Residence permits
The French resident card: when to apply and what it takes
Pick your route and the start date: the tool shows from when you can apply for the resident card.
Independent site, not linked to the French Interior Ministry, the préfectures or the exam centres.
Earliest date you can apply
You can apply today
| Period required | 3 years |
| Civic exam: | resident card level |
| French level: | B1 |
| Tax stamp: | €350 |
A guide date only: residence is one condition among others (valid permit, income, integration, criminal record). The préfecture decides.
The resident card (carte de résident) is France’s 10-year residence permit, the step that gives a foreign national long-term security. Several routes lead to it, each with a qualifying period: 3 years of marriage for the spouse of a French citizen (1 year for Tunisian nationals), 3 years of lawful stay for people who came through family reunification, 3 years on a private and family life permit for the parent of a French child, and 5 years of unbroken lawful stay for the EU long-term resident card. Since 1 January 2026, a first resident card requires French at level B1 and the civic exam certificate at resident card level, unless you are over 65. It costs €350 in stamps, plus €300 if you entered without a long-stay visa. It lapses after 3 consecutive years outside France. The tool above works out, for your route, the date from which you can apply, so you can line up the French test and the civic exam in time.
When can I apply for the resident card?
Still to wait
1 year
| Period required | 3 years |
| French level | B1 |
| Stamps | €350 |
Answers, dates and costs by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
Routes and qualifying periods
| Route | Period before applying | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
| Spouse of a French citizen | 3 years (1 if Tunisian) | wedding date |
| Family reunification | 3 years | arrival in France, lawful stay |
| Parent of a French child | 3 years | first private and family life permit |
| EU long-term resident | 5 years | start of lawful stay |
The tool applies these periods to the date you enter. For the EU long-term card it also counts your trips abroad; our EU long-term resident card page explains the absence rule.
Civic exam and French level
A first resident card needs two certificates. One proves French at B1, through a French diploma or a test under 2 years old. The other is the resident card level civic exam pass: 40 questions, 32 correct to pass. The ministry publishes the knowledge questions for this level, which we reproduce with answers on our resident card questions page; the resident card mock exam lets you practise under real conditions.
- No civic exam over 65 for a residence permit.
- No exam for the resident card issued to refugees.
- Adjustments or an exemption for a certified disability or health condition.
Fees
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Stamp duty | €50 |
| Tax | €300 |
| Total, general case | €350 |
| Regularisation visa fee, if no long-stay visa on entry | €300 |
| of which paid when filing | €100 |
Exam and test fees have no national price list; our civic exam price page explains where to compare them.
Getting the order right
- Work out your date. The tool at the top gives it for your route. For a spouse of a French citizen it runs from the wedding; for the parent of a French child, from the first private and family life permit.
- Sit the civic exam early. The certificate never expires, so you can pass it months before your date and still have time for a second attempt.
- Time the language test. A test, by contrast, must be under 2 years old when you file: book it in the months before, unless a French diploma covers you.
- Budget. €350 in stamps, plus the regularisation visa fee if you entered without a long-stay visa, of which €100 is due when filing.
This order avoids the most frustrating outcome: a file ready on the right date but held up by a missing certificate or a test that has gone stale. If you hold a talent passport or another work-based permit and are not married to a French citizen, the EU long-term route is the one to check: it counts 5 years of lawful stay and caps your time abroad. If you are married to a French citizen, the spouse route usually comes sooner, after 3 years of marriage. The small tool under the summary compares the years left, the period required and the stamp fees for each route at a glance.
Ten years of security, with conditions
The resident card gives a stability the multi-year permit, valid 2 to 4 years, cannot. It lapses after 3 consecutive years outside France, which matters if your career may take you abroad for long. It is also a natural step towards citizenship: level B1 is a stage on the way to the B2 needed for naturalisation. The service-public.gouv.fr resident card page lists the documents for each route.