For those British Citizens who were resident in France on 31st December 2020 but who had not been resident for 5 years at that date, a five year withdrawal ageement residency permit (WARP) was issued. These are now reaching their expiry dates, meaning renewal is necessary. Key points to note are:

-         Renewal is through your local Préfecture, so you need to go to their website to find out the process.

-         Some Préfectures (e.g. Bouches du Rhône, Cantal, Dordogne, Loiret, Manche, Meurthe et Moselle, Paris, Vienne) are using an online renewal system. Others (e.g. Charente Maritime, Finistère, Hauts de Seine, Lot et Garonne, Nord) require an appointment at the Préfecture or request that the renewal file is posted to them.

-         DO NOT use the ANEF system, which applies for other visas, but not a 5-year WARP card.

-         Each Préfecture seems to have differences in the way they are handling WARP renewals, which makes it difficult for us to provide and easy to understand summary.

-         Only apply when your current card has less than 2 months to go before expiry - earlier renewal requests may find themselves in the wrong "queue" at the Préfecture and so lead to problems, such as the request for additional documents and delays in the renewal process.

-         There is a standard set of documents to provide, which can be found here. Basically, you need a valid UK passport, a recent (less than three months) proof of address (e.g. utilities bill), three passport photographs and the card that is about to expire. You should not need anything else, although we are aware of some Préfectures asking for more - if they do, push back and if necessary contact us and we will try to assist with escalation of the problem to the French authorities (no guarantees of success though).

-         You will also be asked to provide proof of any changes to your circumstances such as marriage or divorce.

-        There is no test of any kind linked to the WARP renewal process - neither civic or language.

-         There is no charge for the renewal of a WARP card, one of the negotiated benefits in the Withdrawal Agreement. This is confirmed on the Service Public website https://www.service-public.gouv.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F35032 (click on the section "Vous avez un titre de séjour portant la mention 'Article 50 TUE/article 18(1) accord de retrait' de 5 ans bientôt en fin de validité" and towards the bottom of the page it confirms the card renewal is "gratuite")

-         The Préfectures should have based their workflow and staffing on the basis of the number of 5-year cards up for renewal in their area. You might consider you don't get much interaction or response from the Préfecture in the initial weeks after sending in your renewal resquest. There is no need for anxiety, because your card is valid up to three months AFTER its expiry date, in line with the other 140 different types of 'titres de séjour' and the 'carte d'identité française'.

-         Additionally, if you have a “recipissé” from the Préfecture to confirm you have applied for renewal, that renders the expired card valid for an additional six months, which should give enough time until the new card is issued. So if you are travelling during the period between application and getting the new card, then please state this at the appointment when you are giving your fingerprints (again, the new system put in place is to synchronise with the EES and the ETIAS systems, a fact that wasn't in place 5 years ago) and ask for a 'récépissé, which will cover you when travelling.

-         As it is almost certain that the 5-Year WARP card holder has now been in France for more than five years, the new card will be a 10-year card confirming a permanent right of residence. 

-         You will of course be asked to surrender your 5-year card in order to pick up the 10-year card, but only when the new card is ready. In any event, cards will not be issued until AFTER the expiry date marked on them, because the system, which has been altered to allow EES and ETIAS identification, will not allow someone to hold two cards. 

-         You can retain the right to hold a WARP card even if you have had periods outside France in the last five years. Once you have the permanent 10-year card, you can retain the right to hold it unless you are out of France for a period of five consecutive years (Article 15 (3) of the Withdrawal Agreement which states "Once acquired, the right of permanent residence shall be lost only through absence from the host State for a period exceeding 5 consecutive years.").

-         ALWAYS travel with your WARP card (and a récépissé if appropriate), since you can be fined for not presenting this vital piece of identification.

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Information from the Embassy on 14 October 2026

The UK Government's Living in France - GOV.UK guidance (New information on Withdrawal Agreement residence permit renewals in France (See 'Renewing your Withdrawal Agreement Residence Permit' on the 'Visas, residency and citizenship' section) has been updated and now includes detailed information on:

• how and when to apply for renewal.
• supporting documents.
• Récépissés.
• travel while a renewal application is being processed
• what to do if problems arise.

We have also published a short video from the British Embassy Paris Deputy Head of Mission explaining the renewal process and highlighting the key points applicants should be aware of. It has been published on UK in France’s Facebook page and is also here: Facebook

 Key messages for applicants

• Apply during the two months before your permit expires.
• Follow the process specified by your local prefecture.
• Do not use the general ANEF renewal service for WARP renewals.
• Keep your contact details up to date and regularly check spam folders.
• Include your numéro étranger and application reference when contacting the authorities.
• Contact your prefecture first if you experience difficulties.  

If you have been unable to resolve a problem with your prefecture, you can contact the French Ministry of the Interior’s Brexit support service by email at: contact-demandeenligne-brexitdgef@interieur.gouv.fr  

When contacting the support service, include:

• your full name and date of birth
• your numéro étranger
• the name of your prefecture
• the expiry date of your current WARP
• your application reference, if you have one
• a brief explanation of the problem and the steps you have already taken