Can the foreigners husband of a Frenchman stay in France?

Verified 04 August 2026 - Public Service / (Prime Minister)

Yes, if you are a foreigner no European and married to a Frenchman or a Frenchwoman, you can obtain a residence permit, under certain conditions, to live with your spouse in France.

Warning  

If you are a citizen of a European country or EEE or Switzerland and are married to a Frenchwoman, the procedure is different.

To be recognized in France, your marriage must have been celebrated by a French registrar. If it was celebrated abroad, it must have been transcribed imperatively on the French registers of the central civil registration service of Nantes.

You will obtain a residence permit « private and family life ». This residence permit allows you to work in France and allows you to travel in Europe and abroad. To obtain this residence permit, you must comply with all of the following conditions:

  • Since marriage, the community of life with your spouse must not have ceased
  • Retention of French nationality by your spouse
  • If your marriage was celebrated abroad, transcript of the marriage certificate
  • Not to be in a situation of polygamy.

The steps to be taken by the foreigner married to a Frenchman or a Frenchwoman differ according to his nationality:

General scenario

To enter and stay legally in France, you must obtain a long-stay visa worth a residence permit (VLS-TS) « private and family life / spouse of Frenchmen » from the French consular authorities of your country of residence.

This visa allows you to stay in France for its duration, generally less than or equal to 1 year. It exempts you from requesting a residence card for your 1re year of residence in France.

Validation of VLS-TS

Within 3 months of your arrival in France, you must validate your VLS-TS and pay a fee that is added to the visa fee.

The approach on the internet allows to be regular stay and to be able to cross the border of the Schengen area :

Validate a long-stay visa as a residence permit (VLS-TS) and pay the fee

Please note

In case you entered without a long-stay visa, you can apply for a residence card « private and family life » if the following 3 conditions are met:

  • Have entered France regularly on a short-stay visa (or be of a nationality exempt from tourist visa)
  • Being married in France to a French person
  • Living in France for more than 6 months with your husband or wife.

After 1 year of stay, you may, as the spouse of a Frenchman or a Frenchwoman, apply for multi-year residence card private and family life. It is valid for 2 years.

After 3 years of stay, you have the possibility to request a 10-year resident card.

These residence permits are issued on condition that your community of life has not stopped.

FYI  

After 4 years of marriage, you can then, if you wish, apply for french nationality.

If you have lived in France for less than 3 years and your French spouse has not registered in the consular registers during your stay abroad, you must prove 5 years of marriage.

Algerian

You must enter France with a visa (a short-stay visa is sufficient).

During the validity of this visa, you must apply for the issuance of a 1-year algerian residence certificate marked "private and family life".

After 1 year of marriage, you can get a 10-year algerian residency certificate provided that your community of life be effective.

FYI  

After 4 years of marriage, you can then, if you wish, apply for french nationality.

If you have lived in France for less than 3 years and your French spouse has not registered in the consular registers during your stay abroad, you must prove 5 years of marriage.

Tunisian

To enter and stay legally in France, you must obtain a long-stay visa worth a residence permit (VLS-TS) « private and family life / spouse of Frenchmen » from the French consular authorities of your country of residence.

This visa allows you to stay in France for its duration, generally less than or equal to 1 year. It exempts you from requesting a residence card for your 1re year of residence in France.

Validation of VLS-TS

Within 3 months of your arrival in France, you must validate your VLS-TS and pay a fee that is added to the visa fee.

The approach on the internet allows to be regular stay and to be able to cross the border of the Schengen area :

Validate a long-stay visa as a residence permit (VLS-TS) and pay the fee

After 1 year of marriage, you can get a 10-year resident card provided that your community of life has not stopped.

FYI  

After 4 years of marriage, you can then, if you wish, apply for french nationality.

If you have lived in France for less than 3 years and your French spouse has not registered in the consular registers during your stay abroad, you must prove 5 years of marriage.

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