Spouse of a French national: what to do in the 3 months after arrival

Information checked on 25 October 2026.

You have just arrived in France with a long-stay visa equivalent to a residence permit (VLS-TS) « vie privée et familiale, conjoint de Français ». In the first 3 months, only one step has a legal deadline: validating this visa online and paying the fee. Validation triggers an OFII summons for the medical exam and the republican integration contract, and you can start registering for health insurance. What comes next is prepared early: the multi-year card is requested between 4 and 2 months before the visa ends, the resident card becomes possible after 3 years of marriage, and nationality by declaration after 4 years.

This guide follows the chronological order. It complements our page on arrival steps in France according to your visa. Algerian and Tunisian nationals have their own rules, described further down.

Before arrival: transcribing the marriage

If you married abroad, the marriage certificate must be transcribed into the French civil status registers, through the consulate, for the marriage to have effect in France. Service-public makes it a condition of residence as the spouse of a French national, and later of the resident card. Transcription also gives you a French family record book (livret de famille).

It is requested from the competent consulate and can take several months. If it has not been done, sort it out with your spouse as a priority: without it, everything else stalls.

The other conditions of residence as the spouse of a French national, according to service-public:

• an effective shared life, uninterrupted since the marriage;
• a spouse who was French on the wedding day and still is;
• no polygamy.

The first 3 months: validating the VLS-TS

The spouse of a French national VLS-TS is usually valid for 1 year. It exempts you from applying for a residence card in the first year, on one condition: validating it online within 3 months of arrival, on the website of the digital administration for foreigners in France (ANEF): administration-etrangers-en-france.interieur.gouv.fr.

You enter the visa number, the date of entry (the one on the stamp) and your address in France, then pay the fee. The full walkthrough, valid for every VLS-TS, is in our guide to validating your VLS-TS online.

The fee: the amount is shown at payment. Since 1 May 2026, the VLS-TS fee is €300 at the standard rate (it was €200) and €100 at the reduced rate. The reduced-rate examples given by service-public (students, family reunification, au pairs, seasonal workers) do not include spouses of French nationals: plan for the standard rate. Payment by bank card or electronic tax stamp.

If you are late: after 3 months, the visa no longer counts as a residence permit. You are unlawfully present and, if you leave France, you will need a new visa to come back. If the deadline has passed, do not travel and quickly contact the prefecture or an association that helps foreigners.

The OFII summons: medical exam and CIR

After validation, you are automatically scheduled for an OFII medical exam: the Ministry of the Interior expressly lists the « conjoint de Français » VLS-TS among the visas concerned. The summons arrives by post or e-mail. It is mandatory; any impediment must be justified.

The exam includes a clinical exam, a vaccination check, screening for infectious diseases and a chest X-ray depending on your country of origin. The doctor gives you a medical certificate: keep a copy, the prefecture will ask for it for your next permit.

The OFII also receives you to sign the republican integration contract (CIR). It includes 24 hours of civic training in four sessions and an assessment of your French. Below A2 level, language training is prescribed. Attend this training diligently: since 2026, it is a condition for the multi-year card. Details are in our article on the OFII summons and the republican integration contract.

Health insurance

Your French spouse cannot add you as a dependant (ayant droit): according to ameli, this notion no longer exists for people aged 18 and over. You are insured in your own right.

• If you work, your job opens your rights.
• Otherwise, you fall under universal health protection (PUMa) on the basis of residence, which as a rule requires 3 months of stable residence in France. Prepare your file on arrival so you can submit it to the CPAM where you live as soon as you meet the condition.

Usual documents: form S1106, passport, validated visa, proof of address, marriage certificate, bank details (RIB). During the first weeks, keep travel or private insurance if you had one.

The table of steps and deadlines

Before the visa ends: the multi-year card

The VLS-TS cannot be renewed. To stay longer, apply for a multi-year residence card « vie privée et familiale », valid 2 years according to service-public, online on the ANEF, no earlier than 4 months and no later than 2 months before the visa ends. For a one-year visa, the window therefore opens in the 8th month.

What you will be asked for:

• proof of the shared life and of your spouse's French nationality;
• the OFII medical certificate and compliance with the CIR;
• since 1 January 2026, A2 level in French and a pass in the civic exam (at least 32 correct answers out of 40), except over 65;
• €350 in tax stamps (€300 tax and €50 stamp duty), the rate since 1 May 2026.

A late application exposes you to a €180 regularisation visa. If you do not yet meet the language or civic exam conditions, ask the prefecture which permit you can obtain. Later renewals and prefecture delays are covered in our article on renewing your residence permit in France.

Shared life, the common thread

Every spouse of a French national permit rests on a real shared life. A separation can lead to a refusal to renew. Service-public does, however, provide exceptions, notably when the shared life ended because of the spouse's death or domestic violence. In these situations, get support from a specialised association before taking any step.

After 3 years: the resident card

After 3 years of marriage, you can apply for a 10-year resident card. According to service-public, you need:

• an effective shared life, a spouse who has remained French, a transcribed marriage if it took place abroad;
• proof of 3 years of lawful residence;
• republican integration: since 2026, B1 level in French and a pass in the civic exam with the « carte de résident » mention, except over 65;
• €350 (€300 tax and €50 stamp duty).

After 4 years: nationality by declaration

After 4 years of marriage, you can declare French nationality, provided there has been a continuous shared life and you have sufficient knowledge of French, proven by a diploma or certificate. The period rises to 5 years if you have not lived in France for at least 3 years since the marriage and your spouse was not registered with the register of French nationals abroad. The procedure costs €255.

Algerians and Tunisians: their own rules

Algerian spouses: the Franco-Algerian agreement applies. According to service-public, you enter with a visa (a short-stay visa is enough) and, while it is valid, you apply at the prefecture for a one-year Algerian residence certificate « vie privée et familiale ». After 1 year of marriage, with an effective shared life, you can obtain a 10-year residence certificate.

Tunisian spouses: the same VLS-TS as in the general case, but the 10-year resident card is available after 1 year of marriage, if the shared life has not ended.

What if your family joins you another way?

The spouse of a French national visa only concerns the husband or wife of a French national. If you are a foreigner bringing over your own family, the procedure is family reunification: see our article on family reunification in France after arrival. For the steps in other European countries, see our page on arrival steps in Europe with a long-stay visa.

Finding your compatriots

Arriving as the spouse of a French national often means arriving without your own family, in your partner's city. Compatriots already live there and know the prefecture, the CPAM and the local French classes. On Compatri, join for example Ivorians in France, Beninese in France, Algerians in France or Tunisians in France, and look at the communities of your city, such as Toulouse or Lille, among all the cities of France. Compatri does not carry out any step on your behalf: only the OFII, the prefecture and the official websites are authoritative.

Official sources

• Service-public: can the foreign spouse of a French national stay in France?
• Service-public: « vie privée et familiale » residence card
• Service-public: 10-year resident card
• Service-public: declaration of French nationality by marriage
• Service-public: the republican integration contract
• Service-public: new residence fees from 1 May 2026
• Ministry of the Interior: the mandatory medical exam at the OFII
• Website of the digital administration for foreigners in France (ANEF)
• Service-public: universal health protection
• Ameli: universal health protection