Obtaining a card on expiry of a VLS-TS/card renewals

Several Connexion readers have raised concerns about the process of obtaining a French residency card to extend their stay in France after an initial long-stay visa. This is done on the Anef site.

To recap, many non-EU citizens come on a visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour (VLS-TS) lasting one year, but which has to be ‘validated’ online in the first three months. In most cases, an application for a card is also made on the same website.

In the case of a ‘visitor’ visa – often used by retirees – you should apply two to four months before the visa expires.

For this, you will need your numéro d’étranger, also called numéro AGDREF. This can be found at the top of the attestation de visa de long séjour, which you should receive after validation.

Some prefectures, responsible for processing card applications, have digital help desks. Click the area and the Marianne logo, then see Horaires et coordonnées or Prendre un rendez-vous.

You are asked to attach supporting documents in digital format, so you should not have to take them in.

After applying, you should receive an attestation de dépôt. In a further stage, if the dossier is deemed ‘complete’, you should, if you applied in time, receive an attestation de prolongation de l’instruction de la demande de carte de séjour, giving an extra three months’ residency.

This also applies to an attestation de décision favorable, which confirms a card will be issued. These, and any requests for extra documents, will be sent via your personal space on the site, so check this regularly.

The site has a contact section, found by scrolling down, with a phone helpline and online messaging. If sending a message, pick the best scroll-down option for ‘your request concerns’ and ‘subject’. The ‘ANF’ section includes an ‘other’ option, which you could choose if there is no other that seems relevant.

If you do not receive relevant documents, do not wait for your card to expire. Try to contact your prefecture (registered post – lettre recommandée avec avis de réception – is ideal if emails and phone calls do not work).

Avenues for help include a consulate, the immigrants’ association Gisti, an immigration avocat (lawyer), or the Défenseur des droits (rights ombudsman). Also, see the question and answers chapter for more about tacit refusals of cards.

People with Anef accounts should get text and email reminders four months before a card is due for renewal, and two months and one week before, to avoid missed deadlines.

There have been criticisms by the Défenseur des droits over difficulties in contacting prefectures. There is some evidence of improvements, for example, the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture in Nice started drop-in sessions in 2025.