Renewing Post-Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Residency Cards in France

After Brexit, all Brits resident in France were required to apply for a residency card or carte de séjour. If you lived in France prior to 1st January 2021 and applied for a residency card, you should have been issued a Withdrawal Agreement carte de séjour or permanent residency card. This card affords holders unique rights under the Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU.

If you’re unsure, check your card – it will be marked ARTICLE 50 TUE on the front and ARTICLE 18 (1) ACCORD DE RETRAIT DU ROYAUME-UNI DE L’UE on the back.

5-year and 10-year WA cards

Depending on how long you had been resident in France at the time, you would have been issued either a 10-year permanent residency card or a 5-year temporary residency card. If you were resident in France for less than five years at the time of Brexit (1st January 2021), then you will have been issued a 5-year card. If you have one of these cards, you will likely need to renew it within the next year, so keep reading.

Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Residency Card in France: What Are Your Rights?

Most 5-year cards were issued in late 2020 or 2021, which means that they will be up for renewal in 2025 or 2026. Check your card’s expiry date to know exactly when your own card needs renewing.

You must request your new card within 2 months before the expiry date, so make a note of this. However, as with most carte de séjours in France, processing may take time, and some prefectures will be slower than others, so it’s recommended to contact your prefecture in advance (between three to six months before the expiry of your card) and leave yourself plenty of time.

It’s also worth noting that you may apply for your 10-year residency card at any time once you have met the criteria – in other words, once you have been resident in France for more than 5 years. If this date is earlier than the renewal date, then there is no need to wait until your card is nearing expiry.

When you renew your 5-year WA carte de séjour, you will be issued a 10-year permanent residency card, marked SÉJOUR PERMANENT – ARTICLE 50 TUE. This card is valid for 10 years and can be renewed for free as many times as you like.

To renew your card, you need to contact your local prefecture a maximum of two months before your card’s expiry date (our advice is not to leave it that late – there will potentially be thousands of others applying for renewals at a similar time). Each prefecture will follow a slightly different procedure, but you will typically be asked to submit documents either in advance by email or to bring them to an appointment at the prefecture. Make sure you clearly state that you are applying for a Withdrawal Agreement card – it should say ‘article 50’ or ‘accord de retrait du royaume-uni de l’UE’.

Renewals follow a simplified process with minimal paperwork, but expect to be asked for:

• Your current 5-year carte de séjour
• Your passport
• Proof of address (justificatif de domicile) less than three months old
• 3 x passport-style photos

When you apply, you will be issued with an official “récépissé” (receipt) while you are waiting for your new card.

Tip! The Facebook group Article 50 TUE Carte de Séjour (WA-RP) has put together some great resources, including an ever-expanding list of requirements from different prefectures around France.

How much does it cost to renew my post-Brexit carte de séjour?

While application fees typically cost €200 for a residency card in France, there’s good news for those covered by the Withdrawal Agreement. All post-Brexit WA/Article 50 TUE cards are free, and you won’t be charged any fee for subsequent renewals either.

Can I renew my card via the ANEF website?

No, it’s not currently possible to renew your Brexit Withdrawal Agreement (WA) card online via the “Étrangers en France” website – the immigration portal known as ANEF or Administration Numérique des Étrangers en France, which is responsible for handling all long-stay visa validations, carte de séjour, carte de residence, and French citizenship applications and renewals. Attempts to renew your card via this portal will lead to an automatic refusal as your card is not registered in the online system.

There is hope that a dedicated online portal (like the one set up to handle the initial applications back in 2020 and 2021) will be set up to process the renewals. With just under 50,000 5-year cards all coming up for renewal in the next 12 to 18 months, this would probably be a smart move. However, for the moment, it’s only possible to renew your card through your prefecture.

Can my renewal be refused?

It is our understanding that under the Withdrawal Agreement, those who were resident in France prior to Brexit and were issued a 5-year card should now have the right to unconditional permanent residency in France. In other words, you shouldn’t have to provide proof of work, income, or tax returns as you would have presented back in 2020/2021. The only condition is that you must have been continually resident in France for the past five years – individuals who have spent more than six consecutive months outside of France or more than 10 months total may have their request denied. Exceptions are made for certain situations, such as a work commitment or training abroad.

What happens if my card expires?

The European Commission advises that individuals covered by the Withdrawal Agreement do not lose their rights upon expiry of their card. However, under French law, you are required to keep your documentation up to date, and there are many administrative processes that will require you to have a valid residency permit. If you do miss the deadline, you should take steps to renew your card as soon as possible.