📢 Big News for Withdrawal Agreement (WA) Beneficiaries in France!📢
- RIFT Remain in France
- Oct 4
- 5 min read
5-Year WARP “Renewals”
We’re thrilled to share some fantastic news that your RIFT admin team has been passionately advocating for over many months! RIFT Admins have been attending meetings with officials in Paris and Brussels on your behalf. It's incredibly rewarding to see RIFT's advocacy working, along with our meetings and reports - it truly paid off! Initially, we were told that a standard system wouldn’t be possible until next year. So, we jumped on our keyboards, picked up our phones, and flew out to make it happen… and we did!
This article is primarily intended for individuals with 5-year WARP (Article 50 TUE) cards (CdS - Carte de séjour) ; however, those with 10-year cards are also encouraged to read further.
There are two types of Withdrawal Agreement Residence Permits (WARPs), issued depending on how long you’ve lived in France:
Permanent (10 years)
5-year cards – which are now approaching renewal.
Préfectures have been instructed to use a specific tool so you can request your 10 year Withdrawal Agreement permanent residence document (WARP card) online via an official standard system on your préfecture's website.
What’s Happening Now
In the coming weeks and months, RIFT will share accurate information about the Démarches Simplifiées (DS) tool created by the Ministry of Interior. This tool is being gradually rolled out across prefectures.
⚠️ Important:
Only use the DS tool linked from your prefecture’s official website.
Use it only if you currently hold a 5-year WARP marked ‘Article 50 TEU/Article 18(1) WA’, expiring within two months.
This is not a national portal: each prefecture has its own dedicated form.
👉 If your prefecture’s website has renewal instructions but isn’t using the online DS tool (for example, they require you to book an appointment, send documents by post, or complete their own form), follow their instructions carefully and within the timeframe stated - usually 2 months before expiry. If your card expires later than that, keep checking back as your date approaches, in case DS has been rolled out in your department in the meantime.
👉 If your prefecture’s website says nothing about WARP renewal and your card is expiring within the next 2 months, you must contact them urgently (by email or via their contact form) to ask what to do. If you don’t receive a clear response within a few days, we strongly suggest sending a registered letter (lettre recommandée).
📌 Here is a link to the generic Service-Public site, which explains the official procedure and expected documents. This serves as the default guidance if your prefecture hasn’t yet published anything specific.
Click this section:
RIFT’s Advocacy
RIFT has consistently supported the establishment of a standardised national "renewal" process. Your RIFT administrators have engaged with policymakers in Brussels and Paris, presenting evidence and reports to demonstrate the necessity of such a system for compliance with the Withdrawal Agreement (WA). Following our meeting in Paris in early 2025, we were concerned that each prefecture might develop its own procedure. We are now pleased to announce that the Ministry of Interior has proposed a standardised system, which will aid in ensuring that applications comply with the WA.
The New Renewal Procedure
Rollout: Prefectures are instructed to use DS and to publish renewal instructions on their own websites. Some have started, others will follow.
Proof of application: You should receive a récépissé at your préfecture and do keep your current WARP. You may need your passport + WARP + récépissé at border controls.
Numbers: The Ministry says there are 41,150 cards to upgrade, 95% issued in 2021. Five-year cards from 2020 are already expiring and you must “renew” two months before expiry.
Absence limits: During your first 5 years in France, you shouldn’t have been absent more than 6 months a year (unless with good reason).
Options to apply in person and by post should be available - especially for the vulnerable.
💡 If your card expires soon and there’s no info on your prefecture’s site, request an urgent appointment. Let RIFT know if you’re refused.
How to Find the DS Link
Here’s one example: 👉 [Dordogne Site] Site 👉 [Dordogne DS link] Dordogne DS link
On your own prefecture’s website - search for the préfecture for your department online using your preferred search engine and then check under:
Démarches (this is one example - for Dordogne only)
Accueil des étrangers or some similar wording
Titres de séjour or similar
They may mention Brexit or Article 50. You’re on the right form if your prefecture’s name appears at the bottom.
Please share new links in RIFT on Facebook (with your department name/number) so others can find them too. Note that these links can be tricky to find.
How to Apply
Scan required documents before starting.
Log in with FranceConnect or create a DS account (secure password needed).
Upload your documents (.jpg, .pdf, .doc – not too large).
Required documents:
Valid passport (ID page + relevant entry/exit stamps).
Recent proof of residence (less than 6 months): utility bill, tenancy agreement/rent receipt, taxe foncière, etc. If hosted by someone else: attestation d’hébergement 📌://www.service-public.gouv.fr/simulateur/calcul/AttestationHebergement, their ID/passport, and proof of their address.
Your previous WARP.
(Optional) Proof of change of status (marriage, divorce, death certificate, etc).
After submission:
Your préfecture checks your file.
You’ll get an appointment where you must bring originals (passport, WARP, supporting docs).
You’ll need 3 compliant passport photos.
Who We Are
RIFT = Remain in France Together. We are passionately pro-EU and defend the Withdrawal Agreement. It’s not perfect (no onward freedom of movement or voting rights 😞) but it protects most pre-Brexit rights. Please don’t undermine those hard-won rights.
WA in Its Own Words
“Procedures shall be smooth, transparent and simple…”
“Application forms shall be short, simple, user-friendly…”
“Documents shall be issued free of charge or at the same rate as nationals…”
“The host State shall not require unnecessary documents…”
“Authorities shall help applicants avoid errors…”
“After 5 years’ legal residence, you have the right to permanent residence…”
“That right is lost only if absent for more than 5 consecutive years.”
A Personal Note from Justine
Check out this photo I snapped before my meeting at the EU Commission (Berlaymont, Brussels) to discuss WARPs last April. It proudly declares "United for our Future" - I absolutely love it! The building was wrapped in plastic for years due to asbestos removal - I even witnessed giant rats scurrying down the street once they started the work! Returning again to this iconic building, which I used to pass daily at Schuman on my way to my office on rue de la Loi, is always such a thrill, especially seeing it all gleaming and majestic again in warm sunshine.
👉 Please stay tuned to RIFT on Facebook for accurate updates. Please join us on Facebook by clicking here and answering our joining questions. 📌
👉 Let us know if your prefecture isn’t complying with WA rules - we’re here to help.
👉 Share your prefecture’s DS links and your comments in RIFT on Facebook to help others.