40,000 residency card renewals proceed smoothly in the main
Problems and confusion remain at some prefectures for five-year Brexit Withdrawal Agreement card renewals
Readers report uncertainty over when to apply for residency cards
Public
Many readers report smooth experiences renewing their Brexit Withdrawal Agreement residency cards at prefectures, though some problems and confusion do remain.
With around 40,000 five-year WA cards up for renewal over 2025-2026, the interior ministry urged prefectures to use a standardised process, hosted at demarche.numerique.gouv.fr. Many did so but not all.
Check your prefecture’s website carefully and follow any instructions for a ‘Brexit’ (or ‘Article 50 TUE’) card, not any other kinds of cards.
If problems arise, contact the main prefecture for your area in your department capital rather than a sous-préfecture (these often do not focus on residency).
For areas on demarche.numerique.gouv.fr, you can find the contact details at the bottom of the relevant page. In some areas, people report being asked for unexpected documents, such as a signed pledge to respect French values.
We suggest supplying what is asked for so as to avoid delays.
The pledge is optional for WA cards and is a simple document with no negative consequences, but we draw attention to the following points, which can be shown to prefectures.
For Britons who have lived in France for five years or more, the documents required for renewal are set out in Article 21 of the relevant décret and Article 7 of the accompanying arrêté.
In practice, applicants need only provide a valid UK passport, a passport photograph, their current WA card and proof of residence (for example, a recent electricity bill).
A five-year card should automatically be replaced by a 10-year card.
Among areas where readers report difficulties are Indre-et-Loire, where there is no online process, and Oise, where one exists but a reader reported malfunctions, after applying online but then being told by a sous-préfecture to apply on paper instead, giving proof of income.
The Oise prefecture told us there might have been isolated cases of communication or technical issues and it is making checks. It confirmed applications are online and that no proof of in- come is needed.
It said the documents list was set nationally.
Click here for information on periods without a valid card, and here for EU information on permanent residence.
Avenues for urgent help include the Défenseur des droits and the British Embassy Paris.
More information is available from: pref-etrangers@lot.gouv.fr
