Eligibility quiz
Are you married?
Benefits
Benefits for youBenefits for you
Live in France
You can live in France while your card is valid, normally one year at first.
Study in France
Your residence card does not restrict study.
The school’s usual admission rules and fees apply.
Work in France
You can work for an employer without a separate work permit.
If your card expires, you must stop working unless you have a qualifying receipt or extension certificate.
Travel on visits
Your residence card may help you return to France and make short visits to other Schengen countries.
Entry rules for each destination still apply.
Use public healthcare
You can join public health insurance if you genuinely work or live in France and meet the rules for your situation.
How much is paid back depends on those rules.
How to apply
From outside FranceFrom outside France
Find your consulate
Find the French consulate or authorised visa centre responsible for your application. You normally apply in the country where you legally live.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “Which French consulate handles France-Visas applications for someone living in your city?”
Record your marriage
If you married outside France and your marriage has not been recorded in the French civil records, ask the French authority responsible for the place you married to record it.
Record your marriageSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I have my marriage outside France recorded in the French civil records?”
Gather your documents
Prepare the required documents for your visa application.
See required documentsFill in the application
Create a France-Visas account and fill in the long-stay visa application for the spouse of a French citizen. Validate the form and print the application receipt and checklist.
Fill in the applicationBook an appointment
Follow the France-Visas instructions for the country where you are applying and book an appointment at the consulate or authorised visa centre.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I book a France-Visas long-stay spouse visa appointment in your city?”
Go to your appointment
Bring your passport, photos, application receipt, and the required documents in original and copy to the consulate or visa centre. Give your fingerprints and photo there; you do not pay a long-stay visa fee as the spouse of a French citizen, but a visa centre may charge a service fee, payable as instructed.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “What should I bring to my France-Visas long-stay spouse visa appointment in your city?”
Wait for the decision
Follow the tracking instructions from your consulate or visa centre and respond if it asks for more information.
Searches DuckDuckGo for “How do I track my France-Visas long-stay spouse visa application in your city?”
Travel to France
Once your visa is issued, travel to France while it is valid.
Plan your travelSearches DuckDuckGo for “How do I travel to France with a France-Visas long-stay visa as the spouse of a French citizen?”
Once in FranceOnce in France
Validate your visa
Validate your long-stay visa online after you arrive in France and complete the declarations requested. Pay the tax online if the service asks you to; your validated visa serves as your residence document for its validity period.
Validate your visaApply for your card
Before your visa expires, apply online for a multi-year vie privée et familiale residence card. The card lets you continue living in France after your visa expires.
Apply for your cardDocuments needed
Family certificates and recordsFamily certificates and records
Marriage certificate
Get your French marriage record. If you married outside France, provide the French record made when your marriage was registered in the French civil-status registers.
Proof of shared life
Provide evidence that you and your French spouse have continued your life together and intend to continue it in France. If you apply in France, provide evidence that you have lived together there for more than six months. Use the documents requested in your application checklist.
Spouse's citizenship records
Provide proof that your spouse is French, such as their French identity document. Your checklist may accept another official proof of French citizenship.
Considerations
Things to think aboutThings to think about
Keeping documents valid
Keep a valid passport and residence document, and renew your card before it expires.
Residence can end
Your card may be withdrawn if your marriage or shared life ends; renewal can also be refused if your spouse is no longer a French citizen.
Your spouse’s death and separation due to domestic or marital violence are protected.
Expiry, fraud, a sham marriage, polygamy or a public-order threat can also end your stay; long absences can affect renewal.
Discuss
Online communitiesOnline communities
Visa long séjour conjoint de français et regroupement 🇫🇷
French Facebook group for people living in France interested in French visas
Join on FacebookAlgérie : CCAM Transcription Visa Conjoint de Français
French Facebook group for people living in France interested in French visas
Request to joinEU Freedom of Movement Support Initiative
English Facebook group for people living in France interested in French visas
Request to joinConsultation
Talk to a professionalTalk to a professional
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