Five-year WA card holders in France reminded to apply for renewal in good time

Anyone living in France with a five-year Brexit Withdrawal Agreement card that has not yet been renewed must take care this year to apply to do this in good time.

If you obtained your card in 2021, you should look at the expiry date on the card and apply to renew it two months before this date. To do so, check your prefecture’s website for information on its preferred method.

We have identified links to prefecture information. In some cases, simple procedures are hosted at the site Démarche Numérique (formerly Démarches Simplifiées).

You should not have to hand over your old card until you are issued with the new card, officials said. 

A prefecture visit will be required, at which you should receive a récépissé confirming your legal residency in France for a period of months while processing of the new card is finalised.

If you do not apply, or leave it to the last minute, there is a risk of a period without valid proof of legal residency, which may result in admin complications and travel difficulties, especially in view of the roll-out of EES (see above). 

Residency documentation is needed to show at the border to prove you are an EU resident (not a visitor) thus exempt from EES.

It is worth knowing that your permanent residency rights in France are legally protected by the WA treaty after five years of living in France, regardless of whether you have a card. However, for practical purposes, a valid card is important.