Around 20 French prefectures are now offering a simple process for Brexit WA card renewals via the website Demarches num茅riques (formerly D茅marches simplifi茅es), as requested by the interior ministry.
It comes as the first cards are up for renewal, with some 40,000 five-year cards in total expiring before the end of next year.
Applications in 鈥楧S鈥� areas (such as Lot, Marne, Alpes-Maritimes, Dordogne, Mayenne, Var鈥�) must be made by attaching scans/photos of supporting documents including a valid British passport, proof of residency (such as utility bill) less than six months old and the old residency card.
Once they have been checked by officials, residents will be offered an in-person appointment to which they should bring paper copies of their supporting documents and three passport photographs.
Readers Anne and Mark Griffiths from Vend茅e emailed about the 鈥渟eamless and straightforward鈥� process in Vend茅e via DS. They had quickly received an in-person appointment which took 鈥渓ess than five minutes鈥� and the cards were available shortly afterward to collect.
Some other departments are skipping straight to the appointment stage, asking residents to book directly, for example Ardennes, Charente-Maritime, Maine-et-Loire, Nord and Hautes-Pyr茅n茅es. Some are allocating specific 鈥楤rexit renewal鈥� slots for this.
Others say residents should apply by post. These include Dr么me, Charente, Loiret and Lot-et-Garonne.
One reader, who asked not to be named, wrote that he is worried as his card is set to expire this month in Morbihan.
The prefecture states on its site Britons there should wait for a dedicated appointments booking service to be set up. It did not respond to a request for clarification.
He has tried to book a standard appointment, for which he said new slots are released on Mondays, however 鈥淚 have not been able to snag one; they go faster than tickets for a Taylor Swift concert鈥�, adding: 鈥淚鈥檓 worried about my legal status now.鈥�
In the first instance in such cases we would advise a paper application via lettre recommand茅e avec avis de r茅ception.
Sources of help
Readers report uncertainty over when to apply for residency cardsDiocese in Europe
Further sources of help include , which has delegates you can meet locally, the British consular service, or an immigration avocat (lawyers).
However, Britons鈥� rights under the WA are legally considered secure after five years of settled residency, as you can read in the .
It states that their permanent rights begin 鈥渂y automatic operation of the WA once they meet the relevant conditions [鈥 with effect from the moment when the WA confers it, not the moment when they are issued with a residence document, which may be later.鈥�
The notes can be downloaded and printed out in French, if required to show your prefecture.
A reader in Vaucluse reports contacting the prefecture and being given an appointment on a 鈥榯ake it or leave it鈥� basis, which he said was stressful as it was not convenient. However, he was given another after repeated contact attempts.
Retired railway station supervisor Peter Skelton, in Charente, reports a positive experience after emailing the prefecture for advice 鈥� he was told to return a simple form with supporting documents.
鈥淭he day after they received it, I received an email with an appointment two days later, to attend with my passport and residency card and to have my fingerprints taken.
"It took less than 20 minutes and I left with my 谤茅肠茅辫颈蝉蝉茅 extending the validity of my existing card by six months from its expiry date while they issue the new card.鈥�
Out of 20 UK families in his village, he thinks he is the first to have carried out a swap.
A reader in Allier attended an appointment and received a 谤茅肠茅辫颈蝉蝉茅 valid three months from the card鈥檚 expiry, being told he would receive a text message when his card was ready to collect.
Some readers report uncertainty over when to apply, given that several sites use the wording titres arrivant 脿 expiration dans les deux mois (residency cards coming up for expiry in two months).
Lack of clarity
The Interior Ministry told us prior to launch of the DS process, that applying no later than two months before expiry was advised, to allow processing time, with about three months before being ideal. We have flagged this up to the ministry.
Some readers also note a lack of clarity over procedures for upgrading to a 10-year card if the five-year card is not yet expiring.
Many DS sites include wording confirming the right to a 10-year card on the basis of anciennet茅 de r茅sidence en France pendant cinq ann茅es (a record of residency in France for five years), though they do not explicitly state they should be used to apply in this case.
Information previously received from the ministry was that it was possible to apply on this basis via the DS process and we have asked again for confirmation.
However, we consider that if you wish to obtain the 10-year card despite the card not imminently expiring there is nothing to be lost in applying, on the basis that the prefecture should have received your original date d鈥檌nstallation (date of moving to France) when you applied for the five-year card.
The 10-year card attests to having obtained 鈥榩ermanent鈥� rights to stay which can only be lost after five years away from French soil.
