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Carte de séjour: Proof of Appliance
by David Applefield
If it is not possible to issue the carte de séjour immediately, (you can be sure it won´t be), the applicant will be given a temporary authorization "récépissé de demande de carte de séjour" which is evidence that an application has been made for a residence permit. The applicant should carry it until he/she receives his/her carte de séjour. This could take several months. Keep a photocopy in a safe place; it´s your only proof.
Yes, it´s depressing; you provide all these great looking original documents and all you get is a ratty stamped form that has been photocopied so many times that the type is blurry and crooked. Treasure it like gold and photocopy it again. The card itself is a computerized and plasticized with several layers of laminated watermark paper and covered with a high-security imprint to prevent falsification. This new card will enable the police to track one´s identity instantly and to limit the clandestine use of fake and stolen documents, which in the words of Interior Minister Charles Pasqua concerns principally 13 sensitive nations.
You must have the appropriate long-stay visa (visa de long séjour or visa de plus de trois mois) in his/her passport on arrival in France in order to be able to apply for a carte de séjour. The visa must be obtained from the French consulate having jurisdiction over the non-French citizen´s place of residence in their country. US citizens may consult the US Embassy´s information sheet: "Visa Requirements for France"). Applications for long-term validity French visas cannot be made by individuals in third countries, e.g., England or Belgium, unless the individual is a local resident of that country for one or more years.
It is not possible to come to France without a long-term visa and then apply within France for a residence permit. The French authorities will require such persons to return to their country of residence to apply for the appropriate visa.
It should be noted that the US Embassy is not in a position to intervene on behalf of American citizens who, knowingly or unknowingly, enter France without any visa or without the appropriate visa, or who change their plans after their arrival in France. Such Americans will have to comply with the French Government visa requirement before they can apply for a carte de séjour.
If the holder of a residence permit moves, he/she must inform the police commissariat having jurisdiction over his/her new place of residence in France. This is especially important if the resident is in the process of renewing his/her carte de séjour as the Préfecture de Police will not approve the application unless the change of address has been recorded by the local police in the appropriate space on the card.
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