Carte de Séjour is the French residence permit for non-EU citizens who need to apply for a residence permit upon arrival or after their first year in France. Typically, you'll first get a Carte de Séjour temporaire, which is a temporary residence permit valid for 1 year.
You no longer have to apply for a residence permit (carte de séjour) or register at your local town hall (mairie) if you're an EU/EFTA citizen. However, you can apply for a residence card if you wish.
Applying for a Carte de Séjour
On 31 January 2020, the French Government issued an update about future cards but many questions still remain. Remember: to obtain/qualify for one of these cards, you must be living legally in France by the end of the Transition Period - currently 31 December 2020.
Here are the 2022 thresholds:
Working-age person living alone: €1,634. Working-age couple without children: €2,273. Single-parent family with two children: €3,003. Couple with two children: €3,744.
Another option is the visitor visa. This visa allows you to live in France even though you don't have a French spouse, a job or plans to study. You'll need a letter explaining how you intend to spend your time in France, proof you can support yourself without work and proof of medical insurance.
Salary for a comfortable life in France
Earning around 3,200 euros per month is considered a good income for individuals or 5,600 euros for a family of three. This amount takes into account the cost of living and allows you to cover your basic expenses such as housing, food, transportation, and leisure activities.
It can take anywhere between 4-8 weeks (perhaps longer...) to receive your CDS if you cannot apply directly at the Préfecture. If you have to apply at your town hall, you will not receive a récépissé right away, but just an attestation that you have applied.
This is a permit for foreigners (who are non-EEA, non-Swiss and non-Algerian nationals) who wish to stay in France and work as seasonal workers. The permit is valid for up to three years, and is renewable. However, you will not be allowed to stay and work in France for more than six months per year.
If you spend more than 6 months a year in France, you are then considered as a French resident and must apply for a Long Stay visitor visa (visa de long séjour valant titre de séjour VLS-TS « visiteur »).
EU/EEA and Switzerland citizens, as well as their family members, need to apply for a residence permit (carte de séjour) when they arrive in the territory of France. They do not need to get an entry visa since they are citizens of the European Union and share the same rights as citizens of France.
For any stay in France exceeding 90 days, you are required to apply in advance for a long-stay vis. In this instance your nationality does not exempt you from requirements. Whatever the duration of your planned stay, the duration of your long-stay visa must be between three months and one year.
If you are an Australian citizen or if you have lived in Australia for more than 3 months you can apply for a French visa. Residents in Fiji and Papua New Guinea must submit their application in their country of residence.
Permanent residence in France
France offers a renewable ten-year permanent residency visa. You can apply for a carte de resident after living in France for five years. This is a ten-year renewable permanent residency visa that allows you to live in France.
Getting Residency in France
You can buy a property in France without being a citizen however you'll need to get a Visa to live in the country and then go through the process of applying for permanent residency.
How much is the Taxe de séjour? As each local commune is responsible for setting the tourist tax, amounts can vary. Generally a capped sliding scale applies – the higher the official classification / star rating of the property, the higher the tax. Rates range between €0.20 to €4.20 per person per night *1.
Two types of 10-year residence permits, the carte de résident de 10 ans and the carte de résident de longue durée-UE, both have a language requirement. In most cases, you need to demonstrate level A2 of French in order to be granted these cards.
French lawmakers are increasing efforts to make it harder to stay in France long term if you don't speak French. A new immigration bill presented on February 1st, outlines measures to introduce a compulsory language test for anyone applying for a 'Carte de séjour pluriannuelle' multi-year residency permit in France.
How long does it take to be issued a residence document? Assuming your residence permit application is complete and the prefecture does not request any additional documents to review your request, the average issuing time is 45 to 60 days.
A gas, electricity, telephone or water bill less than 6 months old. A certificate of housing insurance. Your tax notice of the previous year. A rent receipt of less than 6 months.
In order to apply for citizenship you generally need to have lived permanently and continuously in France for 5 years (there are exceptions - see below) and fulfill certain conditions. There are two ways to apply for citizenship - by decree, or by declaration.
If we take 50% of the population earning over €1,534 net per month, we can say that the middle class in France earns between 1,500€ and 2,800€ net per month. The top 8% earns from €4,000 net per month and the top 1% starts from €8,700 net per month.
On a national level, French people spent an average of 851 euros to rent a house in 2021 and an average of 435 euros for a studio or a one room apartment. Both figures take charges of a rented accommodation into account.
Economists like to think in terms of income: the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) considers people whose income is between two-thirds and two times the median income (1,837 euros in France, or between 1,300 and 3,500 euros).