Applying for the French 10-year residency permit
This post is a collection of the information collected during my research into the carte de résident de 10 ans . This is simply a translation and gathering of information on this specific residency permit. Please always check your préfecture or sous-préfecture for the most up-to-date and accurate information regarding your personal situation.
What is the carte de résident de 10 ans?
There are various types of residency permits that allow you to continue to stay in France. Each comes with a different validity period. Most cards are valid for 1 to 2 years, but there is one that is valid for 10 years. The 10-year residency card to be exact. This card can be given out as a first-time permit (under specific circumstances) or upon renewal of your already established residency permit.
The 10-year residency card is given to a select group of people who meet the specific requirements for the card. The decision to grant the 10-year card is only up to the préfecture, where you will make your demand for the renewal of your current residency permit. Depending on where you will be applying will depend on the process that you will follow.
Always remember that it is always best to check with your préfecture to stay on top of the most recent and correct information in regards to your visa situation.
Requirements for the card
As I stated earlier, there are specific requirements in order to be eligible for this card. Here are some reasons why you may be eligible to apply for the 10-year residency card:
- legal resident in France for 3 years.
- family ties within France.
- Workplace accident or illness pension.
You can read more about the specifics of this permit here. The following are the specific types of situations that allow you to apply for this permit. If you fit into one of these categories, you will be able to apply.
1st time request
Once you meet all the requirements in your specific situation listed above, you are eligible for the 10-year card. You can request it when submitting your application. I did this in the notes section of my renewal application. I’m still waiting on response of my application, but I will see what they give me. I have taken a TCF test in anticipation that they will be asking for this as it is required to prove language level.
As the spouse of a French national, here are the requirements of the permit:
- being married to a French national for a minimum of 3 years (1 year if the demander is Tunisian).
- proof of a community of life as a married couple. More information on that below.
- the spouse of the applicant must have French nationality at the time of application.
- transcription of the wedding, if celebrated abroad, into the French civil registry (through the consulate).
- proof of proficiency in the French language (equal to or higher than the A2 level of the CECRL: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
- fulfillment and conclusion of the republican integration contract.
Documents to be supplied
Depending on your personal situation, documents may vary. Once you have met your specific situational requirements, you’ll be able to start preparing your documents. Usually at this point, you’ll already have had one renewal process under your belt. Thankfully, the documents are basically the same, but you’ll need to add the most updated documents to your dossier.
Here are the documents you can be asked for:
- Passport (ID page, visa page, entry stamps).
- Long-stay visa or valid residence permit (current and not expired).
- Proof of living situation less than 3 months old.
- electricity bills, copy of receipts from monthly rental
- 3 photos (which can either be digital or physical)
- Marriage license: + declaration of non-polygamy if you are a national of a State which authorizes it.
- Valid national identity card or certificate of French nationality of less than 6 months of the spouse.
- Declaration on the joint honor of the couple attesting to the common life and all documents justifying the community of life since the issuance of the last temporary residence card “spouse of French” (lease contract, EDF receipt, RIB: RIB : Bank Identity Statement, etc.)
- Justifications for Republican integration except for Tunisians: declaration on honour regarding respect for the principles of the French Republic + proof of your sufficient knowledge of the French language (diploma, test or linguistic certificate)
- If you have children: birth certificate (full copy or extract with filiation) of each child
Here’s everything that I included in my online application: (don’t forget, each situation may require different paperwork for the process and you need to submit the paperwork that is specific to your situation).
- Proof of my civicl state:
- Copy of my current carte de séjour; front and back.
- Form filled out for the request of a new residency card.
- Passport information page, visa page, and entry stamp page.
- Most current/recent EDF bill (both names present on contract).
- Proof of married life together:
- Declaration on our common life together (signed by myself and Thomas).
- EDF contract for our apartment (both names present on contract).
- Habitation tax from 2022.
- Tax return for 2021.
- Tax return for 2022.
- Letter to Thomas’s previous landlord to add my name to the lease after our marriage.
- Letter to previous landlord with our intention to leave the apartment.
- Lease for current apartment.
- Pages from our livret de famille.
- French wedding license.
- Thomas’s nationality card (front and back).
I did not have to include a copy of my birth certificate since I already have a current and valid carte de séjour. I am hoping this is the case that I will not be asked for one whenever I have my appointment.
Submitting the documents online
When I had all of my documents downloaded and organized, I was ready to submit my application online.
When saving the documents, I made sure to include my first and last name and they type of document it was; I felt this was a secure and easy way that whomever the agent was, would be able to see at a glance what the document was.
I am living in the Hauts-de-Seine region and that is my préfecture and they require the applications to be submitted online through the Démarche Simplifées website. You can go here to find out if you’ll be needing the website or not for your administrative tasks. I used my FranceConnect account to sign in for my account. It was pretty straight forward uploading everything to the website. It was really nice that it automatically saved what I was working on.
Once I uploaded everything to my file, I was able to submit the application and I received almost immediately a message that it had been received. The first time I submitted my application it was rejected a few days later because I had applied too early, that I needed to submit my application within 3 months of the expiration of my permit. I resubmitted my application 2 weeks later by duplicating the application (meaning everything was all filled out and all the documents were attached) and submitting it all within a few minutes.
Once again, I got a message almost immediately that the application was received and a month later, I received a message saying that my application has been accepted and and I will get another message in my inbox associated with my account about next steps.
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