France Shortens Residence Permit Decisions to 90 Days from 30 October 2026

France now requires prefectures to decide most residence card applications within 90 days of a complete file. The new clock started on 30 October 2026.

Service-Public.fr published an official explainer on 6 November 2026. The page describes décret n° 2026-1001 of 26 October 2026, signed by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu with Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Farandou and Overseas Minister Naïma Moutchou. The Journal officiel published the decree on 29 October 2026 as issue 0253, under reference NOR INTV2619006D, and the text took effect the next day.

The decree transposes parts of European Union directive 2024/1233 of 24 April 2024, the Single Permit Directive. The same text also aligns French rules with directive 2021/1883 of 20 October 2021 on the European Blue Card, and adapts article 143 of the European Union and United Kingdom trade and cooperation agreement of 30 December 2020.

A 90-day written decision, or a refusal by silence

Article 2 of the decree rewrites article R. 432-2 of the Code de l'entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d'asile (CESEDA). The prefecture must notify a written decision as soon as possible, and no later than 90 days after you file a complete application. The previous general deadline was four months.

The 90-day count starts only once the file is complete. A request for missing documents pushes the start date later. Keep copies of every upload, receipt and email, and note the date the prefecture accepted the last required document.

If the application presents elements of particular complexity, the authority is allowed to add 30 days and must inform you of the extra time. The decree lists several residence cards for which the extra 30 days do not apply. For cards covered by article R. 421-26 of the CESEDA, silence still produces an implicit refusal after 60 days, and the decree now starts the 60-day count from the date of a complete application.

Silence is not approval. Under rewritten article R. 432-2, an implicit refusal arises at the end of 90 days from a complete application, as already provided in article R. 432-1. If 90 days pass with no written decision and no notice of a 30-day extension, treat the file as refused and seek advice on appeal options at once.

A first job change after six months, not twelve

Article 14 amends article R. 5221-36 of the Labour Code. After a first work authorization, the period during which you are blocked from changing employer drops from 12 months to six months. A new employer still needs to request a fresh work authorization before you start the new role.

The same article already allowed an earlier move in case of involuntary unemployment. The decree adds a second exception: a serious violation by the employer of the conditions of the employment relationship. In those cases a new employer is allowed to file without waiting for the six-month mark. Do not resign on the strength of a verbal offer. Ask the new employer to file the authorization first, and wait for approval before you leave the current post.

Temporary worker cards during involuntary unemployment

Holders of a carte de séjour "travailleur temporaire", used for fixed-term contracts, receive new protection under article 1 of the decree, which completes article R. 421-4 of the CESEDA. The prefecture is not allowed to withdraw the card because you lost a job through no fault of your own, as long as the total time without work does not exceed three months during the validity of the card.

If you find a new employer during the unemployment period, you are authorized to remain in France while the new work authorization is under review. The three-month shield grows by another three months, so six months in total, if your previous job involved working conditions covered by articles 225-4-1, 225-13, 225-14 and 225-15-1 of the Penal Code. Service-Public.fr describes those offences as human trafficking, forced labour and conditions incompatible with human dignity. Track the start date of any involuntary unemployment, and file a new work authorization as soon as a new employer agrees to hire you.

European Blue Card duration, mobility and a job-search window

Article 6 amends article R. 421-12 of the CESEDA for the multi-year card "talent - carte bleue européenne". For a contract of at least two years, the card lasts as long as the contract, up to a maximum of four years. For a contract shorter than two years, the card lasts at least as long as the contract plus three months, up to a maximum of two years.

Articles 7 and 8 change articles R. 421-21 and R. 421-22. To apply in France after holding an EU Blue Card in another member state, you now need at least 12 months of stay under the card in the first country, down from 18 months. From a second move inside the European Union, six months is enough. The prefect then informs the authority of the member state which issued the previous Blue Card.

Article 9 creates article R. 421-24 A. If the prefect plans to refuse a renewal or to withdraw the card under article L. 421-11 because the employer failed legal obligations such as social security, tax or worker-rights duties, the prefecture must tell you and give you time to find a new job. The search period is six months from the date of notification of the refusal or withdrawal on those grounds, and is extended to match the end of your unemployment insurance rights under article L. 5422-1 of the Labour Code. During the temporary stay you receive a document confirming lawful stay and authorizing work, such as an attestation of continued processing, a temporary stay authorization, or a "talent - carte bleue européenne" card.

The official notice of the decree also points to easier renewal for a family member of a Blue Card holder who has five years of legal, uninterrupted residence across different EU member states. Article 12 adjusts article R. 433-2 of the CESEDA for the family cases listed in the last paragraph of article L. 421-22.

Intra-group transfer cards now need a published salary floor

Articles 10 and 11 add articles R. 421-38 A and R. 421-51 A to the CESEDA. To receive a "salarié détaché ICT" or "salarié détaché mobile ICT" multi-year card, or a "stagiaire ICT" or "stagiaire mobile ICT" temporary card, you must show annual gross pay at least equal to the average annual gross reference salary set by an order of the minister in charge of immigration.

Service-Public.fr stated on 6 November 2026 the exact figure was not yet published. The ministerial order will set the number. The official notice of the decree says the aim is to match the manager and expert profiles in EU directive 2014/66 dated 15.05.2014 on intra-corporate transfers. If you or your employer plan an intra-group posting to France, wait for the ministerial order before you treat any unofficial figure as the legal floor.

A work-authorization exemption for some UK company postings

Article 13 adds a new point 22 to article R. 5221-2 of the Labour Code. A worker who regularly and habitually works for an employer established in the United Kingdom is exempt from a French work authorization when posted to France under article L. 1262-1 1° of the Labour Code, for a maximum of 12 cumulative months, to provide contractual services in sectors listed by a joint order of the immigration minister and the labour minister.

The worker must have performed the same type of services as an employee of the UK employer for at least one year immediately before the date of the request to enter France. The worker must also show at least three years of professional experience in the sector covered by the contract, a university degree or an equivalent qualification, and any professional titles required by law or regulation for the activity. The sectors themselves still depend on the joint ministerial order, so do not assume a given industry is covered. The decree implements article 143 of the EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement of 30 December 2020.

If you already filed a residence card application, collect proof of the date the file became complete and count 90 days from the date. If you hold a first work authorization and want to change jobs, count six months from the start of the authorized employment and ask the new employer to file before you resign. None of these changes removes the duty to hold a valid residence card or, where required, a work authorization before you start work.

Sources

• Service-Public.fr official explainer on the 30 October 2026 residence and work changes (6 November 2026)
• Décret n° 2026-1001 of 26 October 2026 on Légifrance (NOR INTV2619006D)
• Directive (EU) 2024/1233 of 24 April 2024, single permit procedure
• Directive (EU) 2021/1883 of 20 October 2021, European Blue Card
• Directive (EU) 2014/66 dated 15.05.2014, intra-corporate transfers