Traveling using a “soon to expire” resident permit is one of the most common FAQs asked by the expat community in France. So, can they travel?. The answers are addressed in this article.
Can I travel using a French resident permit that is expiring very soon?
Yes, you can travel on or before the expiry date mentioned on your resident permit.
For example: If you are going to your home country, you can go and return before the validity date.
However, it is highly recommended to attach a few supporting documents depending on your resident permit status. This will help to avoid any unnecessary complications during airport immigration.
Whichever is applicable,
- Copy of a RDV confirmation from your prefecture about a renewal of your resident permit or a status change application.
- Copy of prefecture’s confirmation about an ongoing renewal or status change application. It can be a valid récépissé too.
- If you have an Attestation de prolongation de l’instruction or Attestation de décision favorable, you can present it too. You can find more details here What Are The Online Attestations Of French Resident Permits?.
Can I travel using an expired French resident permit?
No, you cannot travel using an expired resident permit. If you travel, you can return to France only with a Visa de retour.
However, there are a few exceptions and they are listed below.
If your residence permit expires during your stay outside France and you do not have a renewal attestation or récépissé, you will not be able to return to France. You must apply for a Visa de retour.
When the expired resident permit is accompanied by one of the following documents, you can travel.
- A valid récépissé de demande de titre de séjour.
- Copy of an Attestation de prolongation de l’instruction or Attestation de décision favorable. You can find more details here What Are The Online Attestations Of French Resident Permits?.
Suggestions
- In these situations, it is better to avoid traveling outside the Schengen area. The only other exception is travel between France and your home country.
- If your attestation or récépissé has the text “premier demande” or “premier titre de sejour” it does not allow you to travel. Even if you travel to your home country, you can return only with a visa de retour.
- If you are in doubt, you can write to the Airline and the French Embassy or Consulate in your country. A written confirmation can always be helpful.
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Hi Prashant, thanks. I had reached France early 2024 and validated my VL TS VISA and received 1 year document which is equal to Residence card. It was expired in end of this Jan 2025. I had applied for renewal and received the decision favorable already (for 4 years card).
I am currently in India.
My question is :
Can I come back to France with expired 1 year validation card along with decision favorable document for renewal application? Thanks for your answer.
Hello Naga,
This article was written to answer questions from people in your situation. It has all the answers you need.
Yes, you can travel with the expired visa & the favorable decision attestation as long as the text “premier demande” is not mentioned in the attestation.
If this text is present, you may or may not be allowed to travel back to France, depending on how strictly the officials enforce the rules. In case you are refused from boarding, a visa de retour is the only option.
Cheers,
Prasanth
Thank you. This is what mentioned in decision favorable document
“Cette attestation n’est valable qu’accompagnée du visa de long séjour ou du titre précédemment
détenu.
Ce document autorise le franchissement des frontières de l’espace Schengen”
These are standard lines but there are other important text including the title of the attestation.
Please refer to my detailed explanations about these attestations in
1. https://prasanthragupathy.com/2023/06/what-are-the-online-attestations-of-french-resident-permits-anef/
2. Compare your attestation with the examples in French Resident Permits: Can you study, work and travel with ANEF Attestations? https://youtu.be/UCgr3LkvL0k?feature=shared