Do foreigners in France have to carry their residency permits?

The majority of non-EU citizens who wish to make France their home will first need a visa, and then once in France will apply for a carte de séjour - this usually happens after three months of residency, but some types of visa have different rules. Meanwhile certain groups, such as the family members of EU citizens, can apply directly for the carte de séjour.

This is a plastic credit-card sized document showing your photo, personal details, type of residency permit you have (eg student, salaried employee, talent passport or the Brexit card known as Article 50 TUE).

It will also show the expiry date of the card.

But once you've got this precious card, what do you do with it? And do you have to carry it with you when you're in public? 

ID checks

There are two things that you may potentially be asked to prove - your identity and your right to be in France.

Both French and non-French citizens are encouraged to have some form of ID with them at all times. No law actually requires you to have a form of ID with you at all times - but if you are subject to an identity check, the procedure will take longer if you cannot present an appropriate document.

For the French this is easy, since all French nationals are issued with a (free) ID card, which most people routinely carry in their wallet/handbag/pocket. 

For non-French nationals, acceptable forms of identification are;

• a passport
• an EU ID card
• a photo driving licence
• a carte de séjour residency permit

One reason you may need to prove your identity is for a contrôle d’identité (identity check). This is when a police officer stops to check your identity.

This can only happen under certain conditions:

• the officer suspects you have committed or will commit a crime;
• you are in an area where crime is known to occur;
• the public prosecutor has ordered a certain area to be subject to police checks, or;
• you are in control of a motorised vehicle (a contrôle routière).

If you're driving, officers have the power to pull you over for an ID check - even if you were driving safely and within the speed limit - and a search of the vehicle may be carried out.

French police deny it - and the French state's 'colourblind' policy means there is no official data - but anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that ID checks are much more common for people of colour.

If you're stopped and you are not carrying any document that could prove your identity - a good quality photocopy is usually acceptable, if you don’t want to carry the original around with you, or maybe a photo on your mobile - the officer can take you to a police station to check your identity there.

This verification must take no longer than four hours from the first request for ID (eight hours in Mayotte, just for the record). Even so, it’s plenty long enough to put a kink in your day.

If police cannot establish your identity, or if you refuse to cooperate with police, the public prosecutor or investigating judge may authorise the taking of fingerprints and photos. Refusing to submit to fingerprinting or having a photograph taken is punishable by a fine of up to €3,750 and three months in prison.

You may also be required to prove your identity for any number of administrative reasons - which makes it easier to have some form of ID with you.

These include, for example, the following situations:

• Examination or competition;
• Registration at Pôle Emploi/France Travail;
• Registering on electoral rolls and voting in elections;
• Certain banking operations (opening an account; making a payment by cheque; or making a withdrawal at the counter of your bank);
• Picking up a parcel from the post office;
• Rail travel in certain situations, such as if you have bought your ticket using an age-restricted rail card;
• Air travel.

Be aware that companies such as SNCF and administrative bodies can decide for themselves which forms of ID they deem acceptable - and whether they will accept photographs or photocopies.

If you're travelling within the Schengen zone, you should always carry either a passport or a French ID card - although checks at Schengen borders are not common, they do happen and technically you still need a passport or ID card to travel.

Proving right of residency

The above rules apply to everyone in France, French or not.

However if you are foreign, you can also be asked to prove your right of residency in France, this can happen during a contrôle d'identité or for administrative reasons such as when opening a bank account, applying for a job or trying to rent an apartment.

Citizens of EU countries are not required to have a residency permit, in this case their EU passport 'acts' as their proof of residency, since they can live and work in France under EU freedom of movement.

For non-EU citizens, the standard proof is a carte de séjour or a visa.

If you have applied to renew your carte de séjour but have not received the new card before the old one expires, you can request a récépissé - a kind of official receipt - which can be used to prove your right to be in France and for travel. 

Récépissé: France's temporary residency permit explained