I submitted my residence permit renewal application this morning at the Préfecture de Police, Centre de Réception des Étrangers (CRE) in the 17th arrondissement, on Rue Truffaut. Here are some practical tips to help you avoid stress and wasted time during your own appointment.
Time: set aside the entire day
My appointment was scheduled for 11:00 AM. My file was actually processed at 1:30 PM. This is normal, not an exception. Set aside the whole day, bring something to keep you occupied (a book, laptop, portable charger), and don't schedule anything for the afternoon.
Bring a pen
A trivial detail that saves the day: bring a black ink pen in your bag. You'll need to fill out a two-sided form on-site titled «Délégation à l'immigration — Partie à remplir par l'étranger (à l'encre noire)». Without a pen, you'll have to borrow one from someone in line, which is more awkward than it sounds, and officials won't lend you theirs.
The first field on the form: «Titre de séjour demandé»
The most important line, right below the title. A common mistake: people write the administrative code for their permit (CST 1, CST 2, PT, etc.) because that's what appears on the summons letter.
Don't write the code. Write the full category name. Examples:
- Vie privée et familiale (spouse of a French citizen, parent of a French child, personal ties, etc.)
- Salarié (employee)
- Commerçant (business owner/director)
- Étudiant (student)
- Passeport talent (talent passport)
The official processing your file won't decipher an internal code like CST2 without context. Clearly state what you're applying for.
Documents: copy or original?
Main rule, counterintuitive but confirmed by experience:
Only your passport (and previous residence permit if renewing) needs to be presented as an original.
For everything else — proof of address, civil status documents, pay slips, certificates, K-bis (trade register extract), invoices, tax returns, etc. — a photocopy is sufficient.
In practice:
- You can bring all originals just in case (marriage certificate, children's birth certificates, lease agreement, etc.), but the official won't review or keep them.
- However, each document must be accompanied by a photocopy that stays in your file. The photocopy remains at the Prefecture, not the original.
Practical consequence: always prepare a photocopy of everything, including your passport (identity page + visa/entry stamp page) and your expiring residence permit. You take the originals home with you.
The form is two-sided
You fill out the front side (personal details: first name, last name, date and place of birth, nationality, address, marital status, parents, spouse, children).
The back side is filled out by the official. Don't touch it, don't pre-fill it, leave it blank.
In summary
- Expect 2–3 hours of waiting after your appointment time.
- Bring a black ink pen.
- On the form, write the full category name, never the code (CST 2 → «Vie privée et familiale» or another actual category).
- Originals: passport + previous residence permit only.
- Photocopies: everything else, always.
- The back of the form is reserved for administration use.
Good luck with your application.