Must we carry carte de séjour at all times?

We are Britons with Withdrawal Agreement residency cards for France. Are we meant to keep the cards with us all the time?

Legally, in France you should be able to prove your identity at all times as well as your legal residency in France if a non-EU citizen, for example, if asked to do so by police.

Whereas in the case of a French or EU citizen just the identity card or passport is enough to show both identity and legal residency, this is not the case for non-EU or EEA citizens.

Valid identity documents include a driving licence or passport, carte Vitale or elector’s card (or national identity card if you are French), but in theory, third-country citizens should also have their carte de séjour.

If you cannot prove your credentials when asked, the police have the right to detain you for further checks at a police station for up to four hours.

Paris police have suggested to The Connexion that photocopies are acceptable if you do not want to carry original documents with you all the time.

In practice, however, you can only be asked for your documents in very limited circumstances.

Even so, you should show the card at external EU borders (for example, on France–UK trips), so as not to be logged as a third-country visitor with only the right to stay for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

It may also be required for administrative formalities, such as claiming family allowance from the Caf.