my 90 day tourist visa.

          Under those circumstances all should be well, correct?

  67. Hey all,
    In the process of applying for a visa again from the US (I understand this page is generally about renewing, but it’s the best resource I’ve found on the web for visa advice).

    The listed requirements are slightly different than last time I applied. One of the things listed is the following:

    “Permit issued by the order on which the applicant depends”

    I can’t make sense of what this means. I’m self-employed, working remotely, and last time I had to have a signed and notarized letter swearing not to seek employment in France (along with bank statements showing proof of income/savings).

    Is this essentially asking for the same thing with different language?

    Also, offhand, can anyone recommend an insurance company/policy that would satisfy the following requirements: minimum coverage 30,000 euros, no deductible or co-pay, medical repatriation.

    thanks,
    Christian Parrett

    • Hi Christian,

      Not sure about the cryptic comment (makes no sense to me either), but I have a travel policy with Allianz that exceeds those specs and only cost me a whopping $42/year. I got the visa last year with this policy, so it should work. Best I’ve found, hands down. I believe they call it “One Trip Premier”. Good luck!

      • Rachel – that sounds like travel insurance that has a health benefit, not health insurance, and one of my clients who successfully got a a visa with such a policy (it’s the pricepoint that raised my suspicions) did not pass muster for renewal, when he found out it was just travel insurance, not health insurance. He got insurance and got his renewal.

  68. Hi again Stephen, I am renewing my long stay visa for the third time (I got the stamp in passport, then the pink card). Do I need to do the birth certificate translation again? They should have that on file right? I sent a note tonight to the people who did the translation last year to get another copy, but I thought of you and thought I would ask. I also had to get copies of my divorce papers (for my legal name here to be my maiden name again) – do you think they want these again too? Everything else is in order I think. Appreciate your thoughts.

    • Barbara

      Once you have an official translation, it is good indefinitely, so you don’t need to do a new translation. Bring it along (those people should have given you a digital copy which you can reprint at your leisure). Bring everything you brought last time, and it should go as well as it did before 🙂 Keep us posted.

      • Thanks a lot. I had contacted my translators and they have a copy they can email me. But they have to re-certify it and the cost is 35Euro (cost for translation the first time was 50Euro). I didn’t want to pay it if you didn’t think I need it, but just sent them a note to send it. You are really a valuable resource and we appreciate you.

        • Barbara – I’ve used my original translation, which was done in 2014, multiple times. There’s no date on my translation, so I think the “recertification” is a “welfare for translators” trick, but it’s up to you. The 35 euros might be worth the peace of mind and not having to revisit for a new appointment, then again, I don’t like spending unnecessary money, and given that your info hasn’t changed, the idea of “recertifying” a translation they already did is ludicrous to me, and I would refuse on principle. You’ve been duly warned 🙂

          • Great info – I was like WHAT?? It’s an admin fee for sending it to me i bet. But I can’t find a copy of my translation in my files so will bite the bullet on this one!

            Also, do you have a link to the application form? I see the general Schengen form – which i remember filling out for my original VISA application back in SF, but don’t remember doing this last year when I applied for the second time (got my pink card).

            And lastly, I took the stamps in when I picked up my card, but was reading somewhere they like you to bring for the application. I will get them anyway and be prepared!

            Thanks, Barbara

  69. Hi,

    I live in Grenoble, France and my titre de sejour/work visa is about to expire at the end of this month. I couldn’t get an appointment at the prefecture to renew until after it expires, but the lady at pre-accueil told me c’est pas grave and I can renew my visa. I am americaine and am wondering if I were to see the prefecture at this date after my visa expires, will I be able to stay in France or be forced to go back home to my city in the US? What do you think?

  70. Pingback: Renewing your Visa (Carte or Titre de Sejour) in France – #AzzyInFrance

  71. Thanks for this great post. I have a question about your non-French source of income. I also have a small non-French source of income from working online and am also on the long-stay visitor visa.

    When I applied for my visa, I provided a letter from my employer explaining that I will continue to work remotely from home, wherever that is: and I was given the visa – all they wanted to know was that I would not take a job on French soil with a French company.

    I’ve read some blogs on the internet which say that working at all while on a visitor visa, even if it is online being paid back home (and not working at all in France) is not allowed and now I am stressed!

    I see you mentioned your online work – and that they liked to see your source of income too.

    I guess I’m just seeking reassurance that working online now and then and being paid back home, and not in France, is allowed whilst on the long stay visitor visa.

    Also – did you declare your tax while on this visa, and declare your non french income?

    Thanks !

    • Martine

      I don’t know about those other blogs – but they are clueless. The French government has no power to stop you from making income worldwide. Their chief income is concerned with your making income in France. Truth be told, most legal systems have not caught up with the reality that you may be a Brazilian, tutoring someone in China in English, while living in Canada. Is the income Brazilian, because that’s where your tutoring company is, or Chinese, because your customer is “receiving the service” there, or Canadian, because that’s where you’re living? The tax authorities of the world do not have the time to audit each and every person and his/her activities, and more importantly, you can legally construe it as you please. In this particular case, your employer has already stated that you will continue to work remotely and you earned a visa on that very basis! So, ignore the ignorant blogs.

      What you do need to do is declare taxes if you have been here more than 183 days in the previous fiscal year. For example, if you arrived in December 2016, you would not need to file taxes in the 2017 year, as you only spent 30 some days in France the previous year and could not be a fiscal resident. However, if you are here more than 183 days you have to file a tax return here, in which you will declare your non-French income. I wrote about it here:

      https://theamericaninparis.com/2015/11/23/taxes-and-transferwise/
      and
      https://theamericaninparis.com/2016/05/16/taxes-again/

      If you need the name of an accountant to help you prepare those taxes (you may not owe anything, but you’ll still need to pay to file them) email me and I’ll connect you.

      • Wow, you are so helpful, and I am so grateful. THANK YOU!!!!!!
        I would really love the name of a tax accountant that speaks English. Thank you again!

  72. I have a strange question!
    I’m in Paris on a 6-month visitor visa (no work allowed) that expires December 1 and I’d like to renew for another six months.
    I was offered 3 months of freelance work in the US and since money is money, and I’m not allowed to work in France, I’d like to consider it.
    However, 3 months would mean I’m in the States after the December 1 expiration of my visa.
    Would taking this freelance job affect my ability to reenter France on another visa? Would I need to apply for a brand new visa in the US? Or would I have to return to Paris for the prefecture meeting before December 1 to renew?

    • Steve – not exactly strange but slightly complicated.

      It’s not relevant where you are on December 1. The question is do you want a renewal of your visa (way easier) or do you want to restart the process? I would go for a renewal and the time to your appointment might actually be three months! You’ll need to get a recipisse to cover you during that time and/or if it’s not quite 3 months, schedule a time to get back to Paris to do a renewal.

      Otherwise, let it lapse, and you’ll have to start the process all over again. Read here for more context: https://theamericaninparis.com/2017/04/14/troubleshooting-recipisse-for-renewal/

  73. Hi Stephen,

    Very informative blog! Thank you so much!

    But I was quite confused. Or maybe each Prefecture is different? I went to the Prefecture of Doubs asking about the list of documents required for renewal but it doesn’t include giving 12 months of bank statement. Not sure if I should bring mine along? And there’re another things like declaration to non-polygamy?
    And just wondering if it is really necessary to translate the birth certificate extract?

    • Denise
      I do think each prefecture is different – I have zero experience with Doubs so I wouldn’t know whether they are as strict regarding bank statements – but I am only listing what worked for me, not what “may work” for others. As I say – it’s always better to have too much documentation for the French than not enough.

      I can tell you, unequivocally, though, that it is really necessary to translate the birth certificate. For purposes of immigration, the French authorities ***cannot read*** English.

  74. This is such a helpful resource, thank you. I wonder if you might tell me whether the immigration authorities will hold my passport for any duration of time during my renewal? Poor planning on my part, I will be flying to Barcelona the day after my appointment, for several days.

    Thank you,
    Sabrina

    • Sabrina – on a renewal the passport simply serves as ID. Unless you are getting a sticker in a passport you never need to leave it. You only had to do that the first time.

  75. Well all it’s over three years of open comments on this post, and I’ve since added a free facebook group to handle many of the questions which regularly appear in these comments. I’ll direct you there for further comments/questions.

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