Residency cards: French state told to fix renewal issues
Demand comes as interior minister has already called on prefectures to take action to reduce delays
Interior ministry says increased migration flows have led to extra pressure on prefecturesBreizhAtao / Shutterstock / Church of England Diocese in Europe
Liv RowlandLivRowlandEditorial Team - The Connexion
France's highest administrative court has told the government to take action to resolve residency card application dysfunctions in six months.
The ruling by the Conseil d'Etat puts renewed pressure on the state's services to sort out longstanding problems with excessive waiting times, communication barriers and some people being left undocumented through no fault of their own.
It comes shortly after France's rights watchdog the Défenseur des droits published an annual report for the year 2025 which was - once again - strongly critical of long residency application waiting times as well as difficulties around many procedures going online on the Anef website with insufficient human support.
It comes also as Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez has already announced the need for renewed efforts, while also acknowledging the pressures faced by prefecture staff.
Serious effects on foreign people
The Conseil, in a ruling following legal action by several associations, told the state to "correct the malfunctions", in particular issues linked to Anef, which it said are "seriously" affecting foreign people.
It said solutions must be found to problems which have been causing "abnormal" barriers to people accessing services and in some cases putting at risk people's legally-recognised rights.
For example, it said applicants must systematically obtain documents prolonging their legal rights for the necessary time for processing, whereas in many cases people are either not obtaining these or they are expiring and not being renewed when necessary.
A member of the La Cimade association for immigrants' rights called the ruling "a beautiful victory", adding that "this will oblige the state to guarantee an effective, high-quality access to this public service and limit the risks of loss of rights."
Minister sets out action plan
In an official note to prefectures, Mr Nuñez recently noted that international crises and increased migration flows had led to extra work for prefectures’ residency sections.
At the same time, he said, processing cards has become more complex, including extra security-related checks, and the number of kinds of cards has increased.
Over ten years, the number of valid cards held has risen 57%, while staffing has increased only 35%. Processing times have risen 94% from 2018 to 2025, to an average of 117 days (four months), compared to a target of 55.
Interior Minister Laurent NuñezNicolas Bouquet/Shutterstock
Mr Nuñez wrote: “The lengthening processing times lead, as a knock-on effect, to a risk of periods of rights stoppage.
"Yet, our services must give effect to the residency rights of foreign people legally present in France and allow them to exercise all the rights that flow from this in work and social protection.”
He said avoiding such stoppages, particularly for renewals and especially for those in work, must be a priority, calling for a “renewed and reinforced commitment”.
He announced a ‘2026 residency guide’, on good practice, alongside the following measures:
To differentiate between routine applications, which can be sped up, and those needing closer scrutiny due to fraud risks.
Recognising that some cards, such as ‘talent’ permits, require fewer checks as vetting is largely done at visa stage. Officials should also systematically provide longer-term cards (multi-year cartes de séjour, 10-year cartes de résident…) where someone meets the criteria, even if their application did not ask specifically.
Ensuring digital procedures are supported by human assistance for vulnerable users, with clear and accessible processes.
Prioritising renewals and making use of Anef tools to avoid stoppage of rights [such as providing attestations de prolongement d’instruction which extend rights during processing].
Training staff to handle a wider range of tasks.
Strengthening links with local services to assist the public.
Action plan
He also announced an ‘overall action plan’, with oversight from a new national committee, to “fight effectively against stoppages of rights and to drastically reduce the processing times for residency card applications”. This will include:
Updates and simplifications to lists of supporting documents for cards; it is especially important no other documents should be asked for.
Ending the requirement for holders of long-term residency cards to declare changes of address.
IT improvements to Anef, such as new systems to manage users’ requests, AI chatbot help, and use of AI in checking documents.
To automate renewal of attestations de prolongement d’instruction for a period of up to 12 months.
Stopping a system whereby follow-up of procedures underway on Anef, including collecting extra documents, can be assigned to staff at random instead of the original official.
It will become possible to keep fingerprints on file for 10 years instead of five.
An additional 500 workers will be assigned to help in residency card services, equivalent to an increase of 20%.
Mr Nuñez hoped to see “concrete and significant results in the short term”.
In a separate communication on integration policy, Mr Nuñez reiterated the importance of supporting foreigners in settling into life in France, while also underlining stricter expectations introduced this year.
He highlighted the new requirement, in force since January 2026, for applicants to demonstrate a sufficient level of French and to pass a civic knowledge test in order to obtain certain cards. Prefectures are asked to ensure these rules are applied effectively.
The instruction also confirmed the government’s intention to make the online Anef system the single platform for residency procedures within the next year, replacing older systems.
Officials were urged to ensure that attestations de prolongement d’instruction issued via the platform are widely recognised so users do not face disruptions to rights.
More broadly, the minister called for closer links between integration and employment, including faster registration of some new arrivals with France Travail and greater focus on helping fill labour shortages.
Prefectures were also asked to work with local partners to ensure new arrivals can access other services, such as healthcare, as required.
