Ten-year resident card in France: conditions and level B1

After years of one-year or four-year cards, the ten-year resident card changes everything. It lasts a decade and opens almost every occupation. Its conditions nevertheless tightened on 1 January 2026. A lawyer checks your file in 20 minutes on Avocat20min.fr.

Ten-year resident card: two routes to it

The CESEDA, the French immigration code, provides for two broad families of ten-year cards. First, the long-term EU resident card, open after five years of lawful stay. Second, the resident card granted as of right to certain people, often sooner.

In both cases, the ten-year resident card lasts a decade and is renewable. It allows you to work in France, employed or self-employed, with no work authorisation. It also protects you better than a temporary card if difficulties arise.

Conditions in the general case, after 5 years

Article L.426-17 of the CESEDA sets the conditions for the long-term EU resident card. You must show:

• Five years of lawful and continuous stay in France, on a temporary, multi-year or resident card.
• Stable, regular and sufficient income, at least equal to the minimum wage: €1,867.02 gross a month since 1 June 2026.
• Health cover, and proof of address.
• Republican integration: level B1 in French and a pass in the civic exam.

Some income does not count. The RSA minimum income, the solidarity allowance, family benefits and housing aid stay outside the calculation. Holders of the disabled adults' allowance with an incapacity rate of at least 80 %, in contrast, escape the income condition.

On absences, the public service guidance gives a maximum of six consecutive months, and ten months in total over the five years. Beyond that, the continuity of your stay becomes debatable.

Level B1 and the civic exam since 2026

Law no. 2024-42 of 26 January 2024 rewrote article L.413-7 of the CESEDA. Since 1 January 2026, any first ten-year resident card requires level B1, against A2 before. You prove it with a diploma, or with a TCF or TEF test.

You must also pass a civic exam, "resident card" version: 32 correct answers out of 40. Our guide to the civic exam covers registration, price and exemptions. People aged 65 and over stay exempt, as do certain people who are ill or disabled.

Note: these requirements cover the first resident card. Renewal imposes no new test.

Cards granted as of right

Several situations open the ten-year resident card without waiting five years. Republican integration stays required, save exemption.

Situation	Main condition
Spouse of a French national	3 years of marriage, 3 years of lawful stay and a shared life.
Parent of a French child	3 years on a "private and family life" card on that ground, and contribution to the child's upkeep.
Family arrived through family reunification	3 years of stay.
Refugee	As soon as the status is recognised.
Subsidiary protection or statelessness	4 years on a multi-year card.

For the spouse of a French national, article L.423-6 also requires a marriage celebrated abroad to be entered in the French registers. The spouse must also have kept French nationality.

Fees and procedure in 2026

How much it costs

The 2026 finance act raised the taxes for any decision issued since 1 May 2026.

Situation	Amount
First resident card	€350 (a €300 tax and a €50 stamp)
Renewal	€250
Late filing	€180 extra
Entry without a long-stay visa	A €300 regularisation visa on top

Refugees and certain victims stay exempt. Before 1 May 2026, the first card cost €225.

Where and when to file

The application is made online on ANEF, at the earliest four months and at the latest two months before your permit expires. Our article on residence permit renewal sets out that calendar.

The prefecture then has four months. Its silence counts as an implicit refusal. To deal with that, read our guide to prefecture delays.

Good news, though: a ministerial instruction of 5 April 2026 asks prefects to issue the ten-year resident card straight away once its conditions are met. It applies even where you only asked for a multi-year card.

After ten years: the permanent resident card

Article L.426-4 of the CESEDA provides for a permanent resident card. It is granted as of right on the second renewal, or on the first after the age of 60. Two reservations apply: no threat to public order, and sufficient integration.

The CESEDA describes a card of indefinite duration. The physical document, however, is replaced every ten years.

Can you lose your resident card?

Yes, most often through a long absence. Beyond three consecutive years outside France, the ten-year resident card lapses, unless you asked for an extension in time. For the long-term EU card, the status is lost after three years outside the Union or six years outside France.

Since the 2024 law, renewal also requires habitual residence in France. Your centre of interests must be there and you must spend at least six months a year in the country. Our article on residence permit obligations sets out these rules. A serious threat to public order may finally lead to withdrawal.

When to consult a lawyer

A lawyer helps above all in choosing the right legal basis. The spouse of a French national, for instance, may aim for the card as of right rather than the general route. Likewise, a refusal based on miscalculated income can be challenged. Our article on residence permit refusal sets out the remedies.

An immigration lawyer reads your file before you lodge it. The official conditions also appear on the service-public resident card page.