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Family reunification in France in France

Regroupement familial is a procedure for a foreign national without European citizenship who lives lawfully in France on a residence card and wants to bring over a spouse and minor children. The file is received by OFII, the conditions on income and housing are checked by the mayor of the commune, and the decision is taken by the prefect of the department.

Source: Service-Public.fr — the official French administration portal

Who can obtain it

The conditions are checked as at the date the file is filed: the applicant's status, their income over the previous twelve months and their housing. The ages of the spouse and children are also assessed as at the filing date.

The applicant's status
  • A temporary residence card valid for at least 1 year — salarié, vie privée et familiale, étudiant, visiteur and others
  • Or a multi-year residence card, a resident card or an EU long-term resident card for 10 years issued by France
  • A receipt acknowledging an application to renew such a title also counts
  • Residence in France for at least 18 months
  • Those 18 months can be built up with a long-stay visa, a temporary card shorter than 1 year, a temporary residence authorisation, a receipt for a first issue or a renewal, or a certificate of an asylum claim
  • Algerian nationals: a residence certificate valid for at least 1 year and residence in France for at least 1 year
  • In Mayotte: residence for at least 3 years with a title valid for at least 5 years
  • The applicant has to comply with the fundamental principles of family life in France
  • A polygamous man living in France with a first wife is not allowed to bring over a second wife
Income over the past 12 months
  • A family of 2 or 3 — an average of €1,867.02 a month, the level of the SMIC minimum wage before deductions
  • A family of 4 or 5 — an average of €2,053.72 a month
  • A family of 6 or more — an average of €2,240.42 a month
  • Income from employment and from your own business, from managing property, and pensions are counted
  • The spouse's income is counted if the payments will continue after the move to France
  • Family benefits, RSA, Aspa, Ata, ASS and AER are not counted
  • Recipients of the AAH benefit or the Asi supplement are not subject to the income condition
  • The income condition is waived for those over 65 with 25 years of lawful residence in France and 10 years of marriage, where reunification is requested for the spouse
Housing
  • The housing has to count as normal for a comparable family in the same area and meet the requirements on sanitary condition and equipment
  • Zones A bis and A — at least 22 m² for a couple without children, or for two people
  • Zones B1 and B2 — at least 24 m² for a couple without children, or for two people
  • Zone C — at least 28 m² for a couple without children, or for two people
  • Plus 10 m² for each further person up to 8 people, and plus 5 m² for each person beyond eight
  • The zone of the commune is determined through the official simulator
  • If the housing has not yet been obtained, it is confirmed with cerfa form 11437 giving the date it will be ready and the floor area
  • Authorised officials have the right to inspect the housing
Who can be brought over
  • A spouse aged 18 or over, lawfully married to the applicant
  • Children under 18
  • Children of the couple where parentage is legally established or where they were adopted by court decision
  • Children from a previous union — if the other parent has died or been deprived of parental rights
  • Children from a previous union — if parental rights were awarded to one parent by a decision of a foreign court
  • The family has to be living abroad
  • As a general rule the whole family comes together; partial reunification is allowed by way of exception in the children's interests, on a reasoned letter
  • A spouse or children are excluded from the procedure if their presence in France would be a threat to public order

What it costs

Residence card for the family member who has arrived, in tax stamps at the prefecture150 EUR
Fee for the regularisation visa, if the family member entered without a long-stay visa; €100 is paid on filing and is not refunded if the application is refused+300 EUR

Documents to gather

Copies of supporting documents are attached to the completed cerfa form «Demande de regroupement familial». Documents in a foreign language are accompanied by a translation by a sworn translator or a translation certified by a French consulate.

  • A copy of the applicant's valid residence title, both sides: resident card, EU long-term resident card, multi-year card, temporary card valid for 1 year or more, or a certificate of having filed for renewal
  • A full copy of the marriage certificate with marginal notes
  • Full copies of the birth certificates of the applicant, the spouse and each child with marginal notes, including children already living in France
  • Court decisions on divorce, on parental rights, on guardianship, and adoption decisions — as applicable
  • A letter from the other parent with a certified signature, allowing the child to come to France
  • A sworn declaration that there is no polygamy — for nationals of countries where polygamy is permitted
  • The livret de famille, the DCEM document and school certificates for children already in France
  • A reasoned letter, if reunification is requested for less than the whole family at once
  • Evidence of income over the past 12 months: the latest tax notice, an employment contract or an employer's certificate no more than 3 months old, employment certificates, payslips
  • For traders, craftspeople, liberal professions and micro-entrepreneurs — an extract from the RNE business register no more than 3 months old and the latest balance sheet, or an income certificate from the tax service
  • For jobseekers — a France Travail statement of entitlements and payments; for pensioners and disabled people — the decision awarding the pension and certificates of payments
  • Evidence of housing: a certificate of residence no more than 3 months old, the tenancy agreement and the latest rent receipt, the title deed or a notarial certificate
  • If living with a host — their tenancy agreement or title deed, a certificate that accommodation is being provided, stating the period, and a copy of their identity document
  • Cerfa form 11437 on the provision of housing, if the housing has not yet been obtained, or a promise of tenancy and confirmation of a future purchase

How the process runs

The file is filed from France: it is put together by the person who already lives in the country. The documents can be submitted through the online service or by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt; only one channel is chosen.

  1. 1

    Check the conditions

    The applicant checks their residence title, length of residence, average income over 12 months and the floor area of the housing against the zone of the commune. The administration's website has simulators for this.

  2. 2

    Put the file together

    Complete the cerfa form «Demande de regroupement familial» and attach copies of the documents on status, civil status, income and housing, with translations into French.

  3. 3

    Submit the file to OFII

    The file is sent online through the application service or by registered letter with acknowledgement of receipt to the territorial office of OFII.

  4. 4

    Check that the file is complete

    OFII checks the file. A complete file is confirmed by a dated filing receipt; OFII notifies the prefect of the department of it. An incomplete file is returned to be completed.

  5. 5

    The mayor's opinion

    2 months

    OFII passes the file to the mayor of the commune of residence. The mayor checks the conditions on income and housing, and where necessary the housing is inspected by authorised officials. The mayor gives an opinion within 2 months of receiving the file; silence counts as a favourable opinion.

  6. 6

    The prefect's decision

    up to 6 months

    The file with the opinion goes back to OFII and on to the prefect. The decision has to be notified within 6 months of the date the complete file was filed. A refusal has to give reasons. If there is no answer within that period, the application counts as rejected. The decision is challenged by an administrative complaint to the prefect and to the Minister of the Interior, and by a claim to the administrative court.

  7. 7

    Visa and the family's entry

    3 months to enter after the visa is issued

    Once the filing receipt is issued, the documents are passed to the family abroad. The spouse applies for a long-stay VLS-TS visa at the French consulate, and the children receive a visa marked regroupement familial. The family has to enter France within 3 months of the date the visas are issued, and pays for the journey itself.

  8. 8

    Medical examination, validating the visa and the card

    the VLS-TS is validated within 3 months of arrival

    After arrival the family undergoes the OFII medical examination: without the certificate it issues, the residence card cannot be obtained. If OFII has an office in the country of departure, the examination may be carried out there. The spouse validates the VLS-TS online within 3 months of arrival and pays the corresponding tax; for the first year they do not need a card from the prefecture. The spouse and children over 16 sign the CIR republican integration contract.

Who you can bring with you

The procedure is designed for a spouse and minor children. Their status after arrival depends on the applicant's title and on the country of origin.

The applicant's spouse
At least 18 years old, in a lawful marriage. Enters on a long-stay VLS-TS visa, validates it online within 3 months of arrival and for the first year lives without a card from the prefecture.
Minor children
Under 18 as at the filing date. They enter on a visa marked regroupement familial and do not need a separate residence title.
A child who has reached adulthood
Requests a «vie privée et familiale» card before turning 19. From the age of 16 the card is arranged if the child wants to work.
The family of an applicant with a 10-year resident card
The spouse and children who have reached adulthood request the same 10-year resident card, which is renewable; the application is filed within 2 months of the spouse's arrival.
The family of a Moroccan or Tunisian national
The procedure is the same: the spouse receives a VLS-TS and validates the visa within 3 months, and the children enter on a visa marked regroupement familial.
The family of a national of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Congo-Brazzaville, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal or Togo
Under those countries' agreements with France, family members receive the same residence title as the applicant.
The family of an Algerian national
Family members receive a residence certificate marked «vie privée et familiale» with the same period of validity as the applicant's. The first issue of a one-year or ten-year certificate is free.
Parents and other ascendant relatives
The procedure does not cover them. With sufficient resources they can come on visiteur status.

Renewal and the grace period

The «vie privée et familiale» card allows you to live and work in France, and the employer does not need a work permit. For countries without a special agreement, after the first year the spouse applies for a temporary «vie privée et familiale» card for 1 year. A child who entered under reunification as a minor obtains that card from the age of 18, or from 16 if they want to work; the tax stamps for that first card cost €150. The next step is the multi-year «vie privée et familiale» card for 4 years: for it the authorities check compliance with the republican integration contract, French at level A2 and passing the civics exam, except for applicants over 65. The tax stamps on that renewal are €100: a €50 fee and a €50 tax. The renewal application is filed online no earlier than 4 months and no later than 2 months before the document expires. The prefecture may refuse renewal, in particular where an order to leave the territory has not been complied with, or in cases of forged documents, serious offences and violence against elected representatives or officials.

Frequently asked questions about Family reunification in France

How long do I have to have lived in France before filing the application?
At least 18 months. At the time of filing you need a temporary title valid for at least 1 year, a multi-year card, a resident card or an EU long-term resident card for 10 years, or a receipt for a renewal application. Those 18 months themselves can be built up with, among other things, a long-stay visa, a temporary card shorter than a year, a temporary residence authorisation or a certificate of an asylum claim. For Algerian nationals the period is different: a residence certificate valid for at least 1 year and residence in France for at least 1 year.
What income will I have to evidence?
The average income over the 12 months before filing: €1,867.02 a month for a family of 2 or 3, €2,053.72 for a family of 4 or 5 and €2,240.42 for a family of 6 or more. Earnings from employment and from your own business, income from property and pensions are counted, as is the spouse's income if the payments continue after the move. Family benefits, RSA, Aspa, Ata, ASS and AER are excluded from the calculation. The income condition does not apply to recipients of the AAH benefit or the Asi supplement, nor to an applicant over 65 who has lived lawfully in France for at least 25 years and has been married for at least 10 years, where the move concerns the spouse.
What sort of flat counts as sufficient?
The housing has to be normal for a comparable family in the same area and meet the requirements on sanitary condition and equipment. The minimum living area depends on the zone: 22 m² in zones A bis and A, 24 m² in zones B1 and B2, 28 m² in zone C — for a couple without children or for two people. To that is added 10 m² for each further person up to eight people and 5 m² for each person beyond eight. If the housing has not yet been obtained, it is confirmed with cerfa form 11437 stating the date it will be ready, the floor area and its characteristics.
How long does the decision take, and what can I do if it is refused?
The mayor of the commune gives an opinion on income and housing within 2 months of receiving the file; if the mayor is silent, the opinion counts as favourable. The prefect's decision has to be notified within 6 months of the date the complete file was filed with OFII. No answer within that period means a refusal. A refusal has to give reasons. It can be challenged by an administrative complaint to the prefect and to the Minister of the Interior, and by a claim to the competent administrative court.
What does the paperwork cost for the family once they have arrived?
For the residence card at the prefecture a family member pays €150 in tax stamps. If the person entered without a long-stay visa, a further €300 fee for a regularisation visa is charged; €100 of that sum is paid when the application is filed and is not refunded if the title is refused. Proof of payment is produced when the card is collected. The stamps are bought on the tax service website or at a tobacconist's. For Algerian nationals the first issue of a residence certificate for 1 year or for 10 years is free.
Will the spouse be able to work after the move?
Yes. The «vie privée et familiale» residence card allows you both to live and to work in France, and the employer does not need to obtain a separate work permit. A child who entered under reunification arranges that card from the age of 18, or from 16 if they want to work.
What does the family sign after arrival, and what does the CIR contract teach?
The spouse and children over 16 who have arrived under reunification sign the CIR republican integration contract. The contract is concluded with the French state for 1 year, and in certain cases is extended by a maximum of 1 further year. It includes compulsory civics training — 4 sessions totalling 24 hours, and in Mayotte 2 sessions totalling 12 hours. Language tuition of 600 hours is assigned to those whose test result is below level A2.
Can the procedure be used if the family is already in France?
Yes, by way of exception there is regroupement familial sur place for a spouse and children under 18 who are already in France. The marriage has to have been concluded in France, the spouse has to be living lawfully in the country on a card valid for at least 1 year or a multi-year card, and the applicant for at least 18 months (12 months for Algerian nationals) on a card valid for at least 1 year or a receipt for its renewal. The other conditions are the same as in the ordinary procedure, but there is no need to obtain a long-stay visa at the consulate. The spouse and adult children receive a temporary «vie privée et familiale» card for 1 year, and where the applicant holds a resident card, people from the Maghreb and sub-Saharan Africa receive a 10-year resident card; minor children are issued the DCEM document.
Who is this procedure not for?
Regroupement familial is intended only for foreign nationals without European citizenship. Relatives of a French national, family members of an EU or Swiss national, the family of a refugee, a stateless person or a beneficiary of subsidiary protection, the family of a holder of a talent card and the family of an EU long-term resident from another Union country all have their own grounds for a long-stay visa or separate procedures.
Does the whole family have to come over at once?
As a general rule yes: all family members have to come to France together. Partial reunification is allowed as an exception in the children's interests. The request is made by a reasoned letter filed with the file; arguments such as a child's schooling, their health or housing too small for the whole family are accepted. The procedure does not cover ascendant relatives, and a polygamous man living in France with a first wife will not be allowed to bring over a second wife.

Other ways to move to France

Every route in one list — migration programmes: France.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.