French residency card and citizenship fees to rise from May 1
Foreign driving licence exchanges are also to become fee-based for the first time
France's departmental prefectures are responsible for issuing residency cards
RVillalon / Shutterstock
Many administrative procedures, including the issue of French residency cards, are set to become more expensive from May 1, 2026.
The exchange of foreign driving licences is also set to become fee-based for the first time.
The government has stated that the rises aim at aligning French fees more with what is charged in other countries, however immigrants' rights association Gisti has criticised them as an 'explosion' in the level of the fees.
First issue of one-year residence permits (carte de séjour), multi-year permits and resident's cards
People applying for a French carte de séjour residency permit for the first time will see the cost of the mandatory fee for the card rise from €200 to €300.
This also applies to multi-year residency permits (carte de séjour pluriannuelle).
First-issue cartes de résident (resident's card) will face the same increase. This affects individuals who have already lived in the country and are seeking greater stability with fewer renewals.
Certain categories of card formerly at a low fee of €50 (students, stagiaires, au pairs, seasonal workers, family regroupment…) rise to €100.
The additional droit de timbre ('stamp fee') levied on top of other fees for first issue or renewal or replacement of cartes de séjour or cartes de résident is also rising from €25 to €50.
The combined card fee + stamp fee means that most residency cards will now cost a total of €350 for standard cards or €150 for reduced-cost cards.
Note that the cost of duplicatas (copies) of cards, for example in the case of loss of the card, is usually the same as for first-issue of the same card.
These rises do not affect Brexit 'Article 50' cards, which remain free of charge.
Renewal of residency permits
Residency permit renewal fees will increase from €225 to €250 due to the increased stamp fee. For reduced-rate categories, the increase will be from €75 to €100.
Validation of VLS-TS visas
The online validation process for a standard visa de long-séjour temporaire, which effectively makes it equivalent to a first residency card, is also increasing from €200 to €300.
For certain categories which have lower fees (seasonal workers, students, family regroupment...) the fee rises to €100 from €50.
French citizenship
The fee for applying for French citizenship will rise from €55 to €255. This will apply both to those requesting it by the standard naturalisation route and those applying by declaration (eg. due to being married to a French person).
Driving licence exchange: key change for foreign residents
From May 4, 2026, exchanging a driving licence for a French licence will become subject to a €40 fee - the first time it has been fee-based.
The rule of when an exchange is needed remain unchanged:
Holders of a non-EU/EEA driving licence can generally use it for up to one year after establishing ‘normal residence’ in France (defined as living in the country for at least 185 days per year).
After this period, they must exchange it for a French licence if a reciprocal agreement exists between France and the issuing country. If no agreement exists, they must pass a French driving test.
For holders of a EU or EEA licence (or a UK licence where the holder passed their UK test before 2021), driving in France is allowed as long as the licence remains valid. An exchange is only required in specific cases, such as:
loss, theft, or damage of the licence
adding a new category
a traffic offence in France resulting in points being lost, suspension, restriction, or cancellation
expiry of the licence
The new fee is intended to cover the costs of making and sending out the licences.
New fee for temporary residency authorisation
A new €100 fee will be introduced for an autorisation provisoire de séjour, which was previously free. These permits are, for example, issued to foreigners taking up volunteer roles in France, or to parents of seriously ill children.
Two categories will be exempt: women leaving prostitution who are participating in social and professional integration programmes, and certain people who have fled war or violence in their countries of origin.
