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RESIDENCY PERMITS

Récépissé: Your questions answered on France’s temporary residency permit

These rather flimsy looking pieces of paper carry a lot of weight in France - here is everything you should know about récépissés.

Récépissé: Your questions answered on France's temporary residency permit
A préfecture employee fills out documentation (Photo by THOMAS COEX / AFP)

Getting a récépissé is a common experience for anyone renewing or applying for a French residency permit.

Essentially it is a receipt, or confirmation that you have submitted your application.

The piece of paper or cardboard might not look particularly official, but it more or less allows you to retain the same rights or privileges you had on your previous residency card (if you are renewing).

According to the French government, it is defined as “a document proving that your application for a residence permit has been registered at the préfecture (or sous-préfecture) of your place of residence.”

Crucially, they add “it authorises you to stay in France for the period it specifies”.

It is very common to get one of these documents while you’re going through the process of either applying for a residency card (carte de séjour), renewing one or changing the status of your existing card or visa.

If you applied online, then you might receive this document as a downloadable form. If you applied in person, then you likely received a paper document at the end of your appointment. 

Here The Local answers some common questions on récépissés.

Is a récépissé an official document? Can I travel on it?

Many feel confused when they first receive a récépissé, as the document oftentimes does not look like it would carry institutional value. Oftentimes, for a paper copy, the photo of the person is simply pasted onto the paper while if you receive a downloadable version you can print it out.

However, récépissés are considered official documents by the French government, and as such can be used for administrative tasks and travelling. They give you the same rights to travel and remain in France as a residency card, during their period of validity.

Here is an example of what a récépissé might look like:

A sample image of a récépissé (photo credit; Genevieve Mansfield, The Local)

You can travel with a récépissé if it is still valid and if it is accompanied by the permit to be renewed (ie your old, expired card). You will still need to use your passport for travel, but the récépissé informs border control that you have a right of residence in France.

There are some exceptions – if this is your first time applying for a titre de séjour and you have travelled outside of the Schengen zone, then you may – depending on your country of origin – need to request a return visa to come back to France.

However, if you are covered by the 90-day rule (meaning, you do not need a visa to enter France as a tourist for under 90 days), then it is unlikely you will encounter any difficulties on your return. 

If this is not your first time applying for a titre de séjour – as in you are applying for a change of status or a renewal, then you can return to France as long as you bring the récépissé, your previous residency permit, and your current, valid passport. 

Can I work with a récépissé?

Generally yes – but you should look at the récépissé itself to see whether it specifies that you have the right to work. 

If you are requesting a first issue or renewal of any of the following residency cards (list also found on the ministry of interior’s website), then typically the préfecture will give you the right to work with a récépissé:

  • A residency permit with the label “salarié” or “travailleur temporaire”.
  • A residency permit titled “recherche d’emploi ou création d’entreprise” (the temporary residence permit for seeking employment or setting up a business)
  • A multiyear residency permit titled “passeport talent”, “passeport talent – carte bleue européenne”, “passeport talent – chercheur” or “passeport talent – chercheur – programme de mobilité”
  • A multiyear residency permit titled “passeport talent (famille)” 
  • A multiyear residency permit titled “salarié détaché ICT”, “salarié détaché mobile ICT”, “salarié détaché ICT (famille)” or “salarié détaché mobile ICT (famille)” (seconded employees)
  • A multiyear residency permit titled “travailleur saisonnier” (the seasonal worker residence permit)
  • A multiyear residency permit titled “bénéficiaire de la protection subsidiaire”, “membre de la famille d’un bénéficiaire de la protection subsidiaire”, “bénéficiaire du statut d’apatride” or “membre de la famille d’un bénéficiaire du statut d’apatride” (this is usually the card issued to refugees/ asylum seekers)

If you are applying for the first time for a temporary ‘vie privée et famille‘ (family and private life) card, then the préfecture may not give you the right to work while on the récépissé. You will need to ask when it is being delivered, or check the document itself.

There are also some exceptions to the right to work with a récépissé for the first issue of a 10-year residency card. Again – France’s ministry of interior recommends on their website to verify with the préfecture and the récépissé itself.

For all other cards that do not give the right to work – such as short or long-stay visitor cards – the récépissé also does not give you the right to work.

Can I request a récépissé?

If you weren’t given a récépisse and you need one, you can request it. the most common reason for this is delays at your local préfecture with renewing your existing residency card.

It’s not unusual for people to be still waiting for a decision (or for an appointment slot) when the card is set to expire, despite applying in good time.

If your card is set to expire, you should request a récépissé so you have proof of your right to remain in France.

In most cases, you can make this request online via your préfecture.

For the Paris préfecture, you first go onto the website for ‘demarches en ligne’ (found here). Then, you click “Prolongation droit au séjour“. This page will give inform you of what to do based on your individual situation.

You will either be advised to send a message to the préfecture requesting via the specialised contact form to request a first récépissé (in this case you should include your convocation, or confirmation of upcoming appointment, and a copy of your previous residency card with the expiration date visible) or you will be advised to use another government website to request an extension of an existing récépissé.

They are usually valid for between three and six months, depending on your situation.

My récépissé is about to expire, what do I do?

French bureaucracy can be slow. It’s not unusual for people to be still waiting for that crucial appointment three (or six) months later when the récépissé itself is about to expire.

In this situation, you can request an extension of your récépissé. In order to do so, you can request it online using this French government website.

It is advised to do this at least 15 days before the récépissé is set to expire. 

If this option does not give you a timely response, then you can also call, email, and fill out your local préfecture’s contact form. In the email, be sure to attach relevant documents, including the soon-to-be-expired récépissé and the expired titre de séjour.

You can also try to visit the préfecture in person, but you should keep in mind that you may be refused entry without an appointment. 

How many times can I extend my récépissé?

Some préfectures are more efficient than others, and certain times of year are faster than others. In Paris, many people report that even when their card is processed and ready to pick up they simply cannot get an appointment slot, and The Local has previously highlighted problems with bot scammers targeting the préfecture website.

Many foreigners in France find it stressful to continuously extend a récépissé, sometimes for months on end without receiving the actual titre de séjour. Clearly this is not an ideal situation, but remember that the récépissé is a legal document, you do not need to worry about your right to residency in France while it is active, and you can also use it to travel.

It can be renewed as necessary, and the French government does not specify a maximum number of times it is possible to do so. 

Essentially, if you have an active récépissé, even if it has been extended more than once, you retain all of the rights that you had on your previous titre de séjour, including your rights to French social security and healthcare.

There is no penalty for having had several extensions.

READ MORE: What to do if you can’t get an appointment at the préfecture to renew your French paperwork

Can I use the récépissé for ID?

If you are asked for a pièce d’identité (ID) you cannot use the récépissé for this, even if it has your name and photo on it. You can use it together with your expired residency permit, or use your passport.

A little piece of history . . .

The récépissé has been a crucial staple of French immigration bureaucracy for centuries, and has barely changed in its format.

Here’s one from 1883, on display at the Musée de l’histoire de l’immigration in Paris.

Photo: The Local

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For members

AMERICANS IN FRANCE

Is there really a 1949 treaty that allows Americans an extra three months in France?

You might have heard rumours about an old but never-repealed treaty between France and the USA that allows Americans an extra three-month stay in France without requiring a visa. But is it still valid?

Is there really a 1949 treaty that allows Americans an extra three months in France?

It sounds almost too good to be true – an obscure treaty that would potentially allow Americans to stay up to six months in Europe without needing a visa . . .

The agreement exists, it was one of several bilateral travel agreements that France made in 1949.

It states: “From April 1st 1949, citizens of the US can enter the following countries on the simple presentation of a valid passport, without a visa, and stay between one day and three months; France, Andorra, Algeria, Morocco, Gaudeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana and Réunion (or Tunisia for two months).”

First things first, we would strongly advise against turning up at the border of Algeria, Tunisia or Morocco and claiming your right to free entry based on an agreement that France made for them back in the days when they were colonised. Awkward.

The Caribbean islands of Guadeloupe and Martinique, the Indian ocean island of La Réunion and the South-American territory of French Guiana remain French. For administrative purposes they are part of France, but they are not part of the Schengen zone so have slightly different travel rules. Andorra is different again.

Schengen rules

These days France is part of the EU’s Schengen zone and that has its own rules for travel.

Americans are one of several nationalities covered by the ’90-day rule’ – this allows for stays of up to 90 days in every 180 in the Schengen zone, without the requirement for a visa. In total over a year you can spend 180 days visa free, but they cannot be consecutive – within any 180-day period you must not stay for more than 90 days.

READ ALSO How does the 90-day rule work?

The 90-day limit covers time spent in any of the Schengen zone countries – so for example if you are travelling around France, Italy, Spain and Austria you get 90 days total, not 90 days in each country.

The 1949 agreement allows three months visa-free in France, while the Schengen zone agreement allows 90-days visa free in France – basically the same amount.

However where the 1949 agreement could potentially be an advantage is for Americans who want to travel around Europe for several months – essentially giving them three months in France plus 90 days in the rest of the Schengen zone countries, allowing for a six-month visa-free stay in Europe.

Neither rule allows for more than 90 days in France without getting a visa – if you want to stay longer than that in France, you will need a visa (unless you have dual nationality with an EU country).

Schengen rules versus pre-existing bilateral agreements

But is the 1949 agreement still valid? It’s true that the agreement was never specifically cancelled, but since then something big has happened – the creation of the Schengen free travel area which came into force in 1990.

The Schengen agreement creates a free travel zone (expanded several times since 1990 and now encompassing 29 countries and about 420 million people).

Countries that are part of the Schengen area;

  • do not carry out checks at their internal borders, except in cases of specific threats
  • carry out harmonised controls at their external borders, based on clearly defined criteria

The rules are covered by the Schengen Borders Code, which involves countries adopting a common visas policy – in brief this means that countries are free to set their own visa policy (eg types of visa offered, visa costs/duration) but must agree on who needs a visa and who does not.

The European Council explains: “An EU common visa policy is necessary for the effective functioning of the border-free Schengen area as it facilitates the entry of visitors into the EU, while strengthening internal security.

“The EU has established a visa policy for: intended short stays in or transit through the territory of a Schengen state; transit through the international transit areas of airports of the Schengen states; short stays are stays of no more than 90 days within any 180-day period.”

So the EU is clear that it operates a common visas policy – limiting visa-free stays to no more than 90 days in every 180.

French policy 

Part of the confusion over this historic agreement seems to be that over the years several French consulates have provided contradictory or confusing advice suggesting that the 1949 agreement is still in force.

You may be lucky and find a border guard who agrees with their interpretation – but if you find someone who interprets the Schengen rules as superseding the 1949 treaty, they will be able to provide a lot of more up-to-date and clearer statements of the rules specifying that non-EU citizens such as Americans are limited to 90 days in every 180 within the Schengen zone.

If you lose your argument at the border, you are liable to end up with an ‘over-stayer’ stamp in your passport which may make it difficult for you to re-enter any EU country, or to get a visa for any EU country.

Is it really worth taking that risk?

EES

Starting later in 2024 – probably October although it could be delayed again – is the EU’s new Entry & Exit System.

You can find a full explanation of it here, but it basically automates the counting of the 90-day allowance – passports will be scanned on entry and exit of the Schengen zone and dates automatically tallied.

There are exemptions for people who have residency permits or visas, but there is no provision built into the system to show old treaties at the border.

French citizens

The 1949 agreement is a bilateral one, so it also includes a provision for French people wanting to go the USA.

It states: “French citizens wishing to travel to the United States for stays not exceeding three consecutive months may, if they wish, receive free visas valid for two years and for an unlimited number of trips during that period.”

Sadly, this is no longer valid either – the US does not allow visa-free travel and French citizens wishing to go even for a short holiday will need to complete the ESTA visa-waiver online before travelling. Anyone who has failed to complete this form (which is not free) will be denied boarding by their airline.

Once completed, the ESTA visa waiver covers multiple trips for two years (unless your passport is renewed in that time, in which case you have to do it again).

The ESTA visa allows trips of up to 90 days per visit, French people wishing to stay for longer will need to apply for a visa.

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