How much does a French residence permit cost?

Checked on 2026-10-25

Since 1 May 2026 the law sets a 300 € tax on a first residence permit and 200 € on a renewal, plus 50 € stamp duty on every card. So a first card usually costs 350 € and a renewal 250 €; student cards cost 150 € and 100 €. Filing a renewal late adds a 180 € fee.

Key facts

What	The law says	Source
Tax, first permit	300 € (100 € for the permits listed in the article)	CESEDA art. L436-1, I
Tax, renewal	200 € (50 € for the same listed permits)	CESEDA art. L436-1, II
Stamp duty	50 € on issue, renewal, duplicate or change of a residence card	CESEDA art. L436-7
Duplicate	Same tax as the first issue for the same reason	CESEDA art. L436-2
Late renewal	180 € regularisation visa fee, unless force majeure or a valid visa	CESEDA art. L436-5
First card, general case	350 € (300 € tax + 50 € stamp duty)	Service-public.fr F35799, F302
Renewal, general case	250 € (200 € tax + 50 € stamp duty)	Service-public.fr F35799, F302
Student card	150 € first issue; 100 € renewal	Service-public.fr F35799, « Coût »
New card after moving	Optional; 50 €	Service-public.fr F35807
How to pay	Electronic tax stamps, online or at an equipped tobacconist	Service-public.fr F33071

What the law charges

A French residence card is paid for in two parts, both set by the CESEDA (version in force from 1 May 2026):

A tax (art. L436-1): 300 € the first time a permit is issued and 200 € on renewal. For the permits listed in the article, the tax is reduced to 100 € and 50 €.
Stamp duty (art. L436-7): 50 € each time a residence card is issued, renewed, replaced by a duplicate or changed.

What you pay in practice

The ministry’s guidance on service-public.fr adds the two parts together:

First multi-year card, and first visitor card: 350 €.
Renewal in the general case: 250 €.
Student cards: 150 € for a first multi-year card, 100 € for a renewal.

Service-public.fr says proof of payment of the stamp duty is asked for when the card is handed to you.

Extra costs

Late renewal: if you apply after the deadline, the law adds a 180 € regularisation visa fee unless you show force majeure or a valid visa (art. L436-5).
Duplicate: a lost or replaced card is taxed at the same amount as the first issue for the same reason (art. L436-2), plus stamp duty.
Change of address: declaring a new address is free; a new card showing it is optional and costs 50 € (service-public.fr F35807).

Paying

The tax and stamp duty are paid with electronic tax stamps (timbres fiscaux). Service-public.fr says you can buy them online or at a tobacconist equipped to print them, and you can ask for a refund for a stamp you don’t use.

The VLS-TS visa has its own validation tax. See “France VLS-TS: validate your long-stay visa within 3 months”.

Sources

CESEDA, arts. L436-1 to L436-13, taxes and stamp duty (Legifrance, version in force from 1 May 2026 under Loi n° 2026-103 of 19 February 2026, art. 128) checked 2026-10-25
Carte de séjour pluriannuelle « générale » (Service-public.fr, DILA), sections « Coût » checked 2026-10-25
Carte de séjour « visiteur » (Service-public.fr, DILA), step 5 « Connaître le coût » and step 7 checked 2026-10-25
Que doit faire un étranger en cas de changement d'adresse ? (Service-public.fr, DILA) checked 2026-10-25
Étranger en France : comment acheter un timbre fiscal ? (Service-public.fr, DILA) checked 2026-10-25

Change history

2026-10-25: Page created

This is general information, not legal advice, and Lumen is not a law firm. Rules change and offices differ: check the official sources above before you act. Found something wrong or out of date? Write to support@lumen.observer.