The carte de séjour for Brits in Paris

For Brits in Paris, the carte de séjour is the card that proves you're allowed to be here. Which one you have, and how you renew it, depends on one date: 1 January 2021.

The short version

Living in France before 2021? You're protected by the Withdrawal Agreement and should hold a special Brexit residence card (the WARP, or carte de séjour "Article 50 TUE") [1].
Five-year cards issued in 2021 and 2022 are now expiring. You must renew before expiry, ideally applying in the two months before; renewal is free, and you get a ten-year card if you meet the permanent residence conditions [1].
In Paris, the Préfecture de Police handles Brexit cards through its own online procedure [4]. GOV.UK warns: don't use the general ANEF renewal service for a Brexit card [1].
Arrived after 2020? You're on the ordinary immigration system: a long-stay visa, then cards applied for and renewed online through ANEF, with fees and, for a first multi-year card, a civic test [5][6].
Problems? Quote your numéro étranger, ask for a récépissé, and use the Interior Ministry's Brexit support contact if the prefecture won't budge [1][3].

Two kinds of Brit, two kinds of card

	Withdrawal Agreement Brit	New arrival
Who	Living legally in France before 1 January 2021	Moved on or after 1 January 2021
Card	WARP ("Article 50 TUE"), five or ten years	Visa, then a one-year or multi-year card (visitor, employee, talent and so on)
Conditions to renew	Passport, address, photos, old card	The full conditions of your category, every time
Fee	Free	Tax stamps; raised in the 2026 budget [8]
Language and civic test	No	Yes, for a first multi-year or ten-year card [5]
Where	Préfecture de Police's Brexit procedure (Paris)	ANEF online

The difference is huge. A Withdrawal Agreement card holder keeps rights that are much closer to those of an EU citizen. A new arrival is a third-country national who has to keep meeting the conditions of their visa route.

Renewing a five-year Brexit card in 2026

Most Brits who applied in 2021 got a five-year card if they hadn't yet lived in France for five years. Those cards are now running out: The Local estimated that around 45,000 Brits must renew five-year cards this year [3]. GOV.UK's "Living in France" guide, updated in October 2026 to cover renewals, sets out the rules [1]:

Apply before your card expires, within the two months before the expiry date. The Connexion suggests aiming for three months ahead [2].
Use your prefecture's own Brexit route. In Paris, that's the Préfecture de Police, which uses an online procedure on the government's démarche numérique platform (formerly démarches simplifiées) [4]. In the Hauts-de-Seine, you go through the prefecture or sub-prefecture for your area (Nanterre, Boulogne-Billancourt or Antony) [4]. Don't use the general ANEF renewal service [1].
Gather the documents. Normally a valid passport, proof of address, three ID photos and your expiring card [1]. Proof of address should be less than six months old, such as a utility bill or rent receipt; if you live with someone, add their signed attestation d'hébergement and ID [2].
Expect an invitation to the prefecture to hand over photos and paper copies [2].
Get a récépissé. The prefecture should give you a receipt while your application is being processed. Travel with your passport, the récépissé and your old card [1].
Pay nothing. Renewal is free [1]. If you get a message asking you to buy a timbre fiscal, The Local says it's usually a generic template, not a real charge for a Brexit card [3].

Five years or ten? If you meet the permanent residence conditions (broadly, five years' continuous legal residence), your new card is valid for ten years [1]. You can also apply to swap to a ten-year card once you've lived in France for five years, even before your card expires [2].

Staying protected

Holders of a five-year card can lose their rights if they're away for more than six months in a year, with exceptions for things like serious illness, study or a work posting. A ten-year card is only lost after more than five years' absence [2]. So if you're planning a long spell back in the UK, check where you stand first.

Children and family

Children of Withdrawal Agreement Brits must apply for their own card in the year after they turn 18, through the prefecture, since the original online route has closed [1][2].
Close family members can join you if the relationship existed before 2021, and should apply within three months of moving to France [2].
Under-18s need a travel document for minors (a DCEM) to be exempt from registering on the EU's Entry/Exit System [1].

If your renewal goes wrong

Some prefectures have asked for things the Withdrawal Agreement doesn't require, such as proof of income or a language certificate, or have let cards expire while files sit in a queue [3]. If that happens:

Contact the prefecture first, quoting your numéro étranger (it's on your card) [1].
Show the rules. The Local suggests printing the Service Public page on the Article 50 card and a French copy of the Withdrawal Agreement [3].
If your card expires while you wait, you don't become undocumented as long as you applied in time; ask for a récépissé [3].
Escalate. The Interior Ministry has a Brexit support service by email; GOV.UK links to it [1]. Rights groups such as Remain in France Together and British in Europe can also help [3].

It's a bit of a faff, but for most people the renewal is smooth and fairly quick [3].

New arrivals: cards through ANEF

If you moved to Paris after 2020, you'll have come on a long-stay visa (see our guide to French visas for Brits). From then on, everything runs through ANEF, the Interior Ministry's online system for foreigners:

Validate your visa. A long-stay visa that counts as a residence permit (VLS-TS) must be validated online within three months of arrival.
Apply for your first card online, for example within two months of entering France on a talent visa [5].
Renew online, between four and two months before your permit expires [5]. Set a calendar reminder: renewing late can leave you without a valid permit, which causes problems at work, with the bank and at the border.
Collect the card in person when the prefecture tells you it's ready, paying in tax stamps bought online or at a tabac [5].

Fees

Fees for ordinary cards rose in the 2026 budget. Since 1 May 2026, Service Public gives the standard rate for a first card as EUR 350 (about £290), up from EUR 225, with renewals at EUR 250 (about £210) and VLS-TS validation at EUR 300 (about £250), up from EUR 200; reduced rates apply to students and some other cases [8]. Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = EUR 1.2002).

The civic test and French language

Since 1 January 2026, new arrivals under 65 applying for a first multi-year card or a first ten-year resident card must pass a civic exam: 40 multiple-choice questions in French, with a pass mark of 80%. You also need French at A2 for a multi-year card and B1 for a resident card [7]. Withdrawal Agreement Brits, including those renewing their WA card, and people renewing a card they already hold are exempt [7]. If you're a new arrival, it's worth starting French lessons long before your first renewal.

Citizenship and the long term

France allows dual nationality with the UK, so becoming French doesn't mean giving up your British passport [1]. For new arrivals it's the surest way out of renewals; for Withdrawal Agreement Brits, a ten-year card already gives strong security. Keep your British passport up to date either way; see renewing a British passport from abroad.

Swapping notes with others at the same stage helps; our community group for Brits in France has plenty of members who've just renewed.

The carte de séjour: Withdrawal Agreement cards, renewals and permits for new arrivals