Country-wide policy
Three Hundred Euros to Start, Two Hundred to Renew, and a Separate Charge on the Employer
The CESEDA prices residence in its own text rather than in a schedule. Article L. 436-1 charges 300 euros on the first issue of a residence title and 200 euros on renewal, reduced to 100 and 50 for a listed group that includes the student cards, the seasonal worker card, the family reunification cards and the work-accident card; a provisional residence authorisation costs 100 euros. Some titles are outside it entirely - the retraité card of articles L. 426-8 and L. 426-9, the refugee and subsidiary protection cards, and the card for a seriously ill foreigner under article L. 425-9. Two further charges fall on people whose papers slipped: article L. 436-4 charges a regularisation visa fee of 300 euros, of which 100 is taken non-refundably at the moment of applying, on someone who entered without the required documents or stayed past three months without a card; article L. 436-5 charges 180 euros for a renewal asked for late. A stamp duty of 50 euros sits on top under article L. 436-7. And the employer pays separately: article L. 436-10 charges 55 % of the worker's gross monthly salary, counted up to 2.5 times the gross monthly minimum wage, on a hire of twelve months or more.
Topics it changes
- Residency through work
- Residency on passive income
- Residency as a student
- Residency through marriage
- Residency as a retiree
- Residency through investment
- Residency through ancestry
At a glance
- First issue of a residence title
- 300 euros
CESEDA article L. 436-1 I.
- Renewal
- 200 euros
CESEDA article L. 436-1 II.
- Reduced rate
- 100 euros on issue and 50 on renewal
CESEDA article L. 436-1 I, second paragraph, for the cards listed there, which include the student cards of articles L. 422-1 to L. 422-6.
- Provisional residence authorisation
- 100 euros on issue and on renewal
CESEDA article L. 436-1 III.
- Free
- The retraité card and its spouse equivalent, the protection cards, and the card for a seriously ill foreigner
CESEDA article L. 436-1 I 1° and 2°, which name articles L. 426-8, L. 426-9, L. 424-1, L. 424-3, L. 425-9 and others.
- Regularisation fee
- 300 euros, of which 100 is taken non-refundably when the application is made
CESEDA article L. 436-4, for entry without the required documents or a stay past three months without a card.
- Late renewal
- 180 euros
CESEDA article L. 436-5, unless there was force majeure or a valid visa is produced.
- Stamp duty
- 50 euros on issue, renewal, duplicate or change of a card
CESEDA article L. 436-7, charged without prejudice to the taxes above.
- Employer's tax on a hire of a year or more
- 55 % of the gross monthly salary, counted up to 2.5 times the gross monthly minimum wage
CESEDA article L. 436-10. Hires of three to twelve months are charged between 50 and 300 euros by decree, and a seasonal hire 50 euros per month.
- Exempt from the employer's tax
- Private household employers, employers of Union citizens, public research bodies and institutions awarding a master's degree
CESEDA article L. 436-10, last paragraph.
What the law says
«I. - La première délivrance d'un titre de séjour donne lieu à la perception d'une taxe dont le montant est fixé à 300 euros. Ce montant est ramené à 100 euros pour les étrangers auxquels est délivrée une carte de séjour ou de résident sur le fondement des articles L. 421-34, L. 422-1 à L. 422-6, L. 422-10 à L. 422-12, L. 422-14, L. 423-14, L. 423-15, L. 426-5, L. 426-6, L. 426-7, L. 426-22 et L. 426-23.»The headline figure and the reduced band, both in euros in the Act itself.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The official consolidated text of French codes and statutes. Each code has a stable address built from a LEGITEXT identifier, and the page offers the whole code as a PDF under 'Telecharger le code', which is the only form that carries the text of the articles.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The domain is behind a bot challenge and answers 403 to every request this project makes, including to the PDF endpoint its own page links to - so every reading here was downloaded by a person in a browser and stored as `manual-read`, and cannot be refreshed by running a command. A browser is not reliable either: one page saved by hand came back as the challenge itself, 5,883 bytes titled 'Just a moment...'. The code page at /codes/texte_lc/ carries only the plan, article numbers in a list with no text, so a reader following a citation to it will not find the quoted words there and has to take the PDF. The PDF states its own two dates on the last line, the last modification and the day it was generated, and the cut-off recorded against a quotation is the first of those. What is not here at all is practice: French immigration decisions rest heavily on circulaires and on prefectural discretion, and neither is published in the code.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«1° A la délivrance d'une carte de séjour sur le fondement des articles L. 426-8 et L. 426-9 ; 2° A la première délivrance d'une carte de séjour ou de résident sur le fondement des articles L. 423-22, L. 424-1, L. 424-3, L. 424-9, L. 424-11, L. 424-18, L. 424-19, L. 425-9 et L. 426-2.»The titles the tax does not reach at all. The retraité card and the protection cards are free.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The official consolidated text of French codes and statutes. Each code has a stable address built from a LEGITEXT identifier, and the page offers the whole code as a PDF under 'Telecharger le code', which is the only form that carries the text of the articles.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The domain is behind a bot challenge and answers 403 to every request this project makes, including to the PDF endpoint its own page links to - so every reading here was downloaded by a person in a browser and stored as `manual-read`, and cannot be refreshed by running a command. A browser is not reliable either: one page saved by hand came back as the challenge itself, 5,883 bytes titled 'Just a moment...'. The code page at /codes/texte_lc/ carries only the plan, article numbers in a list with no text, so a reader following a citation to it will not find the quoted words there and has to take the PDF. The PDF states its own two dates on the last line, the last modification and the day it was generated, and the cut-off recorded against a quotation is the first of those. What is not here at all is practice: French immigration decisions rest heavily on circulaires and on prefectural discretion, and neither is published in the code.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«II. - Le renouvellement d'un titre de séjour donne lieu à la perception d'une taxe dont le montant est fixé à 200 euros. Ce montant est ramené à 50 euros pour les étrangers auxquels est renouvelée une carte de séjour ou de résident sur le fondement des dispositions mentionnées au deuxième alinéa du I du présent article.»Renewal at 200 euros, and 50 for the reduced band.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The official consolidated text of French codes and statutes. Each code has a stable address built from a LEGITEXT identifier, and the page offers the whole code as a PDF under 'Telecharger le code', which is the only form that carries the text of the articles.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The domain is behind a bot challenge and answers 403 to every request this project makes, including to the PDF endpoint its own page links to - so every reading here was downloaded by a person in a browser and stored as `manual-read`, and cannot be refreshed by running a command. A browser is not reliable either: one page saved by hand came back as the challenge itself, 5,883 bytes titled 'Just a moment...'. The code page at /codes/texte_lc/ carries only the plan, article numbers in a list with no text, so a reader following a citation to it will not find the quoted words there and has to take the PDF. The PDF states its own two dates on the last line, the last modification and the day it was generated, and the cut-off recorded against a quotation is the first of those. What is not here at all is practice: French immigration decisions rest heavily on circulaires and on prefectural discretion, and neither is published in the code.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«Sans préjudice des dispositions de l'article L. 412-1, préalablement à la délivrance d'un premier titre de séjour, l'étranger qui est entré en France sans être muni des documents et visas exigés par les conventions internationales et les règlements en vigueur ou qui, âgé de plus de dix-huit ans, n'a pas, après l'expiration depuis son entrée en France d'un délai de trois mois ou d'un délai supérieur fixé par décret en Conseil d'Etat, été muni d'une carte de séjour, acquitte un droit de visa de régularisation de 300 euros, dont 100 euros, non remboursables, sont perçus lors de la demande de titre.»The regularisation fee, and the part of it that is taken whether or not the application succeeds.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The official consolidated text of French codes and statutes. Each code has a stable address built from a LEGITEXT identifier, and the page offers the whole code as a PDF under 'Telecharger le code', which is the only form that carries the text of the articles.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The domain is behind a bot challenge and answers 403 to every request this project makes, including to the PDF endpoint its own page links to - so every reading here was downloaded by a person in a browser and stored as `manual-read`, and cannot be refreshed by running a command. A browser is not reliable either: one page saved by hand came back as the challenge itself, 5,883 bytes titled 'Just a moment...'. The code page at /codes/texte_lc/ carries only the plan, article numbers in a list with no text, so a reader following a citation to it will not find the quoted words there and has to take the PDF. The PDF states its own two dates on the last line, the last modification and the day it was generated, and the cut-off recorded against a quotation is the first of those. What is not here at all is practice: French immigration decisions rest heavily on circulaires and on prefectural discretion, and neither is published in the code.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«Sans préjudice des dispositions de l'article L. 411-2, le renouvellement d'un titre de séjour demandé après l'expiration du délai requis pour le dépôt de la demande donne lieu, sauf cas de force majeure ou présentation d'un visa en cours de validité, à l'acquittement d'un droit de visa de régularisation de 180 euros.»A charge for being late, with force majeure and a valid visa as the only ways out.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The official consolidated text of French codes and statutes. Each code has a stable address built from a LEGITEXT identifier, and the page offers the whole code as a PDF under 'Telecharger le code', which is the only form that carries the text of the articles.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The domain is behind a bot challenge and answers 403 to every request this project makes, including to the PDF endpoint its own page links to - so every reading here was downloaded by a person in a browser and stored as `manual-read`, and cannot be refreshed by running a command. A browser is not reliable either: one page saved by hand came back as the challenge itself, 5,883 bytes titled 'Just a moment...'. The code page at /codes/texte_lc/ carries only the plan, article numbers in a list with no text, so a reader following a citation to it will not find the quoted words there and has to take the PDF. The PDF states its own two dates on the last line, the last modification and the day it was generated, and the cut-off recorded against a quotation is the first of those. What is not here at all is practice: French immigration decisions rest heavily on circulaires and on prefectural discretion, and neither is published in the code.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«Sans préjudice des taxes prévues aux articles L. 436-1 à L. 436-5 et L. 436-6, la délivrance, le renouvellement, le duplicata ou le changement d'une carte de séjour ou d'un titre équivalent prévu par les traités ou accords internationaux sont soumis à un droit de timbre d'un montant de 50 euros.»A stamp duty on top of the taxes, reaching titles created by treaties and agreements as well.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The official consolidated text of French codes and statutes. Each code has a stable address built from a LEGITEXT identifier, and the page offers the whole code as a PDF under 'Telecharger le code', which is the only form that carries the text of the articles.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The domain is behind a bot challenge and answers 403 to every request this project makes, including to the PDF endpoint its own page links to - so every reading here was downloaded by a person in a browser and stored as `manual-read`, and cannot be refreshed by running a command. A browser is not reliable either: one page saved by hand came back as the challenge itself, 5,883 bytes titled 'Just a moment...'. The code page at /codes/texte_lc/ carries only the plan, article numbers in a list with no text, so a reader following a citation to it will not find the quoted words there and has to take the PDF. The PDF states its own two dates on the last line, the last modification and the day it was generated, and the cut-off recorded against a quotation is the first of those. What is not here at all is practice: French immigration decisions rest heavily on circulaires and on prefectural discretion, and neither is published in the code.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«Lorsque l'embauche intervient pour une durée supérieure ou égale à douze mois, le montant de cette taxe est égal à 55 % du salaire brut mensuel versé à ce travailleur étranger, pris en compte dans la limite de 2,5 fois le salaire minimum de croissance brut mensuel.»The employer's charge, expressed as a percentage with a cap in minimum wages rather than as a figure.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The official consolidated text of French codes and statutes. Each code has a stable address built from a LEGITEXT identifier, and the page offers the whole code as a PDF under 'Telecharger le code', which is the only form that carries the text of the articles.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The domain is behind a bot challenge and answers 403 to every request this project makes, including to the PDF endpoint its own page links to - so every reading here was downloaded by a person in a browser and stored as `manual-read`, and cannot be refreshed by running a command. A browser is not reliable either: one page saved by hand came back as the challenge itself, 5,883 bytes titled 'Just a moment...'. The code page at /codes/texte_lc/ carries only the plan, article numbers in a list with no text, so a reader following a citation to it will not find the quoted words there and has to take the PDF. The PDF states its own two dates on the last line, the last modification and the day it was generated, and the cut-off recorded against a quotation is the first of those. What is not here at all is practice: French immigration decisions rest heavily on circulaires and on prefectural discretion, and neither is published in the code.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
«La délivrance, le renouvellement d'un titre de séjour et la fourniture d'un duplicata d'un titre de séjour aux étrangers mentionnés aux articles L. 423-5, L. 423-17, L. 423-18, L. 425-1, L. 425-3, L. 425-6 ou L. 425-8 sont exonérés de la perception des taxes prévues aux articles L. 436-1 à L. 436-5 et L. 436-6 et du droit de timbre prévu à l'article L. 436-7.»The exemptions, which include the spouse who suffered domestic violence under article L. 423-5 and the victims of trafficking and of indecent housing.
Read it at the sourceAbout this source
The official consolidated text of French codes and statutes. Each code has a stable address built from a LEGITEXT identifier, and the page offers the whole code as a PDF under 'Telecharger le code', which is the only form that carries the text of the articles.
Standing: Maintains the text in force
Cannot be cited for: The domain is behind a bot challenge and answers 403 to every request this project makes, including to the PDF endpoint its own page links to - so every reading here was downloaded by a person in a browser and stored as `manual-read`, and cannot be refreshed by running a command. A browser is not reliable either: one page saved by hand came back as the challenge itself, 5,883 bytes titled 'Just a moment...'. The code page at /codes/texte_lc/ carries only the plan, article numbers in a list with no text, so a reader following a citation to it will not find the quoted words there and has to take the PDF. The PDF states its own two dates on the last line, the last modification and the day it was generated, and the cut-off recorded against a quotation is the first of those. What is not here at all is practice: French immigration decisions rest heavily on circulaires and on prefectural discretion, and neither is published in the code.
We re-read it every 90 days. More about this source
Practical notes
These are figures in euros written into the legislative part of the code, so they do not drift with an index and they change only when the code is amended. That is unusual: on this site most fees of this kind are in a schedule, in a unit of account, or on an agency page.
The employer's tax is the exception, and it is deliberately indexed: a percentage of the salary, capped at a multiple of the minimum wage, both of which move without the code being touched.
Nothing here covers visa fees, which are charged under the Union Visa Code, nor the Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration's flat charge for the family reunification procedure under article R. 434-35, whose amount is fixed by ministerial order and was not read.