Temporary accommodation in Paris for your first weeks or months

Service-Public lists what the prefecture accepts as proof of address for a residence card, and the same papers are commonly used elsewhere:

• Hotel: a certificate from the hotel management and the latest invoice.
• Staying with someone: a signed, dated accommodation statement from your host (attestation d'hébergement), a copy of the host's ID or residence card and, if needed, the host's own proof of address.
• Tenant, including furnished and mobility leases: one document such as the lease, a rent receipt or a utility or internet bill less than six months old.

Ask for these papers before you book. A holiday rental host who will not sign anything leaves you without a usable address for official purposes.

Hotels and serviced apartments (résidences hôtelières, aparthotels) are the most flexible option for the first days or weeks and need no rental file. They are usually the most expensive per night. Keep every invoice and ask the reception for a residence certificate if you need a proof of address.

Short-term holiday rentals are popular with newcomers but follow strict rules in Paris. Since 1 January 2025, a host may rent out their main home for a maximum of 90 days a year, and every listing must show a registration number issued by the City of Paris. Renting out a second home as a holiday let requires a change-of-use authorisation. Holiday lets are not covered by Paris rent control, and they are not meant to be your home: many hosts will not provide documents for official procedures. If a listing has no registration number, or the host offers to let you stay "for a few months" off the platform, treat it as a warning sign.

The mobility lease is a furnished tenancy agreement designed for temporary situations and is often the best fit for newcomers who qualify. According to Service-Public:

• It lasts 1 to 10 months and cannot be renewed; the duration can be changed once by agreement, up to 10 months in total.
• It is reserved for tenants who, on the start date, are in vocational training, higher education, an apprenticeship, an internship, a civic service engagement, a professional transfer or a temporary professional assignment, with proof such as a training agreement or assignment letter.
• The landlord may not ask for a deposit. They may ask for a guarantor, and you can use the free Visale guarantee.
• In Paris the rent is subject to rent control and cannot be revised during the lease. Charges are paid as a fixed lump sum.
• You can leave at any time with one month's notice.

Because it is a real tenancy, the lease and rent receipts serve as proof of address.

A standard furnished lease (bail meublé) lasts at least one year, or nine months for a student, and the tenant can leave with one month's notice. The deposit is capped at two months' rent excluding charges. Some newcomers take one from the start and simply give notice later; this gives you a stable address and access to housing aid. See finding a flat in Paris for the rental file, guarantees and rent control.

• Cité internationale universitaire de Paris (CIUP) houses students registered for a master's or doctorate (Bac+4 or above), researchers holding a doctorate with a postdoctoral project or teaching-research post, and some artists. Applications are open all year, but for a September arrival they should be complete by April. Short stays for visitors with an academic or cultural link to a house are limited to one month.
• Crous residences: international students who are not part of an exchange programme can usually apply only in the complementary phase, from around mid-July, on trouverunlogement.lescrous.fr. Exchange students should ask their host institution.
• The Crous Paris website also points students to the Lokaviz listings platform and to flatshare sites.

See studying in France.

Young workers' homes (foyers de jeunes travailleurs, FJT, also called Habitat jeunes) offer furnished rooms, studios or shared flats with support services. The City of Paris describes them as open to young people aged 18 to 30 who are working, in an apprenticeship, training or an internship, single or in a couple without children, for a few weeks up to two years. Service-Public notes that contracts are monthly and renewed automatically, that a deposit and service charges apply, and that residents of approved homes may receive housing aid. Apply directly to the managing organisations or ask the youth housing service CLLAJ de Paris.

Staying with someone you know is the cheapest start and gives you a usable proof of address if your host signs an accommodation statement and gives you copies of their ID and proof of address. Service-Public provides a model accommodation statement.

Temporary housing is where many rental scams happen. Do not pay a deposit or a "reservation fee" for a flat you have not visited or a lease you have not seen; the Crous Paris advises international students not to pay for accommodation in advance. Check that a holiday rental shows a registration number, pay only through traceable channels, and be wary of offers far below market prices. See rental scams in France.