WA Residence Permits Check your status and evidence needed
Please note the application portal is now CLOSED. However the type of evidence required to prove lawful residence by 31 December 2020, remains the same.
Check your status and evidence needed
The table below helps you see at a glance where you fit and what proofs you will need to provide.
The key factors are how long you have already been resident and whether or not you already hold some form of carte de séjour (CdS).
Anyone who has been legally resident for more than 5 years is already considered a permanent resident and has little information to provide. It doesn’t matter whether you are working or not, you need no further proof of income/resources.
People in any of the categories are likely to be required to visit the Préfecture with their photographs and to have fingerprints taken.
The list of acceptable proofs gives examples of the kind of things you will be required to provide. For Married to a French person - it's Married to, or living with, a French person
According to the arrêté partners of French nationals with less than 5 years residence will receive a 5 year card
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Am I classed as active or inactive?
This question is often asked by cross border workers who undertake their work physically in the UK.
Although your earnings come from abroad you are still ‘active’. Indicating this on your form means that you will not be required to show any further proof of income/resources and you won’t need to show private health insurance for your first three months of residence. Selecting the wrong category may cause problems down the line e.g. if you become unemployed.
I stopped working recently are the rules the same?
You do NOT need to provide the proofs of financial resources and health cover if any of the following situations apply:
• If you have lived in France for at least 3 years and worked anywhere in the EU/EEA/UK within the last 12 months what you need to provide is:
- retirement notification or pension certificate
- document proving your previous professional activity
• If you have worked in France and been declared unfit for work on a permanent or temporary basis, what you need to provide is:
- document proving your previous professional activity
- certificate showing your inability to work due to accident or illness
- if your incapacity is permanent, you may be asked about your invalidity benefits and/or to prove that you have been in France for more than two years.
How do I apply for a minor?
Young adults (18-21) and anyone who will turn 18 during the period that the WA RP portal is open for applications should apply in their own right.
They should follow the pathway for more or less than 5 years residence depending on how long they have lived here. The proofs required should be the same as those for ‘Adult Child’ in the following table.
Time spent studying abroad does not prevent the young person applying for a residence permit so long as their habitual residence remains in France. If they have already been here more than 5 years, the process is straightforward. If they have been here less than 5 years, they select the option ‘I have a family link with the British national’. Do NOT select ‘I am a student in France’.
We have been advised that it is possible to apply for a WA RP for younger adolescents who may be required to prove their right to be able to undertake a work placement. There is no specific guidance for this so we suggest you follow the instructions for ‘Adult Child’ in the following table and add a note in the ‘observations’ field to say why you are making the application.
Third country national and family member of a British national
If you already hold a permanent residence permit, this will be a straight swap (see table above).
If you do not already hold a permanent residence permit the range of permutations is a lot more complex so we have created a separate table.
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