Legal advice

The limitation period for rape in France is 20 years from the events for an adult victim, 30 years after turning 18 for a minor. How to count, older laws, late complaints, compensation and legal aid.

After a gang rape, the first hours matter: get somewhere safe, get medical care, keep the evidence. Free helplines, the complaint, a 20-year sentence, a lawyer and legal aid without a means test.

Marital rape is a crime in France: marriage never counts as consent. First steps, free helplines, the complaint, a protection order within 24 hours or six days, a twenty-year sentence and legal aid with no means test.

Drug-facilitated assault: a blackout, feeling ill after one drink? Get samples taken fast, blood, urine then hair. Tests covered without a complaint in three regions since 2026, the complaint, sentences and a lawyer.

Sextortion in France: do not pay, stop replying, keep the evidence. Up to seven years and €100,000 when online blackmail uses sexual images, online complaint on THESEE, the 3018 helpline, removal of content and what a lawyer does.

Revenge porn in France: even if you sent the images yourself, sharing them without your consent carries two years in prison. Evidence, platform takedown, PHAROS, 3018, urgent court orders and the complaint, step by step.

Moving abroad with the children after a separation requires the other parent's consent or the judge's permission. Holidays, relocation, travel forms and bans, abduction: the rules and remedies.

Your parents kicked you out at 18 or older? Call 115 for tonight and take your papers, then know your rights: French parents must still support an adult child who is not independent, and you can ask the family judge yourself.

Your family is preparing a forced marriage, in France or during a trip abroad? French law protects you: 17 and 3919, a protection order from the family judge, a travel ban at your request, a complaint and annulment.

Sexual harassment at work in France: write down the facts, keep the evidence, talk to the occupational doctor or the staff committee. Two years in prison, three for a superior, 5 years to go to the employment tribunal, 6 years to file a complaint.

Texts day and night, calls, threats, fake accounts: ex harassment can be proved and punished in France. Penalties, evidence to keep, the complaint, the protection order within six days and the immediate order within 24 hours.

Your brother has moved into the inherited house and refuses to sell? In French joint ownership he owes an occupancy payment, you can claim five years of it, and nobody stays stuck: buyout, court-approved sale or judicial division.

Your ex refuses to leave the home after separating in France? Married, in a PACS or unmarried, tenants or owners: who can stay, what the judge decides, why not to change the locks and what changes if there is violence.

Your ex won't return the children at the time set by the court order? First steps, a criminal complaint for non-return, the family judge, a child taken abroad: what you can do tonight.

My ex wants me back and keeps pushing, threatening or using the children: in France you have the right to say no. Where harassment begins, helplines, evidence to keep, the complaint and the family judge's protection order.

Your ex emptied the joint account when you split up? Freezing the account, evidence, your rights whether married, in a PACS or unmarried, the judge and a lawyer: how to recover your share.

Online harassment in France: keep evidence, report the content, file a complaint. Up to two years in prison when harassment happens online, only three months to act against a public insult, the 3018 helpline and what a lawyer does.

A voluntary interview in France: a police summons obliges you to attend, but you may leave at any time, stay silent and bring a lawyer. Your rights under Article 61-1 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, how to prepare and what may follow.

Your in-laws claim the inheritance after your spouse's death? In France the surviving spouse always inherits: with children, parents-in-law receive nothing; without, a quarter each at most. The home, family assets, wills and life insurance.

A bank impersonation scam has drained your account? Block your card, write to your bank and claim a refund: French law requires it to refund an unauthorised payment unless it proves gross negligence on your part.

A romance scam often leaves shame and debts behind. Stop sending money, alert your bank, keep the evidence and report the fraud: here are the steps, the deadlines and the chances of getting the money back.

Money lent to a friend who will not pay you back: gather the evidence, send a formal demand, try a free conciliator, then apply for an order for payment. Written proof required above €1,500, five years to act.

Neighbours having loud sex and keeping the building awake? Noisy neighbours at night, sounds your children hear in the evening: what the law says, what it does not, the note to write and your remedies.

When your neighbour parties every weekend, French law grants no right to one free party a year. Night-time noise, daytime noise, letters, the conciliator, the managing agent, the police and the court, in order.

An abnormal neighbour disturbance makes the person behind it liable as of right under Article 1253 of the French Civil Code. Compulsory conciliation, the judicial court, daily penalties, damages, five years to act.

Night-time noise in France costs a fixed fine of €68, €180 if paid late and up to €450 before a judge. When to call the police, what the noisy neighbour risks, how to challenge a fine and what to do if it starts again.

Without proof, a noise complaint goes nowhere. To build noise nuisance evidence in France, combine a log of incidents, witness statements, an enforcement officer's report and police visits, without crossing the line of privacy.

A noisy tenant keeps you awake in France? The landlord must act after a reasoned formal notice and can go as far as ending the lease. Steps, the syndic's role and claims against a passive landlord.

Neighbours arguing almost every night in France: just noise, or a sign of domestic violence? What the law says, the warning signs, and when to call 17, 3919, 119 or the police chat.

Neighbour noise in France can be punished by day as well as by night once its length, repetition or intensity goes beyond normal life. The €68 fine, the conciliator, the court: the full guide.

Parental liability applies automatically in France when a minor causes damage, including at a protest. Article 1242 of the Civil Code rewritten in 2025, separated parents, insurance, victims, the State and criminal risks.

A relative in police custody in France, and the police tell you nothing? For an adult, the law leaves it to them to have family told, within three hours, unless the prosecutor delays it. How to find where they are held, appoint a lawyer, and what changes for a minor.

Your child is a minor arrested at a protest? Holding from age 10, police custody from 13, a mandatory lawyer, parents informed, a doctor, then the children's judge: what the French juvenile criminal justice code provides.

Police custody in France after a protest: 24 hours, renewable once by the prosecutor, a lawyer from the first hour, a doctor, the right to silence and to have a relative told. What the Code of Criminal Procedure says, from arrest to release.

Filming the police remains a right in France, and so does sharing the footage, within limits. What became of Article 24 of the Global Security law, the offence of hiding your face at a protest, and what can happen to your phone.

The right to protest is guaranteed in France, but regulated: notice to the town hall or prefecture 3 to 15 clear days ahead, possible bans, forbidden items, unlawful assembly and warnings. What organisers and marchers risk.

Vandalism at a protest in France costs far more than a fine: up to 7 years in prison when committed as a group with a hidden face, 10 years for arson, plus paying for the damage. Penal Code penalties, graffiti, group offences and fast-track trials.

A conviction after a protest goes on your criminal record in France, but not on every extract. Bulletins 1, 2 and 3, exclusion at the hearing, removal, rehabilitation, effects on studies, exams, jobs and the case of minors.

A protest fine in France costs €135, then €375 once increased. You have 45 days to pay or challenge it before the public prosecutor's officer, often online on the ANTAI website. Grounds, evidence and deadlines.

A debt collection agency chases payment for the creditor, but it cannot seize anything and its fees are not yours to pay. The required letter, banned practices, orders for payment and limitation periods.

A wage garnishment in France follows a scale set by decree: in 2026, seven brackets, €145 more per dependant and €651.69 always left to you. Enforcement officers since 2025, one month to react, challenges.

A debt write-off through personal recovery wipes out debts when there is no way out. With or without court liquidation, conditions, debts that survive, the 5-year FICP listing, court challenges and free help.

The debt limitation period sets how long a creditor has to act: 1 year for phone bills, 2 years between a business and a consumer, 3 years for rent, 5 years in general, 10 years for a judgment. What stops the clock and how to rely on it.

A payment plan with your creditors, court grace periods of up to 2 years, a tax payment schedule, the 2026-2027 winter truce, the FSL for rent: the ways to spread out a debt in France.

An over-indebtedness file is lodged free of charge with the Banque de France. Conditions, online filing, admissibility, effects on seizures and the FICP, repayment plan, imposed measures and appeals.

Couple debts follow different rules depending on whether you are married, in a PACS or cohabiting. Household solidarity, joint loans, release from a loan, taxes and tax solidarity relief: who pays after a separation.

An enforcement officer can only seize your belongings with an enforceable title and after a formal order to pay. The 8-day deadline, protected goods, entry into your home, 2026 fees, sale and remedies.

A relative held in a waiting zone at a French airport? Refusal of entry, 4 to 20 days, the judge, your rights, asylum at the border, the 48-hour appeal and what the new EU return rules change.

The EU Council adopted the return regulation on 1 October 2026. OQTF, time to leave, detention, re-entry ban, appeals: what changes in France, and from when.

The EU border procedure has applied in France since 12 June 2026: 7 days of screening, asylum decided within 12 weeks, return without entry. Your rights and what to do.

Return hubs enter EU law with the regulation adopted on 1 October 2026. France refuses to open any. What changes, what you risk and how to challenge a removal.

Stopped at an internal border, in Menton or Hendaye? Internal border checks extended until 31 October 2026, refusal of entry, readmission to Italy or Spain, your rights and appeals.

A residence permit withdrawal follows strict rules: public order, fraud, lost conditions, republican principles. Prior hearing, the residence commission, removal orders and appeals.

Held in administrative detention in France? The 4-day order, the judge's review, 90 or 210 days at most, your rights in the CRA, the 48-hour appeal and house arrest as an alternative.

French nationality reinstatement works by decree or by declaration. Conditions, proof of your former nationality, language, stamp duty, children and appeals.

Want to bring your spouse and children to France? Family reunification requires 18 months of residence, income at minimum wage level and suitable housing. OFII file, deadlines and appeals.

Loss of French nationality can be a choice, or the result of 50 years of family life abroad. How it happens, desuetude, the article 21-14 declaration and how to appeal a refusal.

French nationality by marriage is claimed by declaration after four years of marriage. Conditions, level B2, the €255 stamp, the interview, the one-year deadline, opposition and appeals.

A re-entry ban often comes with an OQTF and closes the whole Schengen area to you. Duration, mandatory cases, appeal, lifting the ban, deleting the SIS alert and future visas.

A child born in France to foreign parents becomes French at 18, or earlier by declaration from age 13. Residence conditions, the steps, refusals, Mayotte and the nationality certificate.

Stripping of French nationality only targets people who acquired it, and never if it leaves them stateless. Offences covered, 10 and 15 year limits, procedure, appeal and residence.

A French nationality certificate proves that you are French. Who issues it, which documents, which deadlines, and how to challenge a refusal before the judicial court.

Tunisian nationals in France follow their own rules under a 1988 agreement: the employee permit, a list of occupations, a ten-year card after three years and a stay after graduation. What the agreement covers, and what the CESEDA still governs.

On 30 September 2026, the government announced a student multi-year permit covering the whole course, until 31 December of the graduation year. What has been announced, what already applies and how to prepare for the academic year.

Suffering violence and worried about your right to stay? The residence permit for domestic violence victims protects you: protection order, residence card, renewal, resident card and support.

Staying in France without working to raise your children? The right residence permit for a stay at home parent depends on your family: visitor card, spouse of a French national, family reunification or parent of a French child.

After four months without an answer, an implicit refusal arises. How to count the deadlines, ask for the reasons, choose between an administrative appeal, the court and urgent relief, and what the ANEF rulings change.

Separation or divorce: what happens to your permit as the spouse of a French national? Shared life, renewal, resident card, withdrawal and the exceptions for violence or a French child.

Residence permit fees in France rose sharply on 1 May 2026: €350 for a first card, €250 for a renewal. Rates by permit, exemptions, how to buy the electronic tax stamp and how to get a refund.

Direct payment lets you collect child support from the other parent's employer or bank, without a new judgment. Six months of arrears, wage garnishment without a judge since 2025, the public Treasury and costs.

Unpaid child support can be reported from the first missed month. The ARIPA, run by the CAF and the MSA, pays the family support allowance, recovers arrears from the other parent and can stand between you for every payment.

Moroccan nationals in France follow a 1987 agreement for the employee permit, with a ten-year card after three years. For everything else the CESEDA applies: students, talent, family and status changes.

A student to talent permit switch spares you the work authorisation and can open up to four years of stay. Qualified employee, EU Blue Card, business creation, researcher: the conditions and the 2026 salary thresholds.

A job offer while you live in France on a visitor card? A visitor to employee status change remains possible, but it goes through a work authorisation, a sometimes reluctant prefecture and a strict calendar.

You live in France on a visitor card or visa and want to go back to studying? A visitor to student status change sometimes happens at the prefecture, sometimes at the consulate. Here is how to tell which one awaits you.

A business project while you live in France on a visitor card? A visitor to entrepreneur status change requires a viable activity, income at least equal to the minimum wage and a precise order, with no early micro-business.

Your fixed-term contract becomes permanent? The move from temporary worker to employee requires a new work authorisation. It then opens the multi-year card, with its own conditions.

Leaving your job to start a company? An employee to entrepreneur status change requires the right permit: entrepreneur card, talent card, viability, minimum wage and timing.

Married to a French national, PACS partner, parent of a French child, or settled in France for years? The switch to a private and family life permit follows precise conditions, with or without a long-stay visa.

Want to launch your own business when your studies end? A student to entrepreneur status change goes through the \"entrepreneur / liberal profession\" card: a viable project, income at minimum wage level, an official opinion and the right documents.

A residence permit status change lets you move from one ground of stay to another without leaving France. Filing window, ANEF, extension certificate, processing times, the most common switches and appeals after a refusal.

Master's degree in hand and still looking for a job, or planning a business? The job search permit gives you one year in France. Eligible degrees, work allowed, the switch to employee or entrepreneur, and the return within four years.

The family support allowance helps a parent raising a child alone without support from the other parent. The amount from 1 April 2026, conditions, the top-up, the recoverable allowance, living as a couple and how to apply.

For Algerian nationals, the residence certificate replaces the ordinary residence card. The 1968 agreement sets its own rules: one-year and ten-year certificates, status changes, regularisation and the traps of the general rules.

More than two months without child support? Family abandonment then becomes an offence, punishable by two years in prison and a €15,000 fine. Where to file, what evidence to gather, time limits and the link with the ARIPA.

A rupture conventionnelle is negotiated, signed, then approved by the labour authority. Interviews, the 15-day cooling-off period, how severance is calculated, unemployment rights since 1 September 2026 and how to challenge it.

The RSA now requires registration with France Travail and 15 hours of activity a week. The amount since 1 April 2026, conditions, exemptions, suspension of payment, overpayments and how to challenge a decision.

Director liability can reach personal assets, despite the company. Mismanagement, action for shortfall of assets, faults separable from office, tax liability, bans on managing and how to protect yourself.

Settling an estate means accepting or renouncing, declaring within six months, then leaving joint ownership. The succession option, the reserved share, the surviving spouse's rights, tax and deadlock between heirs.

An MDPH refusal can be challenged within two months, first by a free prior appeal to the commission, then before the social division of the judicial court. Incapacity rates, the 2026 benefit amount and the documents that matter.

France Travail deregistration cuts the benefit, and the list of grounds has grown. The new scale of sanctions since June 2025, the right to be heard, the internal appeal, the ombudsman and the administrative court.

Child maintenance follows a reference table, is indexed every year and now passes through the family allowance fund. The 2026 scale, review before the judge, recovery of arrears and criminal penalties.

Substandard housing obliges the landlord to carry out works, and an unfitness order can suspend the rent. Fitness criteria, banned energy-poor homes, applying to the town hall and the family allowance fund, and rent reductions.

Dismissal for serious misconduct removes notice pay and statutory severance. The two-month rule, precautionary suspension, sums still owed, unemployment rights and how to challenge it before the employment tribunal.

Unpaid overtime can be claimed over three years, and the burden of proof does not rest on the employee alone. Premium rates, the annual quota, day-rate contracts, the evidence to gather and the tribunal route.

Child custody rests on precise criteria, and a parent can obtain shared residence despite the other's refusal. What the family court judge weighs, hearing the child, the procedure, benefits and penalties for withholding a child.

An unpaid invoice is often recovered without litigation, provided you act fast. Statutory payment terms, late penalties and the €40 fee, formal notice, order for payment, interim relief and limitation periods.

An eviction procedure follows precise stages, from the order to pay to the involvement of the police. The six-week window, the forfeiture clause, payment terms, the winter ban and the help to claim at once.

Divorce by mutual consent settles everything without a judge, through an agreement that two lawyers countersign and a notary files. The steps, the 15-day reflection period, the real cost in 2026 and when a judge comes back in.

A security deposit must be returned within one month, or two where the inventories differ. Lawful deductions, wear and tear, the 10% monthly penalty, free conciliation and the court application.

Setting up a company now runs through the one-stop shop, with articles of association, paid-up capital and a legal notice. Choosing between SAS and SARL, the real cost, the director's status and the traps in template articles.

A landlord's notice to quit is valid only to sell, to move in, or for a legitimate and serious reason. Six months' notice, the tenant's right of first refusal, protection for older tenants and fraudulent notices.

A shareholder dispute quickly paralyses a company. Abuse of majority or minority, management audit, interim administrator, exclusion clauses, share buy-outs and dissolution for just cause: the ways out.

Unfair dismissal compensation in France sits between a floor and a ceiling set by length of service. The full table, the rule for firms under 11 staff, void dismissals that escape the scale, cumulative claims and tax.

Sick leave opens daily benefits, now capped at 1.4 times the minimum wage. The 48-hour rule, three waiting days, salary top-up, the employer's counter-visit, permitted outings and the return-to-work medical.

An expired residence permit changes everything the next morning, for work, family benefits and health cover. What still protects you, how to catch up within six months and how to avoid a removal order.

Residence permit renewal starts four months before expiry. The filing window, ANEF or prefecture, the documents, the 2026 fees, late filing and the silence of the administration: the full picture.

A residence permit refusal runs on a deadline of two months, or one month where a removal order comes with it. How to read the decision, the usual grounds, internal review, the court claim and legal aid.

An OQTF appeal runs on very short deadlines, from one month down to 48 hours. The grounds the prefecture relies on, the 2026 deadlines, how to file, what an appeal suspends and what the judge reviews.

A residence permit receipt proves your right to stay while the prefecture decides, and the ANEF certificates do not all carry the same effects. Who gets what, how long it lasts, working, benefits and travelling.

Holding a card does not end your duties. Residence permit obligations cover changes of address, the republican commitment contract, identity checks, replacement cards, absences abroad and the limits on working.

French naturalisation now requires level B2, a civic exam and a €255 stamp. Residence conditions, the 2025 circular on work and income, the NATALI file, the interview, the deadlines and the compulsory appeal.

The civic exam has been required since 1 January 2026 for a first multi-year card, a first resident card and naturalisation. Who has to sit it, the format, where to register, the price, exemptions and what happens if you fail.

Prefecture delays leave applicants waiting for months, sometimes losing a job in the process. What four months of silence means, the certificate that keeps you lawful, and five remedies from a written reminder to the judge.

A student status change follows a strict calendar, and a signed contract is not enough to work full time. Which permit to aim for, the work authorisation, the labour market test, when to file, the fees and the costly mistakes.

The ten-year resident card changes daily life, but its conditions tightened on 1 January 2026. Five years of lawful stay, income at minimum wage level, level B1, the civic exam, cards granted as of right, fees and how you can lose it.

Exceptional leave to remain is the usual route to regularisation, granted case by case. The 2025 circular, the shortage-occupation permit until 31 December 2026, the evidence to gather, the cost and the risk of a removal order.