What are the online attestations of French Resident Permits?: Confirmation, Prolongation & Favorable Decision

38 Comments / Resident Permit, Student Visa, Visa / By

Last Updated on: February 25, 2025 |  By: @rprasanth_kumar

French administration has been making a gradual transition from offline to online applications via the ANEF portal. So, the temporary paper extensions called “récépissé” have been replaced by online attestations in PDF format. You are required to download these documents and present them wherever needed.

This article explains the various rights of these online attestations and tries to answer the following questions often asked by our readers.

  • Can I stay in France legally with these attestations?
  • Can I travel with an Attestation de prolongation de l’instruction?
  • Can I travel with an Attestation de décision favorable?
  • Can I study or work with these attestations??

The attestations are given in the following order based on the status of your resident permit application or renewal.

Note: Applications submitted via ANEF portal can take anywhere from 2 to 6 months for processing. In some cases, even longer too.

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Table of Contents

  1. Confirmation du dépôt
  2. Attestation de prolongation de l’instruction
  3. Attestation de décision favorable
  4. Additional Information.
  5. Experiences from the expat community
  6. References

Confirmation du Dépôt

  • This document is just a confirmation that you have submitted your online application. You will receive it immediately after submitting the application.
  • Does not extend your legal stay in France, including the right to study or work here.
  • Do not travel. If you leave France, you won’t be able to return without a return visa called “visa de retour” or an entirely new visa.
  • If your online application is incomplete, you will be asked to provide additional documents. If these documents aren’t submitted in the mentioned duration, your application will be closed.
  • If your resident permit is expiring soon, you must contact ANEF and Prefecture for requesting a prolongation attestation explained in the next section. 
  • Some prefectures have the option to request for this attestation via an offline process. It will be mentioned explicitly on the Prefecture’s website. 
  • Between the expiry date of your resident permit and starting date of prolongation attestation, you will be in an irregular situation with very limited rights. But you can stay in France because of the ongoing application. 
  • For example: Your employer can temporarily suspend your employment contract.

Did you know? An ongoing resident permit application means that the applicant can stay legally in the country, until a decision is made on the application. The renewal applications must be submitted 120 days to 60 days before the expiry of the current resident permit. 

Example of a Confirmation du Dépôt

Attestation de Prolongation de l’Instruction

  • This attestation means that you have submitted all the required documents but the administration needs more time to process your application.
  • You can legally stay in France. As this attestation just extends the previous Titre de Sejour, it will extend your current rights including the right to work or study. Students can work part-time.
  • The holder of this attestation can travel outside France and return to the country, but must carry the expired visa/resident permit too. For example, you will be able to visit India and return to France.
  • This attestation is valid only for a period of 3 months. Also, it can be issued as many times as required until a favorable decision is taken on your application.
  • If your resident permit has expired and you haven’t received this attestation, you can contact ANEF and Prefecture for the attestation.
  • If this attestation has expired and not renewed automatically, contact ANEF and your local Prefecture for another prolongation attestation. 
  • Some Prefectures allow people to submit an application for the renewal of this attestation. So, check the website of your Prefecture about this possibility. 

Exception: Attestation de prolongation de l’instruction d’une première demande de titre de séjour

  • Allows a legal stay in France.
  • Does not allow any social rights.
  • No work rights except when a « autorisation de travail » was obtained.
  • Does not allow travel outside France. If you leave, a visa de retour is required for the return trip.

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Attestation de Décision Favorable

  • This attestation means that your application for the new resident permit has been successfully validated, your new card will be fabricated and you will soon be notified by an SMS or email.
  • The prefecture usually takes 2 to 6 months for issuing the card.
  • The attestation will have the same validity as the resident permit card to be issued.
  • You can legally stay in France, including the right to work or study. Students can work part-time.
  • The holder of this attestation can travel outside France and return to the country. For example, you will be able to visit India and return to France. However, the attestation must be accompanied by the expired visa/resident permit.

Resident Permit Collection

  • An SMS will ask you to take an appointment at your prefecture. So, you can pay the applicable tax stamp (timbres fiscal), submit your fingerprints and collect the new card.
  • For appointments, you can visit the prefecture’s website and take one, except when a link is sent by prefecture via SMS/Email.
  • Try to collect your card asap. If you aren’t able to collect it within a few weeks especially when you are abroad, inform the prefecture about it. However, we have seen cases in which the card was available even after 4-5 months.
  • Sometimes, the prefectures forget to send the SMS even when the card is ready. So, you can start looking for prefecture appointments, 90 days after receiving this attestation.
  • Don’t keep waiting for a long time expecting the SMS or e-mail. Please be proactive and avoid any unnecessary complications. 
Example of an Attestation de Décision Favorable

Additional Information

  • If your attestation has the text “premier demande”, you are not supposed to leave France. If you leave, you can return only with a visa de retour.
  • Take printout of these attestations and present them everywhere including during immigration check.
  • These attestations must always be accompanied by their previous visa or resident permit card (valid or expired).
  • If you encounter any delays and other issues, please use the messaging option on the ANEF portal.
  • You can also write to the prefecture via the Contact Us page on its website.

Experiences from the expat community

A few points based on the actual experiences from the community.

  • As long as there is an ongoing resident permit application, you can stay in France.
  • But staying without a valid récépissé or prolongation attestation or favorable décision attestation means that you cannot study, travel, work, social rights, etc in France. Basically, you will be struck wherever you are in France except the option to travel to your home country with a valid passport.
  • People holding these online attestations should avoid transits/transfers outside the Schengen area. If not, you may not be able to board the flight.
  • Air France and it’s partner airlines understand these documents well. Travelling via gulf carriers might create some issues. So, consult your airlines before booking the flight and a few days before departure.
  • Transits via UK are not allowed.
  • If the need for traveling isn’t urgent, it’s better to wait until receiving a favorable decision.

References

  • Qu’est-ce qu’une attestation de demande de carte de séjour? servicepublic.fr
  • Code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d’asile: Article 431-15 legifrance.gouv.fr
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38 thoughts on “What are the online attestations of French Resident Permits?: Confirmation, Prolongation & Favorable Decision”

  1. Neha

    Hi Prasanth,

    Hope you’re doing well. My husband is on a Passeport Talent visa, and my kids and I are on his dependent visa. We have RP cards valid until 2027, but due to a family situation, my kids and I have to move back to India.

    I wanted to check—do we need to surrender our RP cards and Carte Vitale, or do we have to return to France every six months to keep our residency valid?

    Would appreciate your guidance. Thanks!

    Reply
  2. kantharia Deepika

    Hello , I have a visa for passport talent CBE VLS valid from 01 March to 30 May 2025.I arrived in france on 14 march and completed my application for residence permit on 20 March with all documents and have a confirmation du depot.My company requires me to give them a provisional recipise before 31 March 2025 to begin my ojb on 01 April.I did not receive this provisional authorisation on the website of ANEF in my account yet(as on 20 march, same day as submission of the application).Is there a time frame when this provisional authorisation will be available ?It is imperative that I have this provisional permit before 31 March or my contract will get anulled. Who do I contact in this case?Thanks in advance for your response,Deepika

    Reply
    1. Prasanth

      Hello Deepika,

      As explained in the article, a confirmation du depot does not extend any rights. But, you have a valid visa until 30 May 2025 and so there shouldn’t be any problem for you and your employer. So, I do not see any logic or an official requirement in asking for a provisional doc by 31 Marc 2025. Probably, the HR is not aware of the official resident permit procedures in France.

      Meanwhile, an actual attestation will be available when your Carte de Séjour application documents are ok. Everything is explained in the above article.

      Cheers,
      Prasanth
      PS: If my articles and answers are helpful, please leave your feedback on Trustpilot

      Reply
        1. Prasanth

          Also, the following statement is not true.

          “ The Administration will have 3 months maximum to deliver the Talent Card (the processing of Talent Card applications is generally quite fast). If the Talent Card is not obtained within this period, the Administration will be deemed to have issued an implicit rejection decision.”

          It clearly shows that the HR has misunderstood certain things about the CdS Passeport Talent application process.

          Reply
  3. Scott

    Hello,

    Can you please clarify something. I keep seeing that you are not allowed to travel while waiting for your renewal application to be reviewed or all docs completed – confirmation du depot – but other statements not to travel outside Schengen area.

    So can one travel within Schengen area if the application review process is pending and your current visa has expired?

    Thank you!

    Reply
    1. Prasanth

      Hello Scott,

      Right to travel depends on the type of attestation or Récépissé available with the person. The above explains each ANEF attestation including the travel part. Please refer to the same. There is a video tutorial available too French Resident Permits: Can you study, work and travel with ANEF Attestations? https://youtu.be/UCgr3LkvL0k?feature=shared

      Regarding a récépissé, please refer to my detailed explanations in Récépissé for French Titre de Séjour application: Eligibility, Validity, Renewal, Work & Travel https://prasanthragupathy.com/2025/02/recepisse-for-titre-de-sejour-application-eligibility-validity-renewal-work-travel-in-france/

      Cheers,
      Prasanth
      PS: If my articles and answers are helpful, please leave your feedback on Trustpilot

      Reply
  4. Pratibha Nalini

    Hi Prasanth,
    I came on a Talent passport researcher Visa and obtained my residence Permit in a little over 3 months from the date of submission, whereas my dependent spouse who applied for his residence permit in Dec 6,2025 has no progress on his visa. He has received the second attestation de prolongation, which is valid till June 2025. The ANEF mentions “difficulty in functioning of the service”.
    1) Is it normal to have such long delays? Are we supposed to do anything?
    2) How to travel to India and be back? Could you throw light on this visa de retour?
    3) Is waiting the only option – and no travel even within Schengen countries?
    Thank you
    Kind Regards
    Pratibha

    Reply
    1. Prasanth

      Hello Pratibha,

      1. Unfortunately, yes.

      2. Please refer to my detailed explanations in https://prasanthragupathy.com/2024/02/faq-travel-with-a-french-resident-permit-which-is-expiring-soon-or-has-expired/
      and visa de retour (if required) example https://prasanthragupathy.com/2023/10/visa-de-retour-application-experience-by-nikitha-guruswamy/

      3. Depends on the type of attestation that you have. Some allow travel & some don’t. Feel free to compare your attestation with the examples listed in the following tutorial & help yourself https://youtu.be/UCgr3LkvL0k?feature=shared

      Cheers,
      Prasanth
      PS: If my articles and answers are helpful, please leave your feedback on Trustpilot

      Reply
  5. Rohit

    Thanks Prasanth,
    You are doing an amazing work. The instructions are clear and concise. I wanted to check from you and other users few things. I have a CBE (blue card), Pt2, VLS visa and applying in Bordeaux perfecture….as clear in your blogs, I submitted my residency application online in ANEF and have received the first acknowledgment (CONFIRMATION DU DÉPÔT). I am awaiting next steps.
    Questions
    a) I have a 3 months multi-entry visa (ending Aug25) and have now travelled outside EU (post residency application in June) for work- I plan to return before my multi-entry visa expiry in July….I understand there shouldn’t be an issue as I am using my multi-entry visa for travel, which is valid until mid-Aug?
    b) I have not been asked to submit a degree equivalence from ENIC-NARIC yet. Should I be prepared with the equivalence? it will take time and also cost- but was never asked in first place while getting my 3 month CBE VLS pass issued when applied via vfs- does ANEF/Bordeaux perecture ask? Any experience from previous applicants?
    c) In the first application, I submitted my passport translation from an Indian certified translator, but I think it may get declined. I am keeping a new french translation ready from a french agency which has certified court-of-appeal translators. I understand any french translator connected with any provincial court of appeal can translate and need not be only from Bordeaux? Any recommendations for any agency though?
    d) My French company is inexperienced in applying for social security. Can I apply myself online somewhere? or has to be done by the company? Any website or your blog giving instructions? Would prefer online
    e) In worst case- if the perfecture delays my application and the 3 month visa deadline passes, OK to stay put in Bordeaux, france?

    Regards
    rohit

    Reply
    1. Prasanth

      Hello Rohit,

      Thanks for your feedback. All your questions are already covered in my website.

      A. Yes, you can. FYI https://prasanthragupathy.com/2024/02/faq-travel-with-a-french-resident-permit-which-is-expiring-soon-or-has-expired/

      B. Not mandatory unless asked explicitly.

      C.https://prasanthragupathy.com/2024/09/traducteur-assermente-list-of-official-translators-in-france/

      D. https://prasanthragupathy.com/2023/12/how-to-apply-for-a-social-security-in-france/

      E. https://prasanthragupathy.com/2023/06/what-are-the-online-attestations-of-french-resident-permits-anef/

      Cheers,
      Prasanth
      PS: If my articles and answers are helpful, please leave your feedback on Trustpilot

      Reply
  6. Doyel Banerjee

    Hi Prasanth ,

    I am writing to seek your guidance regarding the possibility of applying for a Talent Passport dependent visa from India, given that my husband has already arrived in France on a Talent Passport visa and is currently awaiting the issuance of his residence permit.

    My husband recently relocated to France on a Talent Passport long-stay visa and arrived on 13th July 2025. He applied for his Carte de Séjour (residence permit) on 18th July 2025, and we understand that the issuance process may take some time.

    Unfortunately, I was not in the country at the time of his initial visa application, and therefore I was unable to apply as a dependent along with him.

    I would like to know whether I can now initiate my application for the Talent Passport dependent visa from India, even though my husband has not yet received his residence permit. He currently holds a valid long-stay Talent Passport visa and has proof of submission for his Carte de Séjour application.

    Could you kindly confirm if it is possible to apply based on these documents, and advise on any additional documentation or procedures required in this situation?

    Reply
  7. Surineni sai keerthama

    Hello Mr. Prashant,

    I am student here from January 2024. I have applied for residence permit in november 2024 (my visa expired in January 11th 2025).I got my first response in march 2025 along with an extension letter valid till june13th (3 months). After the expiration of the extension letter i didn’t receive any other prolongation letter. I have mailed the visa office in ANEF website and also i have mailed the prefecture as well. Its been more than a month and i didn’t receive any response from the prefecture. I wanted to book an appointment but its not showing any availability for next couple of months. Its really hard for me to find internships and partimes without any prolongation letter. I have tried everything that i could within my knowledge. Please help me if there are any other ways.
    Thank you so much sir.

    Reply
  8. Sumeet Mukherjee

    Hello Prasanth,

    Is their a way to renew the Decisional Favourable. The reason why i am asking this is that my wife (Passeport talent (famille)) received the decisional favourable for her submission. The Decisional Favourable was valid for 6 months and it was mentioned that the card is under Fabrication. The 6 month validly passed but the card was never printed. I had visited Prefecture twice and they informed us that the card is not ready. Can you guide with your experience if their is a possibility to request for renewal and what steps should someone take in this situation

    Reply
    1. Prasanth

      Hello Sumeet,

      There is a misunderstanding about the favorable decision. Please check my detailed explanations above.

      Cheers,
      Prasanth
      PS: If my articles and answers are helpful, please leave your feedback on Trustpilot

      Reply
  9. Charles

    Dear Sir,

    I hope you are doing well. I am currently on a student visa and have applied for an extension, as my course concludes in December. I would like to clarify two points:

    Will I still be eligible to receive CAF benefits if I have not yet received my récépissé?

    If I am hired for a full-time role while on a student visa, can I begin working immediately once the company has submitted my work permit application, or is it mandatory to wait until the work permit is officially issued?

    Thank you in advance for your guidance.

    Kind regards

    Reply
    1. Prasanth

      Hello Charles,

      As long as you have a valid residence permit, you can receive (if eligible) the various benefits from French govt.

      Check the following articles & their comments because the same questions are asked evey year. https://prasanthragupathy.com/2024/01/aps-french-job-search-or-business-creation-resident-permit/
      Also, https://prasanthragupathy.com/2023/09/work-resident-permits-after-graduating-in-france/

      Cheers,
      Prasanth
      PS: If my articles and answers are helpful, please leave your feedback on Trustpilot

      Reply
  10. Sai

    Dear Prasanth Sir,

    I hope you are doing well. I wanted to inform you about an issue with my visa renewal process and seek your advice.

    My visa is expiring on October 9th, and I have already applied for renewal. While changing my residential address in the French Social Security system (Ameli), my name was mismatched in the record. Because of this, the visa officer has asked me to provide the correct identification document.

    I have already raised the issue with CPAM through my Ameli account to get it corrected. However, since time is short, I was considering submitting both the old and new Social Security certificates along with a short letter of explanation. My social security number is the same in both documents, and I would mention that this is an administrative error that I am working to rectify.

    Could you please advise me if this approach would be acceptable, or suggest the best way to proceed?

    Thank you very much for your guidance, Sir.

    Reply
  11. Bibekananda Paikaray

    Hello Prasanth Sir,

    My name is Bibekananda Paikaray (Passport No., Visa No., VLTS ID: 992xxxxxx). I have been residing in France since September 2024. My visa has recently expired, and my application for a residence permit is currently under process.

    I have received the certificate titled “Attestation de Prolongation d’Instruction d’une Demande de Renouvellement de Titre de Séjour”, which is valid until 25 December 2025.

    I would like to inquire whether I can travel to India and return to France before 25 December 2025 using this document. Will there be any issues at immigration upon re-entry to France? I am planning to travel to India in November and return before 25 December 2025.

    Thank you very much for your time and assistance.

    Yours sincerely,
    Bibekananda Paikaray

    Reply
  12. Abhijeet

    Hello Prasanth,

    I have received ‘ATTESTATION DE DÉCISION FAVORABLE SUR UNE DEMANDE DE DUPLICATA DE TITRE DE SÉJOUR’.

    I am confused with this sentence on the document that says ‘Ce document autorise le franchissement des frontières de l’espace Schengen’

    I am travelling to India next month, so can I return to France with this document? I haven’t yet received my duplicate card after losing the previous one. It’s been 4 months.

    I am travelling with Kuwait Airlines.

    Thank you

    Regards,

    Reply
  13. Sai

    Dear Prasanth,

    I hope you are doing well.

    As per my university, the jury will be held in the second week of November 2025. When I applied earlier using the school certificate stating that the jury would take place in November, I received a visa extension until November 30th. The university has informed me that the attestation de réussite will be issued next week. However, I now have very limited time to apply for the APS.

    Given this situation, I would like to know if it is possible to submit my extension application through ANEF and request an additional one-month extension of my student visa in order to cover the APS application period.

    I look forward to your response.

    Reply
    1. Prasanth

      Hello Sai,

      An extension of CdS étudiant via ANEF is possible only based on a letter from your college. So, If you need an extension, you have repeat what you did earlier. If not, please submit your APS RECE application on or before 30th Nov.

      Cheers,
      Prasanth
      PS: If my articles and answers are helpful, please leave your feedback on Trustpilot

      Reply
  14. Ranjit Gulvady

    Hi Prasanth,

    Do you know if travelling to francophone countries in Africa(like Senegal) is possible with the attestation prolongation instruction? I know that technically it should be, but I was wondering if you have had experience with this, or know of any real examples of people who did.

    Thanks,

    Reply
      1. Ranjit

        I meant to ask the following: while returning from Senegal to France will the attestation prolongation/favorable work? Since the combination of the attestation with expired RP is a visa, it should technically work. But from past experiences, some countries give problems. I know that going to Sénégal requires a visa, I wasn’t referring to that.

        Reply
        1. Prasanth

          Hello Ranjith,
          It is not a schengen country & so I wouldn’t recommend it. If I was in your situation, I would check the French Embassy/Consulate there.

          Cheers,
          Prasanth
          PS: If my articles and answers are helpful, please leave your feedback on Trustpilot

          Reply
  15. Khushi

    Hii Prasanth,

    I checked the previous comments but i couldn’t get a clear answer to this. So I’m asking here again. It is possible to travel Paris to India and then back to paris with Attestation de décision favourable?? Do you know anyone who faced any problems while returning to france. Problems as in did they allow travel without any trouble?? I am asking mainly about air france because I called them and they told me the will not allow me to travel without a card and that attestations aren’t valid. I had a 3 months of VLTS visa for passport talent and now have the attestation. Thanks in advance for taking the time to read through.

    Best regards

    Reply
  16. Ranjit Gulvady

    Hi Prasanth,

    I have a question regarding this statement in your article: “People holding these online attestations should avoid transits/transfers outside the Schengen area. If not, you may not be able to board the flight.”

    This also applied to a decision favorable?

    Reply
  17. Venkata Krishnan

    Hello Prashanth,

    I have an APS which will expire on May 2026. I have a CDI job, finished period d’essai and also got the Autorisation de travail. When I went to ANEF page to apply for titre de séjour salarie, it said that I can’t do any changes in ANEF website and asked me to check in the local préfecture site (toulouse for me). There I tried to take an appointment for the ‘Première Demande de titre de séjour’ but the steps are confusing as there is no option to chose APS. Cab you please help me on this.

    Thanks in advance for your help.

    Reply

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