First French residence permit and change of status: the steps on ANEF

Updated 29 October 2026

“First application” covers three different situations, with different deadlines and risks. Find yours before you start.

Case 1: you arrive with a long-stay visa valid as a residence permit (VLS-TS)

The VLS-TS (student, employee, spouse of a French national, visitor…) works as a residence permit while valid, provided you validate it online on ANEF within 3 months of arrival. Validation costs a tax (€300, or €100 at the reduced rate, which covers students, since 1 May 2026; see our fees guide). Without validation, your stay becomes irregular after those 3 months.

Before the visa expires, you apply on ANEF for your first residence card, in the same window as a renewal: usually between 4 and 2 months before the visa ends.

Case 2: you change the reason for your stay (change of status)

The most common example: a student who becomes an employee. You apply on ANEF within the 2 months before your student card expires. Depending on your degree:

• Bac+2 or bachelor’s: “employee” or “temporary worker” card; the employment situation is taken into account unless the job is on the shortage list.
• Professional bachelor’s or master’s: also the “job search or business creation” card or the multi-year “talent” card. The employment situation does not count against you if the job relates to your studies and pays at least €2,800.53 gross per month.

In every case, the employer must obtain a work authorisation. Some nationalities have bilateral agreements with their own occupation lists.

Case 3: you are already in France without a permit

Exceptional admission to stay follows other rules, is often filed at the prefecture and adds a regularisation fee. It is outside the scope of this guide: get help from an association or a lawyer.

While you wait

Once your application is filed and complete, ANEF issues a filing certificate, then, if processing outlasts your document, an extension certificate. Keep them with your passport.

How long?

First applications often take longer than renewals, and the gap between prefectures is large. In the Dossiermap form, choose “Residence permit, first application” so your dates count in the right place.

See times by prefecture · Share my dates

Sources

• Service-Public: apply online for a residence permit or a change of situation (ANEF)
• Service-Public: foreign students, how to work in France after your studies (checked 1 June 2026)
• Service-Public: residence permit fees increase from 1 May 2026

This guide is for information only and does not replace official texts or legal advice. Check your situation on service-public.gouv.fr or with your prefecture.

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