As expats living in France, we will require the services of the prefectures for various topics. So, this article explains the various ways in which we can contact our local prefecture and get the support required.
The most common ways of communication are,
- Telephone number
- Email or Contact Us form (recommended option)
- Direct Walk-ins
Telephone Numbers and Websites
You can directly call the prefecture for your generic questions. The telephone numbers can be easily found on your prefecture’s website. A short list of numbers from a few major prefectures in France.
- 75 Paris: 34 30 prefecturedepolice.interieur.gouv.fr
- 78 Yvelines: 01 39 49 78 00 yvelines.gouv.fr
- 91 Essone: 01 69 91 91 91 essonne.gouv.fr
- 92 Nanterre: 01 40 97 20 00 hauts-de-seine.gouv.fr
- 93 Bobigny: 01 41 60 60 60 seine-saint-denis.gouv.fr
- 94 Créteil: 01 49 56 60 00 val-de-marne.gouv.fr
- 69 Lyon: 04 72 61 61 61 rhone.gouv.fr
- 13 Marseille: 04 84 35 40 00 bouches-du-rhone.gouv.fr
- 31 Toulouse: 05 34 45 34 45 haute-garonne.gouv.fr
- 06 Nice: 04 93 72 20 00 alpes-maritimes.gouv.fr
- 44 Nantes: 02 40 41 20 20 loire-atlantique.gouv.fr
- 33 Bordeaux: 05 56 90 60 60 gironde.gouv.fr
You can easily find other prefectures and sub-prefectures across France via the database on Service Public. It can be done by writing “Prefecture” followed by your ‘City Name” in the search bars and click Search (magnifier icon), as shown below.
Emails and Contact Us Form
This is the most useful and recommended option. The contact us form allows us to add the relevant personal details, explain our situation, attach supporting documents, etc.
It is better to write the message in French, based on the translations from Deepl, Reverso, Google Translate, etc.
Don’t forget to mention your numéro étranger in your message. This is very important and will help the prefecture in identifying your application, etc. This number is also known as numéro AGDREF. Here is a FAQ document that explains how and where to find this number.
- If you have a Carte de Sejour, you will find it under Numéro Personnel / Personal Number in the front side.
- If you have a VLS-TS visa which was validated online, you can find this number on the PDF attestation given after the validation.
I have listed the contact us forms of the major prefectures, for easy access. You can easily find others on your respective prefecture’s websites.
- 75 Paris: Contact Us
- 78 Yvelines: Contact Us
- 91 Essone: Contact Us
- 92 Nanterre: Contact Us
- 93 Bobigny: Contact Us
- 94 Créteil: Contact Us
- 69 Lyon: Contact Us
- 13 Marseille: Contact Us
- 31 Toulouse: Contact Us
- 06 Nice: Contact Us
- 44 Nantes: Contact Us
- 33 Bordeaux: Contact Us
For example : Contact Us form of Prefecture in Toulouse
Direct Walk-ins
Most prefectures in France have stopped entertaining direct walk-ins after the Covid19 pandemic. So, you won’t be allowed inside the prefecture without an appointment.
The following article answers the frequently asked questions about taking appointments with prefectures.
FAQ – Prefecture Appointments for French Resident Permits
Very helpful ! Thanks