France Employee residence card

Residence card for employees with a work authorisation requested by the employer before entry: a 'salarié' card for permanent contracts and a 'travailleur temporaire' card for fixed-term contracts; first-time entrants receive a VLS-TS. ^{1 2 3 4}

What you must show and pay

• A fee of EUR 300 (≈ $340) · Tax paid when validating the employee long-stay visa (VLS-TS) within 3 months of arrival. ¹
• A fee of EUR 350 (≈ $390) · Residence card: EUR 300 (≈ $340) tax plus EUR 50 (≈ $56) stamp duty, paid by tax stamps. ¹
• A fee of EUR 250 (≈ $280) · Renewal of the card: EUR 200 (≈ $220) tax plus EUR 50 (≈ $56) stamp duty; EUR 180 (≈ $200) extra visa fee if filed late. ¹

Requirements

• The applicant is a non-EU national who wants to work as an employee; other rules apply to Algerian nationals. ¹
• The applicant holds a work authorisation and, on first admission, a VLS-TS 'salarié' long-stay visa. ¹
• A permanent contract (CDI) gives a 'salarié' card; a fixed-term contract (CDD) gives a 'travailleur temporaire' card. ¹
• The VLS-TS validation tax is EUR 300, (≈ $340) paid online within 3 months of arrival. ¹
• The residence card costs EUR 350 (≈ $390) in tax stamps (EUR 300 (≈ $340) tax plus EUR 50 (≈ $56) stamp duty). ¹
• Passport, proof of address under 6 months old, photos, the work authorisation for the post and the signed republican commitment. ¹
• The employer files the work authorisation request online before the worker enters France. ¹
• Apply for the long-stay visa, validate it online on arrival, and file for the card at the prefecture at least 2 months before expiry. ¹
• The card is valid 1 year; after renewal an employee in a permanent job receives a 4-year multi-year card. ¹
• A fixed-term worker's renewal lasts as long as the remaining or new contract, possibly over 1 year. ¹

Stay

• Card valid one year and renewable; an employee who still holds a job at renewal gets a 4-year multi-year card, and a fixed-term worker's renewal matches the contract.
• Initial permitted stay: 12 months.
• Renewable, subject to the conditions in force at renewal.

Nationality

Non-EU/EEA/Swiss nationals; Algerian nationals follow the bilateral agreement Not open to: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Algeria, Estonia, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Croatia, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia.

Work

Work for the employer and in the post named in the work authorisation; changing employer needs a new work authorisation.

Family

Your spouse or partner can join through family reunification after 18 months of your residence and may then work in France without a separate permit.

Checked 2026-10-11

Official sources

1. Residence permit "salarie" or "travailleur temporaire" · Service-Public (DILA) · checked 2026-10-10
2. Family reunification of a foreigner in France · Service-Public.gouv.fr · checked 2026-10-11
3. Work authorisation for a foreign employee in France: titles that exempt the employer · Service-Public.fr (DILA) · checked 2026-10-12
4. Can a family already in France benefit from family reunification? · Service-Public.fr (DILA) · checked 2026-10-12
5. Long-term resident card - EU (foreigner in France for 5 years) · Service-Public.gouv.fr (Direction de l'information légale et administrative) · checked 2026-10-11
6. French naturalization by decree · Service-Public.gouv.fr (Direction de l'information légale et administrative) · checked 2026-10-11