After arrival in Paris – validating your visa, OFII and the prefecture

Before you start

• A long-stay visa issued for the purpose of your stay
• An address in France, and an email address and phone number you check often

Documents you need

• Passport with your visa and entry stamp

  required

• Long-stay visa (VLS-TS or VLS)

  required

• Proof of address less than six months old

  required

• Official ID photos with digital code

  optional

Step by step

1. 1

   Step 1: Check your visa and your proof of address

   Look at the visa sticker. If it says visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS), you validate it online. If it shows another long-stay visa, you apply for a residence card. Either way, you need an address in France; for the card application, Service-Public lists the accepted proofs, for example one bill or lease for a tenant, a hotel certificate and invoice, or an accommodation statement with the host's ID and proof of address. See temporary accommodation in Paris.

2. 2

   Step 2: Validate a VLS-TS online within three months

   Go to ANEF within three months of arrival. You enter details from your visa, your date of entry and your address in France, and pay the tax online: €300 at the normal rate and €100 at the reduced rate (for example students and family reunification), rates in force since 1 May 2026. Download the confirmation and keep it with your passport; together they prove your right to stay and let you travel within the Schengen area.

3. 3

   Step 3: Or apply for a residence card within two months (other long-stay visas)

   If you hold a long-stay visa that is not a VLS-TS, for example a three-month talent visa, you must ask for a residence card within two months of entry. In Paris, the préfecture de police directs most categories to online filing on ANEF. When you submit online, you immediately receive a dematerialised certificate of deposit; keep it as proof that you applied. Check the préfecture de police page for non-EU nationals for your exact category.

4. 4

   Step 4: Attend the OFII welcome session if you are invited

   If you intend to settle, OFII invites you to a half-day welcome session at its Paris office. You take a French test, have an individual interview (an interpreter is provided if needed) and sign the republican integration contract (CIR). The contract commits you to civic training over four days and, if your French is below A2, language training. Follow the training seriously: proof of attendance is required for your first multi-year card. Some permit types, such as salaried work and family reunification, also involve an OFII medical check. Students, visitors and talent card holders do not sign the CIR.

5. 5

   Step 5: Collect your card when you are told it is ready

   The préfecture de police sends a text message or email when your card is ready. Buy the electronic tax stamps on timbres.impots.gouv.fr (there is no stamp sales point at the prefecture), then book a collection appointment and bring originals of your passport and of any previous card or receipt. If you have had no message four months after filing, contact the prefecture through its online form.

6. 6

   Step 6: Prepare your first renewal from day one

   File your renewal online between four and two months before your card or VLS-TS expires; filing late costs an extra €180. A first multi-year card requires French at level A2 and a passed civic exam (since 1 January 2026), and the exam must be passed before you apply, so plan both during your first year. Every application in Paris must include the signed contrat d'engagement à respecter les principes de la République. See renewing a residence permit in France.

Who handles what

Keeping your file up to date

Watch out

Common mistakes

• Validating the visa but not saving the confirmation, which you need for travel and for employers.
• Waiting for an OFII letter when you hold a status that does not require the CIR, or ignoring one when it does.
• Missing the two-month deadline to apply for a card when you hold a long-stay visa that is not a VLS-TS.

Tips

• If an online procedure is blocked, the préfecture de police offers a digital support service through its contact form, and there are digital access points for foreign nationals.
• Keep a folder with every confirmation, receipt and OFII certificate; renewals ask for them.
• Start French lessons early, even if you are exempt from the CIR; A2, B1 and B2 are now required for multi-year cards, resident cards and naturalisation respectively.

Frequently asked questions

Editorial answers written by our team, based on the sources below.

Official links

In your plan

• Validate your VLS-TS onlineAdd to plan
• Note the deadline for your visa validation or card applicationAdd to plan
• Apply for your residence card if your visa is not a VLS-TSAdd to plan
• Attend the OFII welcome session and sign the CIRAdd to plan
• Collect your residence card when it is readyAdd to plan
• Renew your residence permit on timeAdd to plan
• Reach French A2 and pass the civic examAdd to plan
• Exchange a non-EU driving licence within one yearAdd to plan

Sources

Written and checked by HomiStart editorial against the official sources below. Next scheduled check: 5 Jan 2027.