I had originally planned to write this article earlier this year, but with my focus on submitting my citizenship application (more on that soon) and the fact that I wasn’t even two years into my new four year card meant that the administration would not have looked approvingly on a request for an “early” renewal just to transition to ten-year status. In any case, I’m happy that Chris, a new writer for TAIP, had recently gone through the process and has written the article I would have wanted to.

Eye rolls, heavy sighs, hand gestures demonstrating a sense of resignation: these are just a few of the non-verbal responses I receive when I discuss l’administration francaise (French administration) with my French friends. And for good reason; for many years, and still to this day in many tasks, the process of getting governmental approvals in France has not exactly been a model of efficiency. Ask me sometime about my experience of exchanging my Maryland drivers’ license for a French one. And if you want a French satirical take on the frustration of getting official business done, check out this clip.

While some French laws and processes seem to not have changed since the 17th Century, others have taken huge leaps into the 21st Century. When I first renewed my visitor visa back in 2019, there was an antiquated online appointment reservation system that could make even the calmest of souls go berserk. Back then, new appointment slots to apply for visa renewals at our local préfecture were supposedly opened online every Sunday at midnight. But without fail they would all be gone within nanoseconds, thus restarting another week’s worth of time and stress wondering if I would ever get an appointment. 

Long-Term EU Residency Card

Thankfully, the visa renewal process has received a much-needed facelift through a website that has made everything much more streamlined. A relatively intuitive online portal means it’s no longer makes it necessary to plan for an in-person appointment at the préfecture to submit the documents needed for a visa renewal. 

While the streamlining of visa renewals is a welcome development, an even greater sense of relief is open to those who have lived in France for a minimum of 5 continuous years: an EU long-term (10-year) residency card. With the submission of a few extra documents beyond what is required for a long-term visitor visa, a 10-year card can be delivered, of which the benefits go well beyond the freedom from the annual visa renewal process.

Besides the length of validity, the biggest difference, between a long-term visitor visa and the EU long-term resident card is that the ten-year card makes it possible for its holders to work in France. As a result, income is no longer limited to foreign salaries or other non-French employment sources. The other major benefit of the EU long-term residency card is that it allows its holders to legally stay in certain states of the European Union beyond 3 months without a long-stay visa.  Even better? You can be gone up to three consecutive years of the ten, and avoid being a fiscal resident during that time, if you wish.

The Application Process  

While the Étrangers en France website is intuitive for long-term visitor visa renewals, it is less so when it comes time to applying for a ten-year residency card. In fact, nowhere is it indicated that you can even apply online for an EU long-term residency card. I personally made the mistake of taking this to mean that I needed to print out and send my application, along with all the supporting documents, by mail, to the préfecture. However, when my application was sent back to me in its entirety, I learned that to apply for the coveted ten-year card, I had to go about it as though I were renewing my long-term visitor visa. The only thing I needed to do differently was to write in the comments box that I was requesting a 10-year residency card. (Do be careful however, as the EU long-term resident card web page seems to imply that in some cases applications need to be sent by mail. Be sure to check with your local préfecture.) 

The beauty of the EU long-term resident application process is that there are only two proofs required above and beyond what is needed for 1-year visitor visas: (1) proof of residency in France for 5 consecutive years and (2) a language proficiency exam. 

Proof of Residency

The documents required to show proof of continuous residency in France for 5 years are the applicant’s avis d’impôts sur les revenus (French tax returns). Simply log in to your espace particulier on impots.gouv, click on the documents tab and separately download each of your avis d’impôts sur les revenus for the past five years. 

Proof of Language

Applicants seeking an EU long-term residency card, must also have a minimum of an A2 level in French proficiency. There are three ways for applicants to prove their A2, or above, level of language proficiency: (1) a linguistic certification; (2) a diploma attesting a minimum A2 level in French; (3) a national diploma with a minimum level 3 of professional certifications. For more details, click here.  

Within a couple of weeks of submitting my application, I received a link to upload the proof of continuous residency and language proficiency documents. A small frustration came in the form of only being able to upload one document through that link. This added a small, but what felt like an unnecessary, step of collating all the pages together before uploading them.   

The Wait

As my long-term visitor visa was set to expire, I received, without having to request it, an attestation de prolongement d’instruction, a document which extended the validity of my visa. Accompanied by my long-term visitor visa, this attestation allows me to continue to reside legally in France and to freely travel within the Schengen area while my application for the EU long-term residency card is being reviewed.

It’s been three months since I submitted my application for the EU long-term residency card, and I am still waiting for it to be approved. With the fêtes de fin d’année (holidays) right around the corner, I anticipate that it will be well after the New Year until I receive word that my residency card has been granted. After five years of living in France as an adult (I spent the majority of my childhood here), I have begun to learn that the slow process of government approvals will work itself out in due time. So I might as well enjoy a bûche de Noël (Yule log) instead of stressing about when I will finally have my card in hand.  

To read more of Chris’ musings on international living, click here.

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