Find out about renewing your post-Brexit residency card for France and where to get help if you need it.
If you’re a British citizen and you have been living in France since before Brexit came into effect on 31st January 2021, you will probably be the proud owner of a Withdrawal Agreement Residency Permit (WARP). These cards were issued for five or 10 years depending on how long you had lived in France when you applied. If you had been in France for less than five years at that point, you will have been issued with a five-year WARP. If you could demonstrate that you had already lived in France for five years or more when you applied, you probably have a 10-year card.
Depending on when you arrived in France however, you may already have acquired permanent residency rights. These come into effect automatically once you have lived in France for five years, providing you are still residing legally, according to EU Directive 2004/38/EC. There’s no need to have a 10-year residency permit in your hand in order for these rights to apply, but it may be very helpful when dealing with an employer, educational establishment or bank for instance, to be able to demonstrate that you have them. Without it, they may assume your rights are still temporary and act accordingly.
What do I do if I have a five-year WARP?
If you have a five-year card and you applied using the online portal by October 2021, you will need to renew your permit in 2025 or 2026. At this point it will be exchanged for a 10-year card. Like a passport, this needs to be renewed every 10 years, but it demonstrates that you have permanent rights to live in France.
For those who turned 18 after it was possible to apply using this dedicated method, or for eligible family members joining after that date, and other exceptional situations, applying for a WARP, and renewing it after five years, will usually need a separate application made directly to your local prefecture.
How do I renew my permit if I originally applied for it before October 2021?
Most departments have a centralised system for application via the government website demarches-simpliefiees.fr but the process may differ from one department to another.
You will be asked to upload, or send information such as copy of your passport, carte de sejour and proof of address, such as a ‘justificat de domicile’ such as EDF provide. Although it is not obligatory to sign the signed ‘contrat d’engagement à respecter les principes de la république’ – in some cases your application may be rejected if you don’t include that – best to be safe than sorry!
When you apply online, you should receive acknowledgement and later an email confirming acceptance and an invite to organise a visit to the local prefecture to give fingerprints etc. You’ll be issued with a ‘récépissé‘ – a receipt which covers you for 3 months if your new carte de sejours is not ready before the current one expires. You can also log into your account at demarches-simplifiees.fr to check the status.
There is an excellent Facebook page with a huge amount of information, helpful advisers and people sharing experiences of renewing their Article 50 TUE cards: Article 50 TUE Carte de Séjour (Brexit) – they have guides for every department and are a great first port of call for renewal.
