WA card renewals: Prefecture asked for four years of tax returns 

To the Editor,

Today my wife and I went to our pre-arranged appointment at the prefecture in Moulins (Allier) to renew our Brexit WA carte de sejour.

We expected to present the usual documents:

• valid UK passport

• current titre de séjour

• new passport photos

• proof of domicile

However, our recent EDF and Orange attestations were not accepted. 

I had also brought our 2024 tax return, which was taken, but we were then asked to provide all tax returns from the past four years, along with recent invoices for any utilities, as further proof of domicile. 

We were given an email address to send these documents after the appointment.

We were also required to sign a form confirming our acceptance of our obligations to the French Republic.

The interview itself was brief and the staff member was pleasant.

Our fingerprints were taken digitally, and at the end we were given a receipt with our new photo attached, which we signed.

We were surprised both by the request for additional documents and by the refusal of the recent EDF and Orange attestations. 

We had understood this renewal would be a formality, and our correspondence with the prefecture did not include any list of required documents. 

Recent online information suggested it would be straightforward: passport, titre de séjour, photos and proof of domicile.

We thought it worth sharing this experience so that other readers know to prepare additional paperwork.

D.R., by email

Editor's note: Allier is not among those departments that we have identified as having so far provided up-to-date information on how to renew/upgrade Brexit WA cards, so it is possible the official was not familiar with the rules. According to the rules, which you can consult here (also in this decree, article 21, and this arrêté, article 7) these extra documents should not be required. Furthermore, the pledge of support for Republican values should be optional. 

Having said this, in the interests of speedy administration, we consider it can do no harm to take along such extras in case of such requests, and we see no harm in signing the attestation. 

With regard to 'proof of domicile', utility and telecoms bills are commonly accepted for this as long as they relate to services directly provided at your address (eg. landline phone/internet rather than mobile).

Have you found it harder than expected to renew your Brexit Withdrawal Agreement card? Please share your experience via letters@connexionfrance.com