Travelling with a récépissé after French carte de séjour expires

For many foreigners in France, the récépissé is becoming an increasingly important part of life, mostly due to the ever-growing queues and delays when it comes to renewing a residency permit.

I am one of those, having recently spent five months on a récépissé before finally managing to get my renewed carte de séjour residency permit.

The récépissé, in theory, acts as proof that one is still a legal resident in France – but many foreigners find it stressful and confusing to have only a temporary document, while travelling on one is a particular worry.

READ ALSO: ‘I can’t risk travelling’: Carte de séjour delays continue to impact foreigners in France

Here’s a look at what you can and cannot do with the récépissé, as well as what it’s really like to travel with one.

What is a récépissé? Let’s start with the basics, a récépissé is a document that you are given by your French préfecture (or via the online platform) which acknowledges that you have applied to renew your carte de séjour residency permit, you have applied for a duplicate card (if yours was lost or stolen), or you have applied for a new card for another reason (eg a change of address or changing your residency status).

It is basically a receipt, it shows that you have made the application and that it is being dealt with. Full details on how it works HERE

Why is it important? In an ideal world, when it’s time to renew your residency permit, you would make the application, it would be swiftly dealt with, and you would receive the new card before the old one expires. And that is exactly how it happens for some people, in which case the récépissé is not necessary.

However, growing delays at the French préfectures which deal with applications mean that more and more people do not get their new cards until after their old ones expire, sometimes many months afterwards.

READ ALSO: French préfectures and carte de séjour delays – your questions answered

In my case, I applied for the renewal in February, the old card expired in April, but I didn’t finally get the new one until September. This kind of timeline is not uncommon, and for many people it takes much longer.

But for the period between the expiry of the old card and the arrival of the new one, the récépissé acts as proof that one is still a legal resident in France. Essentially, it tells anyone who cares to look that ‘I did everything right, I applied for a renewal, it’s taking a while for the préfecture to deal with it but that’s not my fault. I am still a legal resident of France’.

What is the official status of the récépissé? The récépissé is an official French document which has a legal status comparable to the carte de séjour. It must be used in conjunction with the card – so you present both the expired card and the récépissé.

If you have a récépissé because you are waiting for the reissue of a lost or stolen card, it can be used alone – but it is always advised to photograph your carte de séjour (front and back) so you can show that as well if requested.

The récépissé is not simply a piece of paper – it contains your personal details (full name, address, DOB) as well as a photograph and the details of the préfecture. It also specifies what you are authorised to do in France, eg if you are permitted to work.

The récépissé also has both an issue and an expiry date.

READ ALSO: What is a ‘récépissé’ in France and what can you actually do with it?

So if it’s all official, what’s the problem? The problem with the récépissé is basically that people don’t always recognise it as an official document.

Usually this is due to a lack of knowledge when dealing with someone who is not familiar with the immigration system, such as HR departments at work or a receptionist.

Compounding the problem is the fact that they just don’t look very official – a piece of paper or computer printout seems flimsy compared to the official card, which is why many people worry about travelling on them.

The exact format varies between préfectures, but the most common format is as seen below – a printout with a photograph glued to it.  

Photograph of a French récépissé. Photo: The Local

This example is from the Paris préfecture which, like many others, uses the printer paper with perforated holes along the side which was popular in the 1990s but now seems to exist only in French préfectures.

The other format is the printout option – people making their request online via the ANEF platform may receive theirs in a download format, which they then print off at home. Likewise, some préfectures send the récépissé as an email attachment, which the person prints off at home.

Sometimes the récépissé is referred to as an attestation de décision favorable or an attestation de prolongation.

Can I travel on a récépissé? The legal status of the document means that it can be used for travel, although only in conjunction with the expired carte de séjour. When travelling, you should always take three documents: passport, old carte de séjour and récépissé.

READ ALSO: Explained: How to travel if your French carte de séjour has expired

The paper version authorises travel, the downloadable document explains whether it can be used for travel or not – it should say something like Ce document autorise/n’autorise pas le franchissement des frontières de l’espace Schengen (this document authorises/does not authorise crossing borders outside the Schengen zone).

But the flimsiness of the document means that many people worry about travelling with them, fearing a worst-case scenario of being denied re-entry to France.

So is it a good idea to try and travel on them? Many people do use them for travel with no problems.

I did two trips back to the UK for family reasons during my récépissé period, both via the Eurostar, meaning four sets of border checks. Three times the border agent just looked at my carte de séjour and didn’t seem to notice that it had expired, on the fourth time, an agent flagged the date and I showed the récépissé and everything was fine.

I also asked a selection of friends and Local readers for their experiences

They variously told me: “It was nerve-wracking the first time, but it all went OK, and I’ve travelled a few times on it now.”

“I had to explain what it was to the guy once, the rest of the staff at the Eurostar seemed used to it.”

“Yeah, I’ve done it a few times – no problems.”

There are, however, a couple of caveats here – French border guards should recognise a récépissé, some people have reported problems when trying to re-enter another Schengen zone country, as German/Italian/Belgian staff were less familiar with the document.

Likewise, the situation is likely to be easier on a route that is frequently travelled by carte de séjour holders, such as major airports or the Eurostar.

There’s also the fact that travel is a lot less risky for citizens of the ’90 day rule’ countries such as the UK, USA, Canada etc, since they retain the right to re-enter France under the 90-day rule, even if, in the worst-case scenario, their récépissé is not accepted at the border.

And finally, I must acknowledge the fact that I am travelling as a white person who holds a UK passport. I wish it wasn’t the case, but I am likely to have an easier time with it when travelling than people of colour, or nationals of non-’90-day’ countries.

Have you travelled with a récépissé? Share your experiences in the comments section below.